Fairfax Theatre

7907 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048 | map |

News: The demo phase is done with nothing remaining except the boxoffice, entrance terrazzo and doors, and facades along Beverly and Fairfax. The marquee has been stripped down to the underlying concrete structure but will eventually be restored. The long-ago-approved condo project is underway. The Fairfax was approved for City Historic-Cultural Monument status in 2021 but that only protects certain exterior features.

Opened: The theatre's debut was March 26, 1930 with the premiere of "Troopers Three," a February release from Tiffany Productions. With star Rex Lease there in person! The opening night photo is from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. The location at Beverly Blvd. and Fairfax Ave. was a sparsely populated area at the time of the opening. The theatre was the first major commercial building in the district.  

 

A curious opening day ad with no film titles listed. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating it. Visit his site: Movie-Theatre.org 

 

The Fairfax was a project of developer Nelson C. Stein, who owned the building until 1960. The L.A. Times announced the project in their June 2, 1929 issue giving the theatre a capacity of 1,800 and a cost of $400,000. An October 20 Times story noted that construction had finally begun and downsized the capacity to 1,500 and the cost to $150,000. William Simpson & Co. was the contractor.

 

The theatre was leased to the Fairfax Theatre Company, Inc. whose partners were Gus A. Metzger, Harry Srere and Charles A. Nichthauser. Srere had been running the Rialto downtown in the late 20s. With Metzger he had taken over Palace Theatre in 1928. In 1930 they were operating the Forum Theatre in a partnership with Warner Bros. Metzger and Srere also did business as Pacific Amusement Co. and Metzger-Srere Theatres. The duo were the first operators of the Roxie when it opened on Broadway in 1931.
 
Seating: 1,504 when it opened, all on one level. As a triplex it was initially 913 seats. It was down to 786 (172 + 422 + 192) after reseating by Laemmle with wider seats in 2001. Meghan Warner notes that the big house was down to 324 at the end and notes: "During the rain season the big theater went down to about 298."

Architect: Woodbury C. Pennell, born in 1883. He designed hundreds of commercial and residential projects in the L.A. area and was always listed just as W.C. Pennell. His first name was given in a short obituary in the L.A. Times on April 18, 1951. In 1921 he had designed the Strand Theatre, 4409 S. Broadway. Earlier he was in partnership with John C. Austin and in 1914 they designed the Alvarado Theatre, 710 S. Alvarado St.  

 

While neither the Times or Examiner appears to have covered the opening, the L.A. Evening Herald sent their man, Edward Stodel. He liked the theatre, was lukewarm about the movie, and thought the management's hospitality was lacking: 

 

"New Fairfax Takes a Bow - With bright lights, an R.O.T.C. unit, personal appearances of several film players, the screening of 'Troopers Three' and other first night embellishments, the new Fairfax theater was duly baptised into the local rialto last night. As one of the first theaters in the city to be built for proper talking picture acoustics, the Fairfax theater has taht (sic) valuable quality to boast of. 

 

"The house is of a distinctive modernistic design. 'Troopers Three,' the featured item on the program, is a Tiffany production of average entertainment value. The beginning of the film is unique in that it starts out to be a backstage story and suddenly becomes one of military camp life... Incidentally, the manner in which the theater took care of its guests and patrons last night was not calculated to create an overwhelming impression of good will. Lack of programs was the least of the inconveniences." 

Initially operated as an independent house, the Fairfax was evidently in an arrangement with Fox West Coast as early as 1935. The Fairfax was listed in the Fox ads beginning February 24 of that year. In 1936 they pulled a permit for a bit of a remodel in the ticket lobby. Metzger evidently kept a hand in the operation as late as 1945. In 1947 Fox West Coast did a bit of renovation work including a new Skouras-style boxoffice and two golden swirls on the organ grilles. In 1957 Fox bought the two lots north of the building that were used for parking. The Stein family sold the building to Haig M. Prince in 1960. The theatre continued to be operated by Fox West Coast and its successor companies National General and Mann Theatres. 

 

The stage of the theatre was used for many personal appearances, benefits and special events over the years, especially for neighborhood Jewish organizations. MGM brought in some of their performers for a June 10, 1930 Hadassah benefit that featured noted comic Harry Green as master of ceremonies. A March 22, 1931 L.A. Times story noted that the theatre was offering Sunday symphony concerts. Eddie Cantor performed for a sold out house on March 29, 1932 for a B'nai B'rith vaudeville theatre party and fashion show. 

 

 

The back of the stagehouse was seen in an illustration on the menu at David's Delicatessen, just north of the theatre. Thanks to Chris Nichols for locating this when it popped up on eBay. Hungry? See the front of the menu and the inside of the menu.  Chris is a senior editor at Los Angeles magazine and is also the author of the Taschen book "Walt Disney's Disneyland."

 

Gene Autry performed at a December 26, 1951 benefit for several children's hospitals. Jack Carson, George Jessel and a 12 piece pit band entertained during an October 14, 1958 benefit. Eleanor Roosevelt spoke at the theatre in 1960 during the Kennedy campaign. Others appearing on the stage included Lois Moran and Robert Alda. Nicholas Cage once worked snackbar at the Fairfax.

In 1969 the Fairfax was the venue for the L.A. engagement of "Oh, Calcutta," a presentation of Lou Shaw Productions. It opened with previews on November 25. A raid and arrests were detailed in a December 18 L.A. Times story. A January 8, 1970 Times story discussed the closure of the show that week. Thanks to Arnold Darrow for finding this program, once for sale on Amazon.

Michael Moran comments: 

 

"I worked the Fairfax as Assistant Manager for a couple of years. At the time, it was still a top money maker for the Mann Theater chain. We got the area exclusive for every single Disney flick and raked in a ton of money. They loved us. There were times we would over sell a matinee (no small accomplishment for an almost 1500 seat nabe). That meant there were people who didn't have a seat and never realized it. Fun times. 

 

"When I was there the stage was still fully functional. It's a shame the community didn't love it enough to find a reason to save it. It will eventually be an ugly condo complex built inside the shell. I think the owners are hoping it will suffer the fate of the Pan Pacific Auditorium. There are a lot of homeless in the area and, until fairly recently, getting in wasn't difficult. My fear is someone will get past the barriers and a fire of 'unknown' origins will finish the demo.

"The Fairfax was always a magnet for the more colorful denizens of the neighborhood. We had one homeless guy who would literally drag himself in right after opening. He had a severe mobility issue, so the trek from the box office to the candy stand was an arduous one. Anyway, he would buy a hot dog and a small coke and take them up to the restroom on the second floor (near the booth) and stay there for hours eating. Then he'd come back down, covered in mustard and hot dog bun and make his way back home. This happened three days a week. When parents began to complain about the strange man in the bathroom, we had to ban him. I would have an usher take the hot dog and coke out to the sidewalk where he would still make a huge mess. Then there was Deena Krolenbaum..."

 Corky Baines asks: 

"Wasn’t there a tunnel in basement that ran under Fairfax?" 

Michael's reply: 

 

"No. It's not true. There was no basement for one thing. There was only a tiny room for the air cleaner and an even smaller marquee room to store the letters. The story probably came from the fact there's a crawl space, a shallow void under the auditorium for air circulation. The theater had a swamp cooler that blew cool area up through the floor through metal 'mushrooms.' People were always stealing them, leaving dangerous holes in the floor. That might be where the tunnel story came from."

Mann Theatres got out in 1979 after selling their lease for $30,000 to the father and son team of Sidney and Christopher Kurstin of Kurstin Theatres. The firm owned the Brentwood Twin and the Sherman and had leases on the Culver, South Pasadena's Rialto, the Fox Fullerton and the Vagabond. In 1980 Sid announced plans to turn the building into a music venue but nothing materialized except one show, the "New Wave Marathon" on March 28. The six band extravaganza was noted in the L.A. Times issue of March 18. In April 1981 the theatre was used as one of the venues for Filmex. 

Grant Lee checked out the operation for his September 9, 1981 L.A. Times story "A One-day Laborer at the Fairfax -- It's No Matinee For the Idle." In late 1981 the Kurstins tri-plexed the theatre, a project given a value of $110,000 on the permit. The front half of the theatre was left intact with two little theatres carved out of the rear. A hallway down the middle (between the two rear auditoria) provided an entrance to the main theatre.

Cineplex Odeon took over the operation in April 1985 and kept the triplex scheme but gave the venue a refurbishing under the direction of Mesbur + Smith Architects of Toronto. The large house was equipped for 70mm. The project was discussed in an August 15 L.A. Times article. The reopening was in May 1986. 

 

Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating this May 23, 1986 L.A. Times ad.  

 

In April and May 1990 it was the venue for the AFI Festival's 'Hollywood Glasnost' series, 36 features from Eastern European countries. Thanks to Dave Hunter for sharing this image of the cover of the program in his collection. It was a design by Polish artist Andrzej Pagowski. See Dave's Facebook post for more about that year's festival plus 1990 and 2023 photos. 

 

Laemmle Theatres got it in 2001, around the time Loew's Cineplex Odeon headed into bankruptcy. The renovation work at the time included new wider seats and new carpet. 

 

Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating this November 2, 2001 reopening day ad. Laemmle exited the property in September 2006. Regency Theatres then took over the operation. 

 

Cliff Carson comments: 

 

"I lived a few blocks from this theatre on Curson for years and frequented this theatre many many times. The last time I was there was not a good experience. We were watching 'No Country for Old Men.' Halfway through the film a man (possibly a homeless man) just stood up at his seat, whipped out his penis and started to relieve himself right there in the theatre. The urine splashing the concrete floor and running down was loud and echoed. After he was finished he just sat down and continued watching the movie. I knew the end was near."

In 2009 the owner, Alex Gorby of B&F Associates in Santa Monica, first proposed demolishing the building to erect a mixed-use condo building with street level retail and basement parking. Gorby had purchased the building from Haig A. Prince in 1970. The architect for the condo project, Howard Laks, suggested saving the facade and erecting a new building behind it. The Hollywood Conservancy termed this "a facadectomy" and unacceptable. Curbed L.A. did a nice Mad Libs piece about the Fairfax preservation battle in 2009.

Closing: The theatre closed in January 2010 after heavy rains on an already problematic roof made it not feasible for Lyndon Golin's Regency Theatres to continue running films. The building owner was unwilling to make repairs. Deanna Bayless comments: 

"The roof of the Fairfax was in horrible shape, as the building's owners had been neglecting it forever. The front half had a few small holes in the ceiling, but the rear half must have been in pretty sad shape on the other side of the dropped ceiling for the two rear theatres, because rain would pour through into big trash barrels. It closed permanently after a huge rain, when they said that a big chunk of ceiling came down. I’m usually beyond suspicious of such claims, but having seen the condition of the rear two auditoriums... yeah, it’s undoubtedly in far worse shape now."

See a January 12, 2010 L.A. Curbed article "Laks, Gorby Defend Fairfax Project." Three days later Dakota Smith's Curbed story "Fairfax Theatre Saga Day 214" featured some nice Wendell Benedetti photos. The item is still up but Wendell's work has vanished. The L.A. Times ran a January 2010 piece entitled "Fairfax Theater May Do a Slow Dissolve." The Times reported on the LAHTF's preservation battle again in March 2010 in their story: A Cliffhanger at Fairfax Theater." 

Hillsman Wright called this "demolition by neglect" in "Historic Fairfax Theatre Could Become Condo Project," a March 2010 story on the blog LAist. In June 2010, the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission voted to deny the Fairfax Landmark status citing the division of the auditorium and changes to the facade over the years. PDFs of the CHC meeting agendas can be obtained from this meeting list.

The owner proposed a five story 71 unit apartment complex with a rooftop pool and ground level retail. The project got approval from the City Council's Planning and Land Use Committee in April 2013. The approval was contingent upon the retention of the facade and the the terrazzo at the entrance. The marquee would get a rehab. The rest of the building would be demolished. The ceiling in the auditorium was removed around 2019. 

This rendering of the Howard Lax design for the project is from an April 2013 Curbed L.A. story "Fairfax Theatre Apartments Finally Almost Approved." They also had a followup story about the final city council approval.

The 2nd landmarking attempt: Despite the rejection of the building for landmark status in 2010, a new nomination was prepared by Steven Luftman in 2021. The rules are that to be reconsidered, there needs to be a significant amount of new information. The new application focused on recent research about the theatre's impact on the growth of the surrounding community, especially its Jewish population. The 304 page application can be downloaded as a PDF from a Google Drive folder. 

The Art Deco Society of Los Angeles and Save Beverly Fairfax both worked to support the nomination. In a March 2021 post on the Esotouric's Secret Los Angeles Facebook page Kim Cooper commented: 

 

"There are now searchable sources from the Jewish press that weren't consulted for the original nomination and it turns out there probably wouldn't be a Fairfax District as we know it without the cultural, commercial and fundraising activities centered on this building."

The city's Cultural Heritage Commission had voted at their May 6, 2021 meeting that the Fairfax should get another hearing as far as determining its status as a Historic-Cultural Monument. The theatre was then discussed at the August 5 meeting. The 36 page Power Point album of photos the commissioners took in July is available on an 8/5 Google Drive folder. The nomination got a yes vote at the June 3 meeting. A PDF of the 6/3 meeting agenda has links to the presentation documents. It was then approved by the city council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee on November 30. 

By a unanimous vote the city council declared the building to be a City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument on December 7, 2021. WeHo Times had the story. It's unknown what specific parts of the building were part of the designation. This in no way prevents the owner from executing what he got approved in 2013: gutting the building for a condo project. What it does do is perhaps put those areas under greater scrutiny that he was mandated to retain: the facade, marquee and entrance terrazzo.

Potential National Register listing: The ADSLA and Save Beverly Fairfax also worked to get the Fairfax on the National Register. At a July 30, 2021 meeting the State Historical Resources Commission determined that it was eligible. However, buildings don't actually get listed on the National Register without the owner's consent -- and he certainly wasn't interested.

Status: Work on the condo project finally began in 2023. Early in the year the owners ended the rental agreements for all the retail spaces and put up a fence. The billboards that had been on the roof were also removed. "Fairfax Theatre site may come back to life," was an April  Beverly Press/Park LaBrea News story located by Arnold Darrow.

A rendering from Howard Laks, the architect for the condo project, that appeared with "Life signs for Fairfax Theatre development," an April 2023 Urbanize story by Steven Sharp. There was also a September update.

Interior demolition began in April. By September the roof was off the building and the stagehouse was gone. See demolition photos lower on the page.

Lobby views:

The original look of the lobby. Thanks to Hillsman Wright of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation for the photo. It's one of four vintage views that were used to document the application for landmark status for the building's interior. Despite a valiant fight by the LAHTF and other groups, the application was denied. The owner plans to save some facade and entrance elements while gutting the rest.

The LAHTF is actively involved in the study and preservation of the vintage theatres in the L.A. area. The group frequently supports events and offers tours of the buildings. www.lahtf.org | group Facebook page | official FB page

The lobby west wall. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - LAHTF  - 2009

The Fairfax snackbar. Photo: Don Solosan - LAHTF Facebook page - 2009. Thanks for all your photos, Don! 

A lobby ceiling view from Shari Determan that had appeared on the now-vanished Save The Fairfax Theatre! website.

A lobby view at the end. Photo: Bill Counter - 2010

 

 

A 2021 snack bar view. It's one of 36 photos taken by the staff of the City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission during a July 8 survey of the building in preparation for their August 5 meeting. See a PDF of the 8/5 meeting agenda. Power Point and Day-of-Submission items for that meeting are available on an 8/5 Google Drive folder. 

 

 

A wider view looking toward the entrances to the auditoria. Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission - July 2021

 

 

A floor detail. Originally the floor was sloped. When the house was triplexed it was leveled and the ramp and stairs added. Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission - July 2021 

 

 

The west wall of the lobby. Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission - July 2021 

Art glass still surviving in the ceiling. Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission - July 2021

 

 

At the steps. That center entrance is the corridor between the two small auditoria at the rear leading to the larger auditorium #2, the front of the original space. Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission - July 2021

 

 

A look back toward the entrance doors.  Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission - July 2021 

 

 

A closer look at the doors. Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission - July 2021  

 

 

The house left end of the inner lobby. The stairs go to the booth and restrooms. Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission - July 2021  

 

 

The stairs at the house left end of the inner lobby. Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission - July 2021 

 

 

A July 2023 peek inside. Photo: Bill Counter  

 

 

Auditorium and booth views:  

The c.1930 appearance of the Fairfax's auditorium.  Photo courtesy of Hillsman Wright - LAHTF

 

 The original proscenium decor and drapery treatment. Photo courtesy of Hillsman Wright - LAHTF

The view toward the screen after some 1940s Skouras-style redecoration. Photo courtesy of Hillsman Wright - LAHTF

The hallway between the two smaller theatres at the rear that gets you to the big house. It's a Don Solosan photo that had appeared on the Save the Fairfax Theatre! website.

The main auditorium. It's a Wendell Benedetti photo for the LAHTF that once appeared with the 2010 Curbed LA article "Fairfax Theatre Saga: Day 214."

A proscenium detail by Shari Determan from the now-vanished the Save the Fairfax Theatre! website.

The front of the main auditorium. Photo: Ken Roe on Flickr - 2002. Thanks, Ken!

The house left area in the main auditorium of the Fairfax in a 2009 view by Don Solosan on the LAHTF Facebook page.

If you're a fan of Skouras-style decoration here's a Wendell Benedetti shot for you. 

A main auditorium ceiling view. Photo: Ken Roe on Flickr - 2002

The main auditorium west wall. Thanks to Don Solosan for the 2009 photo.

The view from the back of the big house, auditorium #2. The two little ones were carved out of the rear of the auditorium when it was triplexed. Thanks to Don Solosan for the photo on the LAHTF Facebook page.

A main auditorium ceiling view. Thanks to Don Solosan for his 2009 photo on the LAHTF Facebook page.

A view of the art glass in the center of the auditorium. It's a photo by Wendell Benedetti for the LAHTF.

The rear of the main auditorium, house #2. Photo: Ken Roe on Flickr - 2002 

 

Auditorium #1, in the rear house left. Photo: Ken Roe on Flickr - 2002

Auditorium #1 in 2009. It's a Don Solosan photo on the LAHTF Facebook page. 

 

Auditorium #3, in the rear house right. It's a photo by Don Solosan on the LAHTF Facebook page.

Projection equipment in the original booth. The Don Solosan photo appeared on the LAHTF Facebook page in 2009. He notes: "Fairfax Theater, projection for auditoriums 1 and 3. Because of the unusual way this theater was divided, projection for auditorium 2 is down that long hall at center." Scott Shepard adds: "There was no upstairs hallway connecting the projection booths until the Cineplex remodel. Before that you had to access the front booth from the rear left theater behind the screen."

Booth gear for auditorium #2 -- the front half of the original auditorium. Thanks to Don Solosan for his 2009 photo on the LAHTF Facebook page.

 

 

After a bit of demo:   

 

Exploring by flashlight down the corridor to the main auditorium, house #2. Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission - July 2021

 

 

A view to the proscenium in the main auditorium after the ceiling plaster had been removed by the owner, Alex Gorby. He had applied for permits to do the work in 2010 but it was unknown at the time whether or not it had been executed. 

 

This April 2021 photo and two others appearing here are views Gorby included in a presentation made by his representatives Teresa Grimes and Bill Delvac to rebut the argument that the theatre should be given another chance at being designated a City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. It was up for consideration at the May 6, 2021 meeting of the Cultural Heritage Commission. The commissioners unanimously voted that significant new information had emerged and a reexamination was warranted. PDFs of the CHC meeting agendas can be obtained from this meeting list. The owner's presentation is available as a 20 page PDF titled "Item 1_Fairfax Theater_owner" under "Power Point Presentations" in this Google Drive folder. 

 

 

A look toward house left. Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission - July 2021

 

 

A view of the remains of the ceiling in the main auditorium. Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission - July 2021

 

 

The rear of the main auditorium after plaster removal. Photo: Alex Gorby - 2021 

 

 

The front of auditorium #1, the house carved out of the house left side of the back end of the original auditorium space. Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission - July 2021

 

 

The rear of auditorium #1, house left. Photo: Alex Gorby - 2021

 

The screen end of house #3, the small auditorium at the rear house right. Photo: Alex Gorby - 2021 

 

 

 

Across the booth wall with demo underway. Photo: Bill Counter - July 2023

 

 

The house right wall. Photo: Bill Counter - July 2023 

 

 

The organ grille and front exit house right. Photo: Bill Counter - July 2023

  

 

A look in from the stage door. Photo: Bill Counter - July 2023

 

 

A closer look offstage left. Photo: Bill Counter - July 2023 

 

 

A view across toward a new hole in the house right wall. Photo: Bill Counter - August 2023

 

 

A house right wall detail. The art isn't original but dates from a 1940s Skouras-style remodel. Photo: Bill Counter - August 2023 

 

 
More exterior views: 

 

1929 - "Here Feb. 15th." Well, they almost made that date. The opening was March 26. It's a December 1 construction view that appears on page 131 of the 304 page application for City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument status for the building. It's a document prepared by Steven Luftman for consideration at the May 6, 2021 meeting of the City's Cultural Heritage Commission. The application can be previewed or downloaded as a PDF from a Google Drive folder.  

 

1930 - A look at the crowd for the March 26 grand opening. "Troupers 3" was the main feature. Is that an Edward Everett Horton short they're advertising on the end panel of the marquee? It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

 

 

 

1930 - This Mott Studios photo in the California State Library collection is one of four in their set #001387204. The film on the marquee at the time was the Ziegfeld epic "Sally" starring Marilyn Miller, a January release. The display cases also advertise "Clancy at the Bat," a short that was released in November 1929.

 

1930 - A fine view of the marquee soffit and the ticket booth. The terrazzo is still in place. Note that at the time the theatre was built, the sidewalk didn't extend west past the theatre. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library

1930 - Looking from across the Beverly and Fairfax intersection. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library. A cropped version of the photo is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1930 - A marquee detail. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library

1931 - The view east on busy Beverly Blvd. toward Fairfax. It's a photo from the Dick Whittington Studio in the USC Digital Library collection. It's image #11 in a set of photos of properties owned by Hugh Evans Co.

1931 - Where's the theatre? Zooming in toward Fairfax gets us this view. 

1931 - An even closer look at the entrance from the Dick Whittington photo. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor BifRayRock for finding the photo in the USC Archives and deconstructing it in his Noirish post #20189.

Also see the Noirish Los Angeles post #20187 by Chuckaluck for more views of the Beverly/Fairfax intersection.

 

c.1938 - A view of the intersection of Fairfax and Beverly by Herman Schultheis. Admission is up to 40 cents! The photo is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.
 

1943 - A view of the Fairfax appearing in the terrific Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres in Los Angeles" by Suzanne Tarbell Cooper, Amy Ronnebeck Hall and Marc Wanamaker. There's a preview for you to browse on Google Books. The photo also appears in Mr. Wanamaker's Arcadia book "Hollywood 1940-2008."

 

 

1950 - The roof sign of the Fairfax is in the distance on the left in this view from a Farmers' Market parking lot. That's Gilmore Stadium on the right. Thanks to Andy Gray for sharing the photo in a post on the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation Facebook page. He comments: "My grandfather, Albert S. 'Al' Johnson, built over sixty theaters and drive-ins in Michigan between the 1930s and 1950s. Among his Kodachrome slide collection are of two that he took of Los Angeles area theaters during trips to California with his wife to visit family." The other is a 1948 view of the Vogue Theatre in Montebello.  

 

 

 
1967 - A lovely view of the theatre on the wall of Marvin Meister's camera store at Beverly and Hayworth. James Bartlett took a photo of it for his 2016 L.A. Weekly article about the shop "Now We're an Abberation: How an Old L.A. Photo Center Survives in 2016." Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Nixols for the link to the story.

1971 - A classic Fairfax district shot. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for the post for the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. The theatre was running "Blue Water White Death" and "Little Big Man." Note the modernized marquee, evidently a June 1969 project. 

 

1982 - A photo that appeared on the now-vanished American Classic Images website.

1984 - Thanks to American Classic Images for this June view. 

1985 - A boxoffice shot from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

 

 

1990 - Thanks to Dave Hunter for sharing his photo. He comments: "In April-May 1990 it was the venue for the AFI Fest’s 'Hollywood Glasnost' series, 36 features from Eastern European countries with many of the filmmakers appearing. This photo shows a line waiting to see one of 'The Decalogue' screenings, which occurred over three days, with brilliant Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski in attendance. I worked on the festival, and was very honored to meet him and be of assistance." See Dave's Facebook post for more about the Festival that year along with a 2023 night photo.  

 

 

1990 - The "layered" sign on the back wall of the stagehouse. Thanks to Gary Parks for sharing his photo as a post on the LAHTF Facebook page. 

 

2002 - A view east when the theatre was part of the Laemmle circuit. Photo: Ken Roe on Flickr

 

2002 - A look in behind the boxoffice. Photo: Ken Roe on Flickr

2005 - A photo from Ken Roe on Flickr of the signage still visible at the time on the Fairfax stagehouse. It's from his great Movie Theatres USA set. Thanks, Ken! The sign was later painted over.

 

 

2007 - A corner view. Photo: Bill Counter

2009 - Thanks to Don Solosan of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation for this view of the Skouras-style boxoffice, dating from 1947. 

2009 - A good look at the neon when the theatre was under Regency management. The photo from Kids Need To Read Foundation on Flickr was taken when they sponsored an event at the Fairfax.

2009 - The theatre's tower. Thanks to Don Solosan of the LAHTF for his photo. It was on the vanished website Save the Fairfax Theatre!

c.2009 - The top of the tower. Thanks to Shari Determan for sharing her photo.

 

2010 - A ticket lobby photo by Wendell Benedetti. 

2010 - Another Wendell Benedetti facade shot.

2010 - The entrance of the closed Fairfax. Photo: Bill Counter

 

2010 - The east side of the building. Photo: Bill Counter

2017 - The boarded up entrance. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for his December photo appearing on the Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.

2020 - Rioters in front of the theatre on May 30. Thanks to Margot Gerber for her photo, one of 22 she took in the neighborhood that day for a post on Facebook.

  

 

2021 - A soffit detail showing the aftermath of a fire set by a homeless encampment. It's one of 36 photos taken by the staff of the City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission during a July 8 survey of the building. See a PDF of the 8/5 meeting agenda. Power Point and Day-of-Submission items for that meeting are available on an 8/5 Google Drive folder.

 

 

2021 - In the ticket lobby looking past the boxoffice. Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission 

 

 

2021 - A terrazzo view.  Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission 

 

 

2021 - The west wall of the ticket lobby. Photo: City of Los Angeles - Cultural Heritage Commission  

 

 

2022 - Thanks to Gary Callahan for sharing this photo he took as a post on Facebook.  

 

 

2023 - The corner view with the new plywood fence up. Photo: Bill Counter - March 20 

 

 

2023 - A colorful vista of vacant storefronts. Photo: Bill Counter - March 20 

 

 

2023 - The stage end of the building. Photo: Bill Counter - March 20 

 

 

2023 - A look at the decaying entrance. Photo: Bill Counter - March 20

  

 

2023 - A peek down the alley from Beverly Blvd. Photo: Bill Counter - March 20  

 

 

2023 - A worker caught doing a bit of demo in the ticket lobby. It's a shot from a short clip posted on Facebook by the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles on April 6.  

 

 

2023 - The new look after the fence was painted black -- and it got a lot of postings. Photo: Bill Counter - April 7

 

 

2023 - Looking west on Beverly. Photo: Bill Counter - April 7

 

 

2023 - The marquee soffit. Photo: Bill Counter - April 7

 

 

2023 - The contractor's information. Photo: Bill Counter - July 26 

 

 

2023 - The hole in the west side to get equipment in for interior demolition. Photo: Bill Counter - July 26 

 

 

2023 - The vista across the intersection. Photo: Bill Counter - July 26 

 

 

2023 - On the roof taking it apart bit by bit. Photo: Bill Counter - August 12

 

 

2023 - Disassembling the storefront roofs along Fairfax. Photo: Bill Counter - August 12

 

 

2023 - Salvaging the wood trusses in the storefronts. Photo: Bill Counter - August 12  

 

 

2023 - The roof was off the auditorium, the grid had been removed and the upper part of the proscenium wall was no more. Photo: Bill Counter - September 5  

 

 

2023 - A peek into the lobby. Photo: Bill Counter - September 5 

 

 

2023 - The alley view of the proscenium. Photo: Bill Counter - September 5

 

2023 - A look across to the house right wall. Photo: Bill Counter - September 5

 

 

2023 - A closer look at what had been the organ grille area. Photo: Bill Counter - September 5 

 

 

2023 - A peek in the stage loading door. Photo: Bill Counter - September 5

 

 

2023 - Looking across to stage left and the dressing room wing. Photo: Bill Counter - September 5  

 

 

2023 - Much of the stagehouse back and side walls gone. Photo: Bill Counter - September 10  

 

 

2023 - The unchanged entrance on Beverly. Photo: Bill Counter - September 10 

 

 

2023 - A look at the disappearing stagehouse walls from inside. Photo: Bill Counter - September 10 

 

 

2023 - A bit of organ grill plasterwork. Photo: Bill Counter - September 10   

 

 

2023 - A look along the auditorium backwall. Through that house right hole it's Fairfax Ave. Photo: Scott Shepard - September 12

 

2023 - The proscenium and back of the stagehouse are gone. Photo: Scott Shepard - September 12

 

 

2023 - Looking south on Fairfax. That two-story section in the center of the image housed dressing rooms. Photo: Scott Shepard - September 12. Thanks to Scott for sharing his photos. He notes that he worked at the theatre in 1983 and 1984, before it was taken over by Cineplex Odeon.  

 

 

2023 - A view from the parking lot north of the theatre toward the area where the stagehouse had been -- and on through to the back wall of the auditorium. That Volvo is parked where the stage had been. Photo: Bill Counter - September 18  

 

 

2023 - A closer look to the booth. After triplexing the original booth was used for the back two smaller theatres. A separate booth was added farther forward for theatre 2, the larger one that was the front 2/3 of the original auditorium. There was a corridor between auditoria 1 and 3 that patrons used to get to the front house. Bill Counter - September 18 

 

That big hole in the upper center of the wall was made during the Cineplex-Odeon remodel for the addition of a corridor. Scott Shepard notes: "There was no upstairs hallway connecting the projection booths until the Cineplex remodel. Before that you had to access the front booth from the rear left theater behind the screen."

 

 

2023 - A view to stage left from the alley. That bay in the center was the stage, the space a bit to the right was the organ chamber area. Photo: Bill Counter - September 18 

 

 

2023 - A look to the corner. A week after this photo was taken that whole wall that was the back of the auditorium would be gone along with the remaining chunk of alley wall seen on the right. Photo: Bill Counter - September 18 

 

 

2023 - A closer look at some surviving Skouras-style wall decoration. Photo: Bill Counter - September 18 

 

 

2023 - Looking into the inner lobby from the alley. The stairs go to the booth and lounges. Bill Counter - September 18  

 

 

2023 - The inner lobby view after the auditorium back wall and the booth had been removed. The pink area on the second floor had been the projection booth back wall. The opening on the ground floor where the orange beast is parked leads to the main lobby and the exit doors onto Beverly. Photo: Bill Counter - September 24 

 

2023 - A wider view toward what had been the back wall of the booth. Photo: Bill Counter - September 24  

 

 

2023 - The vista down Fairfax following demolition of the wall along the alley. Photo: Bill Counter - September 29 

 

 

2023 - Peeking into the ticket lobby following the demolition of the inner lobby and alley wall. Plywood was down to protect the terrazzo and a box had been built around the boxoffice. Photo: Bill Counter - September 29  

 

 

2023 - The main lobby and exit doors. Photo: Bill Counter - October 2 

 

 

2023 - Another look into the surviving lobby space. It's a view taken from where the back wall of the stagehouse had once been. Photo: Bill Counter - October 2  

 

 

2023 - A view toward the lobby after more demo of the retail spaces along Beverly. Photo: Bill Counter - December 25 

 

 

2023 - Looking beyond where the house right wall had been toward the back of the facade along Fairfax. Photo: Bill Counter - December 25  

 

2023 - The stage end of the building. That two story wall segment is what remained of the dressing room wing. Photo: Bill Counter - December 25 

 

 

2023 - The view north on Fairfax after the interior was hollowed out. Photo: Bill Counter - December 25 

 

 

2024 - A peek up the alley in January. Thanks to Moisés Eduardo Martinez for sharing his photo as a post on the Lost Angeles Facebook page. 

 

 

2024 - Looking south along the Fairfax facade in January after removal of the construction barricade. Thanks to Scott Shepard for sharing his photo. 

 

 

2024 - A look at the stripped down marquee. It will get a restoration. After seeing this massive concrete construction it becomes obvious why the Fairfax didn't get a later triangular style marquee revamp. That's the boxoffice in that plywood box. Thanks to Arnold Darrow for sharing this January photo in a post for the Lost Angeles Facebook group. Also see six shots from Arnold in another January Facebook post.  

 

 

2024 - A bit of stencil work where the marquee joins the building. Photo: Bill Counter - February 21 

 

 

2024 - The view west on Beverly. The theatre once ran a lot of Disney films. Now the company's streaming service advertises on the construction fence. Photo: Bill Counter - February 21 

 

 

2024 - That end piece of the building at the third palm tree is what remains of the dressing room wing. Photo: Bill Counter - February 21 

 

 

2024 - Looking northeast across Lake Fairfax to the remains of the dressing rooms. Photo: Bill Counter - February 21  

 

 

2024 - The alley view toward the entrance doors. Photo: Bill Counter - February 21 

 

 

 

 

2024 - The back of the ticket lobby. Photo: Bill Counter - February 21 

 

 

 

The Fairfax in the Movies:

 

The Three Stooges try to play football near the end of the 20 minute short "Three Little Pigskins" (Columbia, 1934). We're at Gilmore Stadium and get a bit of the Fairfax in the background. Ray McCarey directed. Gilmore had opened earlier in 1934. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for two additional shots.

 

 

 

Rick Sloane's low-budget horror film "Blood Theatre" (1984) opens with a scene at the Fairfax. And later the cashier meets her tragic end in the boxoffice. This is a tale of murderous problems encountered by a new company trying to reopen an old theatre with a tragic past. The entire film can be seen on Tubi. 

 

The cast includes Mary Woronov, Jenny Cunningham, Jonathan Blakely, Andrew Cofrin and Joanna Fox. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for another shot at the Fairfax plus an extraordinary tour of the Warner Beverly Hills just a few years before its demolition. 

 

 

A look into the ticket lobby during the Cineplex Odeon renovations. Those two are fleeing from aliens in Rick Sloane's "The Visitants" (1986). It's a tale of three teenagers and a teacher trying to warn their town of an alien invasion. It's Halloween and the Fairfax was running a 3D midnight show of "It Came From Outer Space." The staff were giving out passes for the best dressed aliens.

 

The film features Marcus Vaughter, Jordana Capra and Joel Hile. It can be viewed free on the site Tubi or there's a double feature Blu-ray of this with "Blood Theatre" from Vinegar Syndrome. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for two more shots from the scene at the Fairfax, 61 minutes into the film.

 

The Fairfax on Video: See Haeyong Moon's 2 minute 2009 video "Save the Fairfax Theatre" on YouTube for a nice tour including closeups of many of the decorative elements of the building. Also see her short 2010 video about the preservation campaign: "Honk to Save the Fairfax."
 

More Information: See the page on Cinema Treasures for a lively discussion about the history of the Fairfax Theatre. The page also has interesting research on W.C Pennell, the architect of the building. The Cinema Tour page on the Fairfax has a good collection of photos of the theatre (including lots of interiors) by Adam Martin. 

 

The Hollywood Lost and Found blog's 2006 post "The Fairfax Theatre" by Rick Mitchell is an interesting discussion of the Fairfax and the changing booking patterns in the movie business. Check in with the Friends of the Fairfax group on Facebook. 

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