Start your Los Angeles area historic theatre explorations by heading to one of these major sections: Downtown | North of Downtown + East L.A. | San Fernando Valley | Glendale | Pasadena | San Gabriel Valley, Pomona and Whittier | South, South Central and Southeast | Hollywood | Westside | Westwood and Brentwood | Along the Coast | Long Beach | [more] L.A. Movie Palaces |
To see what's recently been added to the mix visit the Theatres in Movies site and the Los Angeles Theatres Facebook page.

Wilshire / NuWilshire Theatre

1314 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90403  | map |


Opened: November 26, 1930 as the Wilshire Theatre with the Independent Theatre Corp. as operators. The building is on the south side of Wilshire between Euclid St. and Euclid Ct., a block west of 14th St. Photo: Bill Counter - 2007

The principals of the company were Edward A. Johnson as president, Forrest W. McManus as vice-president and M.E. Baylis as secretary. McManus had been operating the Tivoli (now called the Royal Theatre) in Sawtelle since 1926. He had the Nuart underway when the company was organized in July 1930. These became the firm's first two theatres and with the Wilshire opening they had three. Harry H. Belden and Ira Marshall were the project's developers.

Architect: It was designed and built by John Montgomery Cooper. He also designed the Roxie Theatre downtown, a 1931 house.

Seating: Originally 1,189. In 1961 it was reseated to hold about 800. After the 1977 twinning it was 317 + 307.



The November 25, 1930 edition of the Santa Monica Evening Outlook had rosy predictions about the number of stars that would be in attendance for the opening.  Opening night festivities included a concert by the Santa Monica Evening Outlook Newsboys Band and Mickey McGuire and His Gang, both in person and on the screen.



This discussion of the theatre's decor was another article from November 25 edition of the Evening Outlook.



An article about the stage from the November 25, 1930 edition of the Santa Monica Evening Outlook.



Snappy uniforms for the ushers. It's another item from the November 25 edition of the Evening Outlook. They note that a "colored maid will have charge of the women's lounge room" but somehow the staff for that part of the theatre wasn't included in the photo. Many thanks to Samuel de la Torre Dórame for the research on the theatre's early history and finding the items from the Outlook. He specializes in researching the history of the Sawtelle neighborhood. See his blog Sawtelle 1897-1941 for many fine articles. 

The theatre was later operated by Fox West Coast and their successor companies National General and Mann Theatres.  
 

It was twinned down the middle in 1977 by Mann. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the February 17 news item for a comment on a Facebook post about the theatre on Ken's Movie Page

Starting in the early 90s it was operated by Landmark Theatres who called it the NuWilshire to go with their Nuart venue. Until the end, however, the signage continued to say just "Wilshire."

Closing: The NuWilshire closed November 4, 2007. The facade was landmarked by the City of Santa Monica in 2008.

In March, 2009 the interior was gutted and converted to retail space. The Santa Monica Daily Press ran a 2009 article about the conversion: "Rehab begins for NuWilshire Theater." As part of the project the floor was removed and a basement excavated for underground parking. It sat vacant for a long time waiting for a tenant. Performance Bicycles eventually moved in. They went out of business in 2018.

Status: Vacant again.  

 
Interior views: 
 

A 1961 Boxoffice magazine auditorium view of the theatre with a covered up proscenium but still as a single screen house. Thanks to Chris1982 for posting the shot on the Cinema Treasures page about the NuWilshire. National General had just given the theatre a big remodel.



A 2007 look at the lobby by Nick Illes appearing on the Cinema Tour page about the NuWilshire. On the site you'll find more photos including another lobby view and a booth shot.



A view along the bar. Photo: Marilynn on Flickr - 2007 
 
 

A deco door detail. Photo: Marilynn on Flickr
 
 

The cover for a fire hose cabinet. Photo: Marilynn on Flickr 



A shot of the lobby ceiling from a 2007 photo set by Marilynn on Flickr.



The house left stairs to the booth and restrooms. Photo: Marilynn on Flickr - 2007



A stair detail. Photo: Marilynn on Flickr - 2007




An upstairs shot. Photo: Marilynn on Flickr - 2007



The view down from the house left stairs. Photo: Marilynn on Flickr - 2007



A look toward the booth in one of the shoebox auditoria. Photo: Marilynn on Flickr - 2007.



A sidewall view. Photo: Marilynn on Flickr - 2007



A peek into the booth in 2007. Thanks to Marilynn for sharing her photo on Flickr
 
 

Joe Seeling working the booth in 1983. Thanks, Joe! 
 
 

Looking into the vacant remodeled space in January 2024. Thanks to Lawson Desrochers for sharing this photo as well as two exterior views in a post for the You know you're from Santa Monica if... private Facebook group.


A few more exterior views:  


1930 - A view prior to opening. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. Too bad we can't see the roof sign. The photo ran with a huge amount of press coverage in the November 25, 1930 edition of the Santa Monica Evening Outlook.
 


 
1938 - A photo of the exterior from MGM that's now in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Anyone for playing Magic Screen?
 

1941 - The Homefront Aluminum Drive. It's a photo from the Bill Beebe collection at the Santa Monica History Museum. It was a post on the SMHM Facebook page
 

1941 - This view of the ticket lobby during the aluminum drive taken by Emerson Gaze on July 24 is from the Bill Beebe collection at the Santa Monica History Museum. It also made an appearance on the SMHM Facebook page
 
 

1969 - Running "The Stewardesses" in 3-D. It's a photo from the L.A. Conservancy's collection that's on their NuWilshire Theatre page. It got many comments when Joshua Mark shared it for the You know you grew up on the Westside of L.A. if... Facebook group.


1979 - A post-twinning view of the theatre by Anne Laskey that's in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. They also have another view taken the same day by Ms. Laskey from a bit farther east.


 
1992 - A facade view by Leslie Heumann & Associates that's in the Santa Monica Public Library collection. 
 


c.2000 - The "Hamlet" they were running was the 2000 release with Ethan Hawke and Kyle MacLachlan. "Catfish in Black Bean Sauce" was out in 1999. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the photo for a Facebook post on Ken's Movie Page.  
 


2002 - A "Bowling For Columbine" photo taken by Ken Roe. Thanks to Ken for sharing it as a post on Cinema Treasures.
 

2005 - Thanks to Don Saban for his great photo. It was a post on Facebook. And thanks to Steve Milner for sharing it on the Vintage Neon Heaven page. "Dear Frankie" and "Millions" were both April releases. For more of Don's great work head to his website DonSaban.com



2007 - A fine view of the terrazzo and boxoffice. It's a photo from Marilynn's re-closing set on Flickr.



2007 - The entrance in the other direction. Photo: Marilynn on Flickr
 
 
 
2007 - A street view shortly before closing. Photo: Marilynn on Flickr 
 
 
 
2007 - A facade detail. Photo: Marilynn on Flickr. Thanks! 
 
 

2008 - Thanks to Dean Chen for this photo posted on Flickr



2008 - A facade detail from Dean Chen on Flickr. He has about ten additional exterior views you can page through.



2009 - Thanks to Ken McIntyre for this  photo. 
 


2009 - A look at the marquee of the then-abandoned theatre. Thanks to Cole Martin for the photo on Flickr.  It also appears as part of a 2012 story on LAist titled "Ghosts of Movie Houses Past."



2010 - Two marquee details from Monica/A Change In Scenery on Flickr. The diptych has also been seen on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page as a post by Ken McIntyre.
 


  2010 - The stripped out theatre ready for a retail tenant. Photo: Bill Counter



2010 - A photo from Corey Miller on Flickr. It's one of many great views in his Theatre Signs set.



2010 - A look across the redone entrance. Photo: Bill Counter



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



2016 - The view east on Wilshire. The bicycle shop went out of business in 2018. Photo: Google Maps
  
 

2022 - A haunted theatre. Thanks to Ben Golomb for sharing his photo in an August post on the You know you're from Santa Monica... Facebook page. 
 
 

2022 - A Halloween shot from the real estate site Costar. 
 
 

2024 - A view east. Thanks to Lawson Desrochers for sharing this January photo as well as two other views in a post for the You know you're from Santa Monica if... private Facebook group.

More information:
See the Cinema Treasures page for lots of data. And go to Cinema Tour for more photos including lobby and booth views.

No comments:

Post a Comment