Opened: The Horne Building was constructed in 1913 or a bit earlier. By 1914 it was occupied on the ground floor by a general store operated by George Wood and the Rose Theatre next door. Upstairs was a venue known as Horne Hall. The building, which still exists, is on the south side of the street between Olive Ave. and Orange Grove Ave. At the time of the operation of entertainment venues in the building the street was called San Fernando Road, not "Boulevard."
In this February 28, 1917 photo by early Burbank resident DeLos D. Wilbur the building in the middle is seen housing the store and, at the right, the theatre. On the left it's the Farmers and Merchants Bank. The photo is one of many that appear on Wes Clark's site Burbankia in conjunction with the article "The Photographic Legacy of DeLos D. Wilbur" by Mike McDaniel and Clark. This one is identified as "San Fernando Rd., showing Farmers and Merchants Bank."
Another shot linked on the Burbankia article, this one identified as "San Fernando Rd. looking in the other direction." Here we miss the theatre and only get a sliver of the store's "Soda" sign.
Horne Hall made its debut in January 1914.
Thanks to Michael Ragan for locating this January 1914 item for posting as a comment to a post about the Rose Theatre on the You Know You're From Burbank If... Facebook page.
An April 1914 event at Horne Hall. Again thanks to Michael Ragan for the research.
The Rose Theatre opened in January 1914, operated by George Wood who had his general store adjacent. It gets the prize as the first movie theatre in Burbank.
Seating capacity: Unknown
Closing: Late 1919 or early 1920.
A January 4, 1914 ad for the Rose in the Burbank Daily Evening Review. Thanks to Ron Strong for locating the ad. It's in the Burbankia Rose Theatre album on Google Photos.
An ad for the Rose in the advertisers section of the 1916 edition of Ceralbus, the yearbook of Burbank High School. Wes Clark gave the discovery a mention in an October 18, 2018 comment on his Burbankia "What's New" page. The ad also appears in the terrific Burbankia San Fernando Road album on Google Photos.
A detail appearing on the Burbankia site taken from the 1917 photo. That's a rose on the left side of the sign. Sue Baldaseroni of the Burbank Historical Society discussed the theatre in comments that appeared on the Burbankia "What's New"
page on August 24, 2011: "This was Burbank's first moving picture
theatre and was run by George Wood as an adjunct of his general store
which kept open at night...Mary Jane Strickland said the lighted sign
was for the store, not sure but thought it was a chicken or rooster but
can't remember for sure."
A January 1918 item from the Burbank Daily Evening Review that was located by Ron Strong for the Burbankia Rose Theatre album. He notes that the title of the Marguerite Clark film was actually "Fortunes of Fifi," a 1917 release. The item appeared with the heading "Final Show at the Rose Theater." Perhaps that meant the final screening for this film.
A new owner arrives. Again thanks to Ron Strong for the research. The item appeared in the April 5, 1918 issue of the Burbank Daily Evening Review.
A screening of some local footage. The item from the August 15, 1919 issue of the Burbank Daily Evening Review was yet another find by Ron Strong for the Rose Theatre album.
A November 1919 ad noting a rental upstairs in what had once been Horne Hall. Thanks to Michael Ragan for adding this as a comment to a post about the theatre on the You Know You're From Burbank If... Facebook page.
It's all over for the Rose Theatre. This item appeared in the March 12, 1920 issue of the Burbank Daily Evening Review. Ron Strong located it and it makes an appearance in the Burbankia Rose Theatre album on Google Photos.
Newberry's moves into the building in June 1927. Thanks to Michael Ragan for locating the ad. He notes that Newberry's did a big remodel in 1941.
A January 1918 item from the Burbank Daily Evening Review that was located by Ron Strong for the Burbankia Rose Theatre album. He notes that the title of the Marguerite Clark film was actually "Fortunes of Fifi," a 1917 release. The item appeared with the heading "Final Show at the Rose Theater." Perhaps that meant the final screening for this film.
A new owner arrives. Again thanks to Ron Strong for the research. The item appeared in the April 5, 1918 issue of the Burbank Daily Evening Review.
A screening of some local footage. The item from the August 15, 1919 issue of the Burbank Daily Evening Review was yet another find by Ron Strong for the Rose Theatre album.
A November 1919 ad noting a rental upstairs in what had once been Horne Hall. Thanks to Michael Ragan for adding this as a comment to a post about the theatre on the You Know You're From Burbank If... Facebook page.
It's all over for the Rose Theatre. This item appeared in the March 12, 1920 issue of the Burbank Daily Evening Review. Ron Strong located it and it makes an appearance in the Burbankia Rose Theatre album on Google Photos.
Newberry's moves into the building in June 1927. Thanks to Michael Ragan for locating the ad. He notes that Newberry's did a big remodel in 1941.
A 1938 newspaper article about the Rose appearing in Wes Clark's Burbankia San Fernando Road album on Google Photos. Also see Burbankia's Rose Theatre album on Google Photos. Clark credits some of the research to Ron Strong.
Status: The building survives. Wes Clark comments: "We've determined by looking at later photos that the building still stands; the theater was where the Fantasia Billiards Hall is now located at 133 N. San Fernando."
Many thanks to Deanna Bayless for finding the initial comments and photos on the Burbankia site as well as spotting the 2018 update that revealed the name of the theatre.
The Rose Theatre site, now the location of Fantasia, a restaurant, bar and billiard hall. We're looking toward Olive Ave. Photo: Google Maps - 2011
Was the Rose's sign second hand? Interestingly we see what could have been the same sign earlier at the Rose Theatre downtown at 527 S. Spring St. That theatre closed around 1914.
A detail from a c.1914 California Historical Society photo on the USC Digital Library website. See the page about the Rose Theatre on Spring St. for a bit more information.
Was the Rose's sign second hand? Interestingly we see what could have been the same sign earlier at the Rose Theatre downtown at 527 S. Spring St. That theatre closed around 1914.
A detail from a c.1914 California Historical Society photo on the USC Digital Library website. See the page about the Rose Theatre on Spring St. for a bit more information.
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The actual title of the Marguerite Clark that screened at the rose in January 1918 was actually "The Fortunes of Fifi". Obviously the editor or type setter of the paper didn't recognize the name "Fifi", and thought it was a typo. Ha!
ReplyDeleteYup. I assumed it was something like that.
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