638 S. Alvarado St. Los Angeles, CA 90057 | map |
Also see: Westlake Theatre - history + exterior views
Vintage lobby views:
The original look of the outer lobby ceiling. The photo appeared in the December 28, 1929 issue of Motion Picture News on a page devoted to Fox Theatres. Robert Power Studios is credited as the decorator. The page was part of section two of the issue, the "Theatre Building and Equipment Buyers Guide." The issue is on Internet Archive.
A look across at the balcony lobby level. The photo appeared, with two others of the theatre, in the October 30, 1926 issue of Exhibitors Herald. Thanks to Mike Hume/Historic Theatre Photography
for finding it on Internet
Archive. The caption for this photo: "View of upper promenade at the
Westlake theatre, Los Angeles, showing decorative lighting fixture."
Recent views of the main lobby:
Looking
out to the cleaned-up ticket lobby and Alvarado St. after the building reopened as a swapmeet. Note where the exit signs had been. At the far left
it's part of the new wall around the house right stairs to the balcony.
Photo: Bill Counter - August 2022
A detail of the plaster frieze above where the entrance doors had been. Photo: Sean Ault - 2006
One of the corners of the ceiling just inside the entrance door location. Thanks to Grant Taylor for sharing this photo and eighteen others he took during December 2023 visit in a post on the LAHTF Facebook page.
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation 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 various historic theatres. www.lahtf.org | LAHTF on Facebook
A pilaster near the house left stairs. Photo: Bill Counter - 2022
A capitol detail. Photo: Grant Taylor - 2023
Looking in beyond the lobby's two-story atrium toward what had once been the back of the main floor seating area. Photo: Bill Counter - 2022
A view to house right and the walled-off stairs on that side. Photo: Mike Hume/Historic Theatre Photography - August 2022
A 2017 pre-cleanup view to house left. That side's
walled-off stairs to the balcony are on the far left, the auditorium is off to the right. The swap meet had closed in 2011 but the Community Redevelopment Agency somehow never got around to cleaning the place up and much debris from that venture still
remained. Thanks to Wendell Benedetti for sharing his photo
on the LAHTF Facebook page.
A wide angle view to the ceiling of the lobby's atrium. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - LAHTF Facebook page - 2016. Also see his wide angle balcony lobby shots from the same shoot on the house left stair landing and looking across to house right.
The ceiling mural in 2006. Photo: Sean Ault
Ladies peeking over the edge of the east side of the mural. Photo: Grant Taylor - 2023
The balcony on the left is on the east side of the atrium. On the right we're looking toward the house right side of the balcony lobby. Photo: Sean Ault - 2006
Another angle up along the right side of the atrium's east balcony. Photo: Grant Taylor - 2023
A closer look at the ornament in the southeast corner of the atrium. Photo: Sean Ault - 2006
The east balcony in 2009 with a look at some of the finer merchandise on sale at the time. Photo: Ken McIntyre - Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group
The house left side of the atrium. There's second floor office space facing the street behind that wall on the left. Thanks to Grant Taylor for his 2023 photo.
A 2009 view to the house left side of the atrium. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for sharing her photo. See her full Westlake Theatre set of twenty four photos on Flickr. Also see a 2009 view in this direction by Ken McIntyre. 
A look up to the upper portion of the atrium's west wall. Photo: Grant Taylor - 2023
A detail of the plasterwork in the southwest corner. Photo: Grant Taylor - 2023
The house right stairs to the balcony. Photo: Sean Ault - 2006
The balcony lobby:
The house right stairs to the balcony. Photo: Sean Ault - 2006
The ceiling above the stair landing. It's a Sandi
Hemmerlein photo appearing with her 2017 Avoiding Regret photo essay "Down the Rabbit Hole..."
Looking across from the house right stair landing. The auditorium is off to the right.
The first door is one of the restrooms with an entrance to the balcony
beyond. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - LAHTF Facebook page - 2017
The house right end of the lobby in 2023 after some cleanup and recarpeting. Through that arch in the center it's a little lounge area on the lobby centerline that's tucked in under the slope of the balcony. It's a photo from CBRE, the broker that had the listing for the theatre at the time. Thanks to Wendell Benedetti for spotting the photo spread in the company's brochure.
Looking across the west wall of the atrium. It's office space behind the wall. Photo: Sean Ault - 2006. Thanks for the fine photos, Sean!
A view down in 2017. Escott O. Norton and Tiffany Nitsche are headed out toward the ticket lobby. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - LAHTF Facebook page
On the centerline of the balcony lobby looking toward the street. Behind us is the lounge area underneath the slope of the balcony. Thanks to John Hough and Mark Mulhall for this 2017 photo. Visit their ever-growing site OrnateTheatres.com for terrific collections of photos they've taken of many Los Angeles area theatres as well as others around the country.
Also see a Matt Lambros photo of the street wall on his Facebook page After the Final Curtain. And don't miss Matt's blog post about the Westlake Theatre for more photos and history.
Looking into the lounge area in the center of the balcony lobby. The explorer we see is part of the tour during the 2017 Theatre Historical Society Conclave. Photo: John Hough / Mark Mulhall - OrnateTheatres.com
Looking across from the house left side of the lobby. Photo: John Hough / Mark Mulhall - OrnateTheatres.com - 2017
The ceiling mural. The two guys over there are heading into the house right balcony vomitory. Photo: John Hough / Mark Mulhall - 2017. Thanks for the photos, John and Mark!
The house left end of the balcony lobby after some cleanup. It's a 2023 photo from CBRE, the broker with the listing for the theatre. It's one from their brochure about the property.
Vintage auditorium views:
A proscenium view that appeared in the October 30, 1926 issue of Exhibitors Herald. Thanks to Mike Hume/Historic Theatre Photography for finding it on Internet Archive. The caption for this photo: "View of proscenium arch, stage and organ grilles in the new Westlake theatre, Los Angeles, which is one of the recent additions to the West Coast Theatres chain." Thanks to Wendell Benedetti for working on the image.
Recent main floor auditorium views:
A view to house left across what had been the back seating area after the
building got a cleanup and reopened as a swap meet in spring 2022. On the far left it's part of the wall closing off
the house left stairs to the balcony. On the far right it's a vacant
stall. At the back of it is a door leading to the closed-off front of
the auditorium. Photo: Bill Counter - August 2022
Looking toward the stage in 2017. The
swap meet had closed long before but nobody cleared the junk out of the
building. It's a Sandi Hemmerlein photo appearing with her Avoiding
Regret photo essay "Down the Rabbit Hole..." Thanks, Sandi.
Some interesting plasterwork on the balcony soffit. Thanks to Stephen Friday for his 2008 photo. It's one of 29 photos in his Westlake Theatre set on Flickr.
Another plaster ventilation grille back under the balcony. Photo: Stephen Friday on Flickr - 2008
A stroll down the center aisle. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for his 2008 photo, a post for the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.
Looking toward the mural. Thanks to Jason Turner for his c.2008 photo.
A view to the empty stage. Photo: Bill Counter - March 2023
A closer proscenium view. Photo: Dave Hunter - March 2023
The top of the proscenium. It's a shot from a 22 second
video clip posted in August 2022 by L.A. Taco on Twitter. Thanks to Dave Ptach for spotting the post.
A detail of the mural. Photo: Sean Ault - 2006
Plasterwork at the top of the proscenium. Photo: Michele Gerdes - 2009
A great look at the bottom of the asbestos. Photo: Sean Ault - 2006
In case you were wondering who the decorator was, Steve Shriver gives us
this detail of the lower right corner of the asbestos. It's part of his
twelve photo Westlake Theatre set on Flickr from 2010.
A look to house left. Photo: Bill Counter - March 2023
Another house left view. Photo: L.A. Taco - 2022
A 2009 look up the house left organ grille. Photo: Michelle Gerdes
The house left organ grille in March 2023. Thanks to Dave Hunter for the photo.
A 2023 house left shot from CBRE, the broker with the listing for the property. It's one from their brochure about the property.
Ornate plasterwork and swap meet stuff at the house right side of the proscenium. Thanks to Stephen Friday for the photo. It's another one of 29 in his 2008 Westlake Theatre set on Flickr.
Below the house right organ grille. Photo: L.A. Taco - 2022
House right
just forward of the balcony overhang in 2022. We're in
front of the new temporary wall, seen on the far right. It's another shot from the August 2022 video clip by L.A. Taco on Twitter.
Looking to the back of the house from the stage. Photo: Bill Counter - March 2023
Up in the balcony:
The back of the balcony in 2016. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - LAHTF Facebook page. Also see his 2017 shot from the top row.
The vista across the swap meet merchandise. Photo: Michele Gerdes - 2009
A c.2010 photo from Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre. They have a great portfolio of images of ruined or decaying theatres around the country called Theaters (2005-2021) on their website. Also see their very interesting Ruins of Detroit section.
The duo's photos can be seen in their book "Movie Theaters" (Prestel, 2021). It's available on Amazon
or from your local bookseller. A selection of the photos appeared in "Beauty
and decay: Inside America's derelict movie theatres," an August 2021
post on the site Wallpaper.
Their images also appear in "Large Format Camera
Captures the Decay of America's Movie Theaters," an August 2022 article
on the site PetaPixel.
A balcony side wall plaster detail. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017
House right: the last remaining original wall sconce. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017
The front of the auditorium in 2017. It's a Matt Lambros photo. He hosted the Theatre Historical Society 2017 Conclave "Afterglow" day which included a tour of the Westlake. See his After The Final Curtain blog post about the Westlake for more photos and history.
The proscenium mural. It's another 2017 Matt Lambros photo. Visit him on his blog After the Final Curtain and on his After the Final Curtain Facebook page. Thanks, Matt!
Across from the front of the balcony. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - LAHTF Facebook page - 2017. Thanks for all the great work, Wendell!
Backstage:
A look across to stage left in 2016. The CRA had closed down the swap meet operation years earlier but hadn't bothered to clean out the debris. Photo: Wendell Benedetti
The vista to stage left after the cleanup. Photo: Bill Counter - March 2023
Looking to stage right. The dimmerboard is there behind the box at the proscenium. The larger wall hides the lockrail of the Armstrong-Power counterweight system, still intact. Photo: Bill Counter - March 2023
A view up the stage right wall. Photo: Bill Counter - March 2023
A detail of part of the Armstrong-Power wire guide counterweight system. Thanks to Steve Shriver for the photo. It's part of his
twelve photo Westlake Theatre set on Flickr from 2010.
Exploring in the orchestra pit. The main floor had been leveled for the swap meet operation. LAHTF's Bill Givens checks out what's underneath that concrete slab. The stage is to the right. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - LAHTF Facebook page - 2016
Exploring in the orchestra pit. The main floor had been leveled for the swap meet operation. LAHTF's Bill Givens checks out what's underneath that concrete slab. The stage is to the right. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - LAHTF Facebook page - 2016
In the plenum under the main floor. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - LAHTF Facebook page - 2016. Thanks, Wendell.
A 2023 basement view. It's a photo from CBRE, the broker with the listing for the theatre. It's from their brochure about the property.
The projection booth:
In the balcony looking back toward the booth. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2009
Michelle Gerdes explores the mess in the booth. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - LAHTF Facebook page - 2016
More messes on the back wall. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017
A booth front wall view. Photo: Bill Counter - 2017
Pages about the Westlake: back to top - interior views | history + exterior views
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WHAT IS REALLY AMAZING IS THE CANTILEVER BALCONY.
ReplyDeleteTHE SECOND FLOOR IS OF COURSE THE BALCONY SITTING,
THERE IS NO COLUMNS OR SUPPORTS ALL THE WAY ACROSS FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER ON THE 1st FLOOR.
WHAT'S LEFT IN THERE IS AMAZING
Well, there's nothing amazing or unusual about the construction of the balcony. Many theatres (including much larger ones) had been doing balcony construction like this, with no supporting columns, for at least ten years before the Westlake was built.
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