5604 N. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90042 | map |
The News: The family that built the theatre has put it up for sale. The current operator's master lease on the building expires in February 2023, allowing a new owner great flexibility to determine future uses. It was a 99 year deal signed by West Coast Theatres in 1924 that has been re-assigned a number of times. Barry Lank broke the news in "Highland Park's last remaining movie house goes up for sale," his August 18 article for The Eastsider. Thanks to Jason Vega and Sandi Hemmerlein for spotting the story.
Lank notes that while the exterior was landmarked in 1991, the interior use could be changed. In addition to the theatre there are 4 retail spaces and long-vacant 2nd floor apartments. The theatre's balcony and stage areas are currently unused. Since 1983 it's been a triplex using only the main floor. Orbell Ovaness of Ovaness-Rostamian Group at Marcus and Millichap is one of the brokers handling the property. See the Loopnet listing for more details.
Opened: March 5, 1925 with a personal appearance from Norma Shearer. The building was constructed for Clyde M. Church, a local banker. This stretch of Figueroa was originally called Pasadena Ave. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
Early Highland
Park was thriving with a vibrant theatrical scene that at one time or another supported eight different theatres. The other nearby venues included the Arroyo Theatre (1928-1957) at 3236 N. Figueroa, the Franklin Theatre (1936-1952) at 5502 N. Figueroa, the Highland Park Theatre (c.1913-1914) at 5630 N. Figueroa, the Sunbeam Theatre (1914-1925) at 5722 N. Figueroa, the Park Theatre (1936-1963) at 5825 N. Figueroa, the Dayton Theatre (c.1913-1929) at 509 W. Avenue 28, and the York Theatre (1923-present) at 4949 York Blvd.
Phone: 323-256-6383 Website: www.highlandtheatres.com
The operator of the theatre in 1925 was West Coast Theatres, the company that became Fox West Coast in 1929. This opening night program is in the collection of the family owning the building, who brought it to display at the November 2015 Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation tour. Thanks to Stephen Russo for the photo on the LAHTF Facebook page.
Architect: Lewis A. Smith, who also did the Rialto in South Pasadena, the Beverly in Beverly Hills, the Vista Theatre, as well as a number of other projects for West Coast Theatres. The Highland had a Moorish interior and much of the decor in the balcony area remains intact.
A ticket to a cartoon show in 1944. Buy a War Bond, get a ticket for your kid. Thanks to John Conning for sharing this in a post on the Theatre Architecture Facebook page.
The Highland was operated for years by Fox West Coast Theatres.
After they gave it up it had a run as a porno theatre. Family films came
back in 1975 under operator Arman Akarakian. In 1983 it was triplexed with 3 theatres on the main floor. The balcony is is walled off and unused, as is backstage. It was designated as a cultural historic monument by the
City of Los Angeles in 1991.
Status: The neighborhood went through some rough decades but it's now booming. The theatre prospers as a triplex by running a friendly, efficient operation and offering bargain prices.
The Highland in the Movies:
The Highland has never been much of a movie star but we see the marquee as John C. Reilly does a nighttime drive-by in "Cyrus" (Fox Searchlight, 2010). The film, directed by Jay and Mark Duplass, also features Marissa Tomei and Jonah Hill. Thanks to Films In Films for the screenshot.
We get a look at the Highland in "Lights Out" (New Line/Warner Bros., 2016). It's a story about a supernatural being that threatens a family when (are you ready?) the lights go out. The film, directed by David F. Sandberg, stars Teresa Palmer and Gabriel Bateman. Thanks to Jonathan Raines for spotting this one.
We spend a lot of time in Highland Park with Amanda Seyfried and Shirley MacLaine in Mark Pellington's "The Last Word" (Bleeker Street Media, 2017). The neighborhood is standing in for a California town called Bristol. Amanda's an obituary writer at the local paper, the Bristol Gazette, and Shirley hires her to write her obit -- only she realizes that she needs to change her life to get the writeup she wants. See the Theatres in Movies post for several more shots.
The lobby:
On the main floor:
A 2018 peek in one of the houses from Kari A. on Yelp.
A look toward the rear of one of the houses taken by Gina Christine during the 2012 NELA Art Short Film Series. Note some decorative plaster remaining on the balcony rail. The photo also appeared as part of "Northeast L.A. Filmmakers Take a Bow," a story on the blog The Eastsider.
Another busy night. Thanks to Sandi Hemmerlein for her 2015 photo, one of many appearing with her Avoiding Regret photo essay "Highland Theatre's Hidden History."
Up to the balcony:
Heading up the stairs to the long unused balcony. Thanks to Nicole Loretta for this photo and the others appearing here. You can view the full set of seventeen photos of her adventure on the LAHTF Facebook page. The photos were taken at the November 2015 LAHTF "all-about" tour of the building.
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation is the primary organization promoting preservation of historic theatres in the L.A. area. The group sponsors events, works with building owners on preservation issues and hosts tours. www.lahtf.org | group Facebook page | official Facebook page
Pegasus in plaster, evidently with gold leaf underneath the paint we see. It's a Stephen Russo photo taken on the stairs up to the balcony that appeared on the LAHTF Facebook page.
A balcony lobby view from ace theatre photographer Wendell Benedetti. The ceiling decor isn't original -- it appears to be from a 40s Fox West Coast Skouras-style renovation. That wall at the end was added, sealing off a staircase. The balcony hasn't been used since the theatre was triplexed -- all three houses are on the main floor. Thanks to Wendell for this and the rest of his 2015 photos appearing on this page. A set of seven can be seen on the LAHTF Facebook page.
A look across from the house left end of the crossaisle. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - 2015
A view toward the Armstrong - Power wire guide counterweight system stage right. Thanks to Louis Villaescus for this and his other 2015 photos appearing here.
Several of the arbors. Photo: Louis Villaescus - 2015
More exterior views:
c.1952 - A Julius Shulman photo in the collection of the Getty Research Institute. Thanks to Bill Gabel for locating it for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.
1955 - A newspaper photo looking south on Figueroa with the Highland Theatre on the left. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the shot for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.
1962 - A photo from the Highland Park Independent Film Festival. It appeared with "Highland Theatre celebrates 90 years of movie-going in Highland Park," a 2015 article by Nathan Solis on the blog The Eastsider.
1984 - A June post-triplexing shot from American Classic Images. Note that interesting open-air pavilion on the 3rd floor, later removed.
2010 - An entrance detail. Photo: Bill Counter
2011 - The sign on May 18, the evening of its relighting. Each of the 502 bulbs on the sign was sponsored by an individual as a community project. Thanks to Escott O. Norton of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation for his photo. It's one of nineteen in the "Highland Theatre Sign Lighting Ceremony" album on his Old Sign Art Facebook page.
2018 - The sign got an upgrade. The story "Highland Theatre rooftop sign Goes LED" has additional photos. It's on page six of the April 2018 issue of LA Art News, available on Issuu. The publication also has a Facebook page with news about Highland Park art events. In this January 2018 shot by Tomoko it's (left to right) Edward de la Fuente, Carl Haney and John Peacock. Thanks to Los Angeles Magazine's Chris Nichols for spotting the story and sending along the photo.
The article notes: "To get onto the theatre roof, you need access a secret door to go through a small, dark crawl space, walk across a curved roof, then climb up on the sign, which dates back to the 1920s. The rooftop sign was rewired and relit in 2011 as part of Relighting the Historic Signs of Figueroa Street project—a community-funded effort that restored both the theatre sign and the rooftop Manning’s Coffee Store sign on Las Cazuelas’s roof. Since 2014, local area man Carl Haney and his crew of guys not afraid of heights have been replacing bulbs on the theatre sign. Traditionally incandescent, it was determined that LED was acceptable for historic signage by city preservation officials. There was enough money in the original fund to purchase the 504 LEDs (plus a bunch extra for future use). The bulb swap-outs started in January and are now complete."
More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Highland for lots of historic data and tales by former and current moviegoers. Also see the site's list of other theatre projects by L.A. Smith. The Cinema Tour page has several nice 2001 exterior photos by Bob Meza.
Check out Edward Rivera's delightful 5 minute slide show "20 Theatres of Northeast Los Angeles," a 2011 post on the blog Arroyo Seco Journal. Of the twenty theatres he has photos of, the Highland is the only one still operating. Also on the blog see two additional 2011 posts: "Relighting the Highland" and "Highland Theatre Sign Relighting."
Check out Sandi Hemmerlein's Avoiding Regret photo essay "Highland Theatre's Hidden History" for many photos and tales of her adventures at the 2015 LAHTF "all-about" tour of the building.
See the 2011 Highland Park Lights story about the project to "Help Re-Light the Historic Signs of Figueroa Street." Highland Park Patch also had a story about the relighting. Matt Lambros has a 1 minute + 2017 video tour of the balcony on his After the Final Curtain Facebook page.
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