Leimert / Vision Theatre: history + exterior views

3341 W. 43rd Place Los Angeles, CA 90008 | map |

Also see: Leimert/Vision Theatre: interior views   

The news: The City of Los Angeles is finishing up Phase IV of their renovation project. As of late 2023 no opening date had been announced. They're now talking about doing additional work and not reopening until 2025. Read all about the various phases of the project as well as the individuals involved in "Restoring the Vision Theatre brings a beacon of light to Leimert Park," an October 2023 article in Alive!, the newsletter from the Employees Club of California. 

 

 

Opened: April 21, 1932 as the Leimert Theatre, operated initially by the neighborhood chain Westland Theatres. Thanks to Wendell Benedetti for his 2013 photo appearing on the LAHTF Facebook page. April Sommer Rabanera comments: "It was interesting to note, when we did the color analysis of the exterior paint, the original layer of that seafoam green had ground up glass in it. So we think the exterior would have been kind of shimmery."

The building, now owned by the City of Los Angeles and called the Vision Theatre, has been subjected to a prolonged multi-stage renovation project. Much exterior and lobby work had been done by 2013 but funds weren't available until 2018 to tackle the auditorium and stagehouse issues. In 2018 the city noted that they expected to stretch out the $6.5 million work on the final phase for three years. It's now looking like seven.

City DCA website: culturela.org/cultural-centers/vision-theatre   Facebook: The Vision Theatre

Email: leimertparkvisiontheatre@gmail.com or dca.visiontheatre@lacity.org  

Theatre phone: 323-290-2386  DCA phone: 213-202-5500  

Architect: Stiles O. Clements of Morgan, Walls & Clements designed the building for Walter Leimert, developer of the area. A set of 1931 plans for the theatre is in the Morgan, Walls & Clements archives at the Huntington Library. The plans say the building was for Westside Land Co. and also name the intended lessee, Hughes-Franklin Theatre Company. The set of 22 pages starts with drawing #25541 and runs through drawing #25563. Thanks to Mike Hume for locating these. Visit the Index to the MW&C Drawings that he's been compiling for his Historic Theatre Photography site. There's also an index by Mike Callahan on Internet Archive. 

 

 

A facade elevation from drawing #25544 in the Huntington's MW&C archives. Click on any of these images for a larger view or follow the links to giant versions on the Huntington's site.  

 

 

A tower image from drawing #25563. On the left it's an elevation, on the right a section view. 

 

The entrance terrazzo, a detail from drawing #25552. 

 

 

A west elevation taken from drawing #25543.

 

A section through the auditorium as well as a main floor plan, drawing #25541 in the Huntington's MW&C archives. Also see a more detailed lobby plan.

 

At the top are auditorium elevations toward the stage and back wall. The main drawing includes a reflected ceiling plan for the auditorium as well as a floorplan for the booth level, from drawing #25542. Also see a more detailed booth and office level view. There's also a more detailed proscenium elevation and a proscenium section view.

The foundation was built to support a later thirteen story addition, which never materialized. The auditorium, as can be seen even from the plans, is a huge oval in shape. The ceiling murals by Anthony Heinsbergen were lit by neon cove lighting in concentric rings. Perhaps the most famous feature of the theatre was an electric eye drinking fountain that came on automatically as you leaned over to take a drink.

There was originally no stagehouse but one has been added as part of the 2019-2023 phase of the renovations. For a film-only house, there was a surprising depth behind the proscenium, about 20'. The stage was extended forward as a thrust in the years the theatre was in use for a variety of performances as the Vision Theatre. There was no basement in the original design. The only dressing room space was a small alcove downstage right and up adjacent to the projection booth, areas once used for offices and staff changing areas. 

FSY Architects designed the renovation for the City of Los Angeles. See their page about the Vision Theatre project. The sign work for Phase I was designed Fernando Duarte and executed by Alpha Architectural Signs & Lighting of Sacramento. Their page on the project has some nice shots.

Seating: It was announced in an L.A. Times article about the opening as having 1,400 seats. The plans show it as 1,155 (later down to 1,050). There is no balcony -- it's all on one level. Capacity after the renovation to stadium-style seating is now about 700.

History: The theatre was supposed to be leased by the Howard Hughes' venture called the Hughes-Franklin circuit. That circuit had been formed only at the tail end of 1930. But by mid-1931 it became apparent that the movie business was terrible and getting seriously worse. Hughes and his partner, former Fox West Coast head Harold B. Franklin, started liquidating their holdings.

A Sunday, April 17, 1932 L.A. Times article on page three of section five announced the opening. Thanks to L.A. theatre historian Ed Kelsey for locating the article.

"THEATER TO OPEN NEXT THURSDAY - Celebration Will Mark Fifth Year of District's Development - Marking the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Leimert Park District, formal opening of the new Leimert Theater one block east of the intersection of Vernon avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard, will be held Thursday evening, according to announcement yesterday by Lawrence Block, vice-president of the Walter H. Leimert Company. Five years ago the district was a barren field, occupying the northeastern section of the vast Baldwin estate. Today, Leimert Park has more than 400 buildings, representing an aggregate investment of more than $5,500,000, and the community is considered one of the most attractive sections of Southwest Los Angeles, according to Block.

"The theater building was designed by Architects Morgan, Walls & Clements, and was erected by Contractors Lindgren & Swinerton, Inc. It is of reinforced concrete construction, and is topped with a 115-foot ornamental tower, equivalent in height to a nine-story building. The auditorium is oval-shaped, and has 1400 seats, a feature of the architectural arrangement being provision of more space between rows than in any other theater, so far as is known, it was stated. Westland Theatres, Inc., operators of a chain of Southland showhouses, has leased the new Leimert Theater for a long term. and is in charge of the formal opening Thursday night, which is expected to attract hundreds of visitors from all sections of Southwest Los Angeles." 

Leimert had the neighborhood around the theatre designed to resemble a European village. The design was partially by the Olmsted Brothers, a landscape architecture firm run by step-brothers John Charles Olmsted and Fredrick Law Olmsted, Jr. Their father, Fredrick Law Olmstead Sr., was the creator of New York's Central Park. See the Leimert Investment Co. website (pronounced "luh-MERT") for some historical information about the company. The development was a "whites-only" enclave until restrictive deed covenants were outlawed by the courts in 1948.

 

Sometime before 1936 the Leimert became a Fox West Coast operation but by 1949 had been jettisoned by that circuit. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding this 1949 ad for the theatre running as an independent.

 

A February 25, 1951 ad. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it. 

 

A January 13, 1960 L.A. Times ad for the Leimert, running as an independent house. Thanks to Mike Hume for locating the ad. Visit his Historic Theatre Photography site for historical information as well as thousands of his great photos of the theatres he's explored in the L.A. area and elsewhere. 

Closing as a film house: The last film to run in the theatre was "Bonnie and Clyde" in 1968. In 1977 the theatre became a Jehovah’s Witness chapel and was known as the Watchtower. The Witnesses, in their renovation fever, destroyed many of the art deco decorative elements of the building. But we can also perhaps credit them for saving the building.

Actress Marla Gibbs bought the theatre in 1990 and renamed it the Vision Theatre, intending to make it a venue for African-American movies, live theater and dance productions. At one time she also operated a 90 seat venue in the building to the west of the theatre called the Little Vision. The 1992 LA riots and economic recession following the riots hit the area hard and the property was in foreclosure in 1997. It has been owned by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs since 1999. Under city ownership there was only occasional use of the theatre as a live performance venue.

In 2007 the Vision received a $2.7 million grant from the California Cultural Historical Endowment for renovation work. Also in 2007 the City of Los Angeles pledged $10 million for a renovation of the building. Curbed LA had the story: "Another Theatre Renovation Planned....." Maybe some of that $10 million never arrived. In any case, little got done. Work in 2011 (the city claims $11 million was spent!) included exterior repairs, painting, and a renovation of the marquee and tower signage. The entrance and lobby were redone, an elevator added, and the booth and adjacent areas gutted for renovation into meeting and classroom areas.

There was no work in the auditorium or backstage. Following that phase of work the lobby occasionally saw use as an art gallery, the upstairs spaces were used as a youth arts center, and the auditorium got an occasional theatrical booking or meeting. The full program was to turn the building into a 750 seat performing arts center with stadium seating, a full stagehouse and state-of-the-art equipment. The project languished.

The L.A. Sentinel had a March 2013 story discussing the initial phase that had been completed but noted that the theatre was still looking for additional funding to reconfigure the auditorium and add a stagehouse. In 2018 the city appropriated $6.5 million to finish the work. Bianca Barragan covered the story in her Curbed L.A. article "Leimert Park's Art DecoVision Theater closing for renovations." Well, other than the lobby, it really hadn't been open.

There was a fire in the retail building west of the theatre's entrance on April 21, 2020. That building was gutted but, other than a bit of minor marquee damage, the theatre emerged unscathed. Presumably the fire was started by homeless people living in the building. Several photos are at the bottom of the page.  

Renovation, phases II, III, IV: This stage of construction began in 2019 and a 2020 opening was promised. The theatre got a new orchestra pit, stagehouse, dressing rooms, and a stadium-style seating configuration. FSY Architects designed the renovation. Among their other projects are the Madrid Theatre and the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, both for the City of Los Angeles. Royal Construction of Arcadia was the general contractor. The sign work was by Signmakers.

 

Auerbach Pollock Friedlander of San Francisco was the theatre consultant, Staging Concepts of Minneapolis did the rigging. The seating contractor was Irwin Seating. Architectural historian Barbara Lamprecht, working with the consulting firm ICF, was historic consultant. Jeff Greene's EverGreene Architectural Arts was in charge of restoration of decorative areas of the interior.  

The City didn't intend to operate the building themselves but they may end up doing that. Beginning in 2021 they were looking for an operator for both the theatre as well as the Manchester Junior Arts Center, developed earlier in the lobby, storefront and upstairs areas of the building. 

 

 A rendering from FSY Architects. 

 

 

 

A section looking through the proscenium to the back wall. At the bottom note the new orchestra pit and its lift. It's a drawing from FSY and Staging Concepts. This drawing and others seen here were distributed by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs during a design competition for the new house curtain. The bulbous framing around the top of the stagehouse is FSY's design to make the exterior look more appealing.

 

 

 

A section view to the back of the house from FSY and Staging Concepts showing the new stadium-style seating layout. In the foreground is a motorized lineset for FOH lighting.  

The stage:

 

 

A drawing from Staging Concepts. The lineset shown is one of the four electrics, at both its high and low trims. The four items at the very top are smoke vents. Note the pit below stage level for the tension blocks. There are wingspace issues stage right, with the end of the batten about a foot from the wall.

Proscenium: 44' 11" wide x 26' high.

 

Width: 78'. Centerline to lockrail SL is 47', centerline to SR wall is 31'.

 

Grid height: 65' 

Fire curtain: It's on a motorized hoist.

Rigging: 35 sets that operate stage left with ropelocks both at stage level and at a flyfloor 20' 6" above stage level. A valance set has loftblocks on the grid, all the others are underhung. They're 7 line sets with 8' arbors and 65' battens. The battens and loft wells are somewhat off-center due to lack of wing space stage right. Low trim is 4', high trim is 61'.

Electrics: 4 of the 35 sets are designated as electrics, with 10' arbors and permanently installed raceways. The electrics have a more limited travel than the regular linesets. There are also 3 motorized F.O.H. electric battens. 

Status: As of late 2023 nothing had been announced as far as either an operator or a opening date. They're now talking about not reopening until 2025. "Phase IV" was completed in fall 2023. A "Phase V" has been added to the scheme to update tech equipment that was designed 15 years ago, revamp the parking lot, and add other amenities. 

 

Read all about the various phases of the project and the individuals involved in "Restoring the Vision Theatre brings a beacon of light to Leimert Park," an October 2023 article in Alive!, the newsletter from the Employees Club of California. Yvonne Farrow manages the project for the City's Department of Cultural Affairs. 

More exterior views:

1931 - The tower going up. It's a Dick Whittington Studio photo from the USC Digital Library collection that appeared with "Leimert Theater: Envisioning A Neighborhood Landmark," a 2013 KCET article about the area by Yosuke Kitazawa.

1931 - The construction a bit farther along. It was a glamour shot to publicize the rapidly growing development orchestrated by Walter Leimert. Photo: Dick Whittington Studio / USC Digital Library via KCET. The theatre opened in April 1932.

1932 -  The theatre from the park across the street. It's a Mott Studios photo in the California State Library collection. All eleven photos they have, including one more exterior view, all included in their set # 001384370. On the marquee it's Clark Gable and Joan Crawford in "Dance Fools Dance" and "Palmy Days" with Charlotte Greenwood, both from 1931.

also from 1932 - The AMPAS  Tom B'hend - Preston Kaufmann Collection has an additional Mott Studios photo taken from the park that's not in the California State Library set.

 

 

1933 - A section from a C.C. Pierce & Co. panorama that's on the Huntington Library website. Thanks to the Forgotten Los Angeles Facebook page for spotting it in the collection.

 

1933 - The full C.C. Pierce image. The occasion for the October 21 photo was the opening of the Mesa Vernon Market at 4342 Crenshaw, over on the left.

1934 - A view of the theatre's marquee with "Gallant Lady" playing. It's in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1934 - Another "Gallant Lady" shot. It's a photo from the Marc Wanamaker collection. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding it for a post on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles. It's also on the AMPAS website as part of the B'hend - Kaufmann Collection.  

1935 - A Dick Whittington Studio view looking west from the USC Digital Library collection.

1935 - Backing up a bit. It's another Dick Whittington photo in the USC Digital Library collection. It appears we're surveying the intersection.

1935 - A detail from the previous photo from the Dick Whittington Studio. Note the use of signage adjacent to the theatre. The Chinese did the same thing for years. The Leimert was running "Les Miserables."

c.1938 - A Herman Schultheis photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Also see another view by Mr. Schultheis from farther to the west.

1950s - A look east toward the theatre. Thanks to Sean Ault for the photo from his collection.

1950s - A detail from the previous photo.

1968 - The theatre after closing as a film house. It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.  

1968 - Looking east toward the theatre. It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1968 - The view west after the theatre's closing. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. More 1968 photos in the Library's collection: closer view from the west | corner cleaners | marquee - from in front | marquee - wider view | tower - from the west | another tower view | "Leimert" - lettering on marquee | end of marquee | corner of marquee | base of tower | lower tower detail | upper tower | upper tower - from front | 

1983 - Thanks to the now-vanished American Classic Images website for this view of the theatre in its church days. 

2002 - A photo by Betty Sword from the collection of Brooklyn based theatre historian Cezar Del Valle. Check out what he's up to lately on his Theatre Talks blog.

c.2007 - A tower detail by Dean Cheng on Flickr. The photo appears with Marissa Gluck's 2007 Curbed L.A. article "Another Theatre Renovation Planned..." where she wrote: "Seriously, Leimert Park is hot. A buzzing neighborhood, a thriving arts scene, and the attendant fears about gentrification. You haven't really made it until local residents and merchants battle developers." Also see the 2013 Curbed story by Adrian Glick Kudler "Touring Leimert's Vision..."

c.2007 - A rendering of the intended appearance of the theatre after the much-delayed construction program is completed. It appears on a web page from the project's designers, FSY Architects. 

2008 - Thanks to Ken McIntyre for this entrance view.

2009 - A tower view before restoration work. Photo: Michelle Gerdes

2009 - A corner of the marquee revealed. Photo: Michelle Gerdes

2010 - Pre-renovation. Note the doors installed out at the sidewalk line. Photo: Bill Counter

2010 -  A look up the tower. Photo: Bill Counter

2010 - A detail of some of the tower's ornament. Photo: Bill Counter

 

2010 - The terrazzo as one approached the entrance doors. Here they were still out at the sidewalk. The 2011 renovations pushed them back in to the original location. Photo: Bill Counter

 

2012 - A shot of the restored marquee that appears of the page about the project on the site of FSY Architects. The marquee sewctions were taken of the building for a second rehab in 2013. 

 

2012 - The ticket lobby after the first round of restoration work. Photo: FSY Architects.

2013 - All lit up after exterior restoration work and no show on the stage. Thanks to Hillsman Wright for posting this great photo on the LAHTF Facebook page to advertise an "all-about" tour of the building by the organization.

2013 - The neon at dusk. It's a photo that appeared on a now-vanished page of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation website.

2013 - New signage atop the tower. Photo: Bill Counter 

2013 - Looking skyward at the restored marquee and tower. Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein

2013 - New neon work on the corner of the marquee. The new electronic readerboards were having a bad day. Photo: Bill Counter

2013 - Looking west across the entrance terrazzo. Photo: Bill Counter

2013 - A terrazzo detail. Photo: Michelle Gerdes

2013 - Looking into the ticket lobby. Photo: Bill Counter

2013 - A deeper view in the ticket lobby. The event was an LAHTF "all-about" tour of the building. Photo: Michelle Gerdes

2013 - The ceiling of the ticket lobby. Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein.

2013 - A ticket lobby wall detail. Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein. Thanks, Sandi! 

2013 - The rear of the building. Photo: Bill Counter

2014 - A look across the restored marquee to the tower. Thanks to Hunter Kerhart for his photo. Keep up with his recent explorations: on Facebook | HunterKerhart.com | on Flickr

2014 - The signage on the tower. Photo: Hunter Kerhart 

2014 - A closer view of some of the tower's ornament. Photo: Hunter Kerhart 

2014 - A corner view. Photo: Hunter Kerhart

2014 - A deco neon detail. Photo: Hunter Kerhart

2014 - The entrance of the dormant theatre. Photo: Hunter Kerhart. Thanks, Hunter!

April 2019 - The theatre in construction mode for phase II. At the time they were talking about a reopening in 2020. Photo: Bill Counter

April 2019 - A view from the west. Photo: Bill Counter

April 2019 - The stage end of the building. Adding a real stagehouse is part of the plan. Photo: Bill Counter

May 2019 - A bit of demolition as the stage area gets removed. The new stagehouse will include fly capability as well as an orchestra pit and dressing rooms. The photo was part of a post on the Vision Facebook page.

July 2019 - Formwork going up for the beginnings of a new pit and dressing room area. The photo was a post on the Vision Theatre Facebook page.

July 2019 - A look across some of the dirt that was removed for the stagehouse excavation. Photo: Bill Counter

July 2019 - The view across the big dig. That's the back of the proscenium where the tarps are. There's a bit of the auditorium visible beyond. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2019 - Stagehouse foundation work progressing. It's a photo from a post on the Facebook page of the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering. Thanks to Escott O. Norton for spotting the post. Also see a short August 2019 video from the LABofE outlining the stagehouse project.

August 2019 - Down in the trenches. Photo: City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering on Facebook

August 2019 - On the roof getting oriented. Photo: City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering on Facebook

September 2019 - More forms in place. Note the doorway into the orchestra pit. Photo: Bill Counter

November 2019 - Looking in from the north toward the new steel going up. Photo: Bill Counter

November 2019 - The framing for the multi-leveled support spaces upstage. The actual stage is over to the left. Photo: Bill Counter

November 2019 - A view from the east. It isn't topped out yet. The stagehouse, adjacent to the existing auditorium structure, will go substantially higher. Photo: Bill Counter

December 2019 - The stagehouse at full height. The headbeams are in place. Ready for roof trusses and the grid. Photo: Bill Counter

 January 2020 - Filling in the roof structure. Photo: Bill Counter

January 2020 -  A peek toward the basement. Photo: Bill Counter

April 21, 2020 - A roof fire was reported at 4:35 in the morning. Over 100 firefighters responded and extinguished the blaze within 25 minutes. The shot is from the coverage on Fox 11. The fire was in the retail building to the west of the theatre, which was gutted. The firemen had chopped holes in the roof to ventilate the structure. 

 

April 21, 2020 - A view of the building west of the theatre from the coverage of the event on CBS 2. The Fire Department alert about the event noted that the cause was under investigation. The L.A. Times had a very alarmist story alleging "serious damage" to the theatre. They later fixed it up when they got the correct information. Their article has a link to some interesting video footage of the retail building adjacent to the theatre, where all the problems were. 

 

January 2021 - A look down the block to the tower from Kirk A. Gaw, who is working on facade restoration and lighting during the renovation project. The photo was part of a post of his on Facebook.

 

 

 

January 2021 - Well, the roof deck is on and the grid installed. But not much else going on. Photo: Bill Counter  

 

 

 

January 2021 - A closer look. Photo: Bill Counter 

 

 

April 2022 - The stagehouse enclosed. Photo: Bill Counter

 

 

April 2022 - A view from the northwest showing the dressing room "bustle" more clearly. Photo: Bill Counter 

 

 

April 2022 - The theatre from the west. Note the spiky things on the side of the stagehouse to support some angled trim. The corner building is under separate ownership and not part of the project. The Photo: Bill Counter  

 

 

April 2022 - The marquee is ready for (another) restoration. The charred west end is from the 2020 fire in the building on the left. Other marquee problems include broken neon and non-functional digital readerboards. Photo: Bill Counter 

 

 

April 2022 - The tower, still looking glorious. Photo: Bill Counter 

 

 

April 2022 - The building from the east. The grayish building on the left isn't part of the project. Photo: Bill Counter  

 

 

October 2022 - A closer look at the "spiky stagehouse," still waiting for the decorative panels. Photo: Bill Counter 

 

 

October 2022 - The marquee was restored not too many years ago, as part of Phase 1. Here we're stripped down to the steel once again for another round. Photo: Bill Counter 

 

April 2023 - Brackets getting installed on the stagehouse to support the angled decorative panels. It's one of three photos included in an April 3, 2023  LA Bureau of Engineering Facebook post.  

 

 

April 2023 - A view toward the loading door. Photo: Bill Counter 

 

 

April 2023 - The stagehouse view from Degnan Blvd. Photo: Bill Counter 

 

April 2023 - Angled sheathing going up on the stagehouse. Photo: Bill Counter  

 

 

April 2023 - A nice banner but no marquee back on the building as of April 7. Photo: Bill Counter 

 

 

April 2023 - The reinstallation of the marquee began on the 18th. Photo: Bill Counter. The work is being done by Signmakers, 3652 S. Main St. | Signmakers on Facebook.

 

 

April 2023 - A corner view with a a bit of afternoon sun coming through some of the neon sockets. Photo: Bill Counter

 

 

April 2023 - The west end. Tubing and lamps still to come. Photo: Bill Counter

 

 

April 2023 - The tower view. Photo: Bill Counter. See Escott O. Norton's fine video of the marquee when it was lit and with animation running for testing in the Signmakers shop. It's on Facebook. 

May 2023 - Most of the tubing and lamps installed -- and also plexiglass shields to protect the components from wandering hooligans. Photo: Bill Counter

 

 

May 2023 - A corner view. Photo: Bill Counter

 

 

May 2023 - Signage along the west side directing patrons to the lot behind the theatre. The contractor, Signmakers, notes: "We removed it and took back to our shop. All renovation was performed in house at our facility." Photo: Bill Counter  

 

 

October 2023 - A fine signage view from a short video about the theatre's restoration posted on the Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering Facebook page.   

 

January 2024 - Ever seen a glowing stagehouse? Well, the Vision now has one. Thanks to the theatre for sharing this image on the Vision Theatre Facebook page.

 

 

The Vision Theatre in the Movies: 

 

John Malkovich plays a mentalist with fading career prospects in "The Great Buck Howard" (Magnolia Pictures, 2008). They hit all the big spots. At this point we're supposed to be in Wausau, Wisconsin. 

 

 

We get a greeting from the manager as the camera pans down from the marquee. The film, directed by Sean McGinley, also features Colin Hanks, Adam Scott, Emily Blunt, Tom Hanks, Ricky Jay, Steve Zahn, Debra Monk and Jonathan Ames. The cinematography was by Tak Fujimoto. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for 38 more images of the theatres used in the film including views of the Wadsworth Theatre, the Brentwood Theatre, the Crenshaw Theatre, the Orpheum and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. 

More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Vision Theatre for lots of historical data and links to many vintage photos. The Cinema Tour page has some nice exterior shots by Ken Roe.

Check out "Touring Leimert's Vision...," a 2013 Curbed L.A. article by Adrian Glick Kudler that once included eighteen photos by Elizabeth Daniels. The photos seem to have gone missing. Don't miss Sandi Hemmerlein's superb 2013 photo essay "Vision Theatre Rising."

See the 2008 LAist story: "Neighborhood Project: Leimert Park" for lots of history of the neighborhood and many photos. At the bottom of the article are many links for further information. For more neighborhood history also see Leimert Park History, a pdf assembled to go with a documentary film about the neighborhood. 

Check out Don Solosan's "Insider's peek #11", a Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation video tour featuring Hillsman Wright. The USC Digital Library has a neat August 1929 Dick Whittington Studio photo of a Zeppelin over Leimert Park. Check out the Wikipedia article on Leimert Park. Yelp has a page listing Leimert Park Village businesses.

The Leimert/Vision Theatre pages: back to top  - history + exterior views | interior views |

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