The State Theatre pages: history | vintage exterior views | recent exterior views | ticket lobby | lobbies and lounges | vintage auditorium views | recent auditorium views | projection booth | backstage | basement cafeteria |
The opening ad for the Leighton Co-operative Cafeteria that appeared in the April 15, 1922 edition of the L.A. Times. Thanks to Anthony Caldwell for locating it. The firm also operated a cafeteria in the basement of the Arcade Building.
A postcard of the Moorish-themed cafeteria's interior. The space is under the lobby and part of the auditorium of the theatre. This version of the card comes from the collection of Brent Dickerson and appears on his Noirish Los Angeles post #53873.
The cafeteria's entrance was in the bay just south of the office building entrance. This detail from a 1926 Los Angeles Public Library photo shows the separate marquees for the cafeteria and the office building entrance. "Men of Steel" is playing at Loew's State.
We see the cafeteria still advertised on the marquee at the office building entrance in this 1937 Herman Schultheis photo looking north on Broadway. It's in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.
Judging by the newer deco terrazzo at the entrance, the space got a substantial remodel in the 30s. The first tenant, Leighton's, folded in 1938. See an ad at the bottom of the page.
Recent interior views:
Looking down the stairs from Broadway. The entrance is just south of the office building entrance. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for this 2012 photo and her other photos appearing here.
Looking up from the bottom of the stairs. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2012
Another view at the bottom. Photo: Stephen Russo - 2013
A wider view up the stairs to the Broadway entrance. Photo: Stephen Russo - 2013
A terrazzo detail. Photo: Stephen Russo - 2013
A bit of tile floor beyond the terrazzo. Photo: Tony Hoover - 2018
A happy chef that once stood on the sidewalk to welcome patrons. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - 2018
Wall murals at the Broadway end of the space. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
A closer look at the two murals seen in the image above. Photo: Claudia Mullins - 2018
A detail of the plasterwork between the murals. Photo: Tony Hoover - 2018
A look down the wall in the other direction. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
The murals seen in the previous two photos. Photo: Claudia Mullins - 2018
A closer look at the arch and left mural. Photo: Tony Hoover - 2018
Some of the ornament, painted out. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
A pattern at the end of the entrance terrazzo. Thanks to Tony Hoover for this shot and his other April 2018 photos appearing here. They are part of a nineteen photo set on the DTLA Development Facebook page.
A bit of tile floor beyond the terrazzo. Photo: Tony Hoover - 2018
The panoramic look back toward the entrance area. That's the elevator just to the right of the right column. Thanks to Wendell Benedetti for his
April 2018 photo. It's one in a great nineteen photo set that's on the LAHTF Facebook page. They were mostly taken
during a Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation "all-about" tour of the
building.
The LAHTF is active in promoting awareness of the historic theatres of Los Angeles and works toward their preservation. They frequently offer tours and sponsor other events related to historic preservation. www.lahtf.org | group Facebook page | official Facebook page
The LAHTF is active in promoting awareness of the historic theatres of Los Angeles and works toward their preservation. They frequently offer tours and sponsor other events related to historic preservation. www.lahtf.org | group Facebook page | official Facebook page
A view from deeper in the cavernous space. The explorers are there for the LAHTF tour. Thanks to Ed Baney and the Broadway Theatre Group for allowing access. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - 2018
A closer look at the painting on the wall at the right of the previous photo. It doesn't seem to go either with the deco entrance or the rest of the Moorish interior. Thanks to Claudia Mullins for this and her
other April 2018 photos appearing here. They're part of a 46 photo State Theatre Tour set on Facebook that she took during the LAHTF "all-about" tour.
A happy chef that once stood on the sidewalk to welcome patrons. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - 2018
Wall murals at the Broadway end of the space. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
A closer look at the two murals seen in the image above. Photo: Claudia Mullins - 2018
A detail of the plasterwork between the murals. Photo: Tony Hoover - 2018
Looking toward another area of arches and murals. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
A look down the wall in the other direction. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
The murals seen in the previous two photos. Photo: Claudia Mullins - 2018
A closer look at the arch and left mural. Photo: Tony Hoover - 2018
A
view from back in the northeast corner of the space. The entrance from Broadway is a
bit out of the frame to the left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
Along 7th St. looking west. There were once stairs up to the west end of the theatre lobby where we have the zig-zag outline on the wall. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
A closer look back in the corner where the stairs were. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
The stairs were put in by the church tenant to get down to the cafeteria area from the theatre lobby. They had partitioned off the dining room into a warren of many
meeting rooms and classrooms. All of that work was removed when the
church left. They had been leasing the theatre and the basement space from 1978 until early 2018.
An earlier view of this corner when the stairs were in place. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2012
A detail of the plasterwork at the arches. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2012
The murals behind the windows. Photo: Claudia Mullins - 2018
A detail of the plasterwork at the arches. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2012
The murals behind the windows. Photo: Claudia Mullins - 2018
A look from the south side of the dining area toward 7th St. and the corner seen in the previous few photos. The windows with the murals are down there in the bottom right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
In the middle of the dining area looking toward Broadway. It all got painted out in church-white. Photo: Tony Hoover - 2018
Another view in the middle looking toward the corner of Broadway and 7th. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
Some of the ornament, painted out. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
In the middle of the dining room looking into the south bay of the space. The alley end of the space is off to the right. The kitchen is beyond the wall on the left. Photo: Claudia Mullins - 2018
A closer look at the church-white arches. Photo: Claudia Mullins - 2018
An earlier view when this part of the space was partitioned off by the church tenant into a meeting room. These walls were removed in early 2018. Photo: Stephen Russo - 2013
A less finished area in the middle of the dining room that the church was working on. This has now all been removed. Photo: Stephen Russo - 2013
A less finished area in the middle of the dining room that the church was working on. This has now all been removed. Photo: Stephen Russo - 2013
Looking across temporary partitions the church had installed toward the south bay of the dining room. Photo: Stephen Russo - 2013
A detail of the church-white plasterwork from Stephen's photo.
In the south bay of the dining room looking toward Broadway. There's lots more dining area off to the left. The kitchen is behind the wall at the right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
A closer look at those frosted arches seen in the previous photo. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
Decorative work in the south bay of the dining room. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
Another angle on the same area seen in the previous image. Thanks to Escott O. Norton for his 2018 photo appearing on the official LAHTF Facebook page.
Another detail of ornament in the south bay of the dining room. The photo was taken when the church tenant was on a construction rampage. Photo: Stephen Russo - 2013
Another look into the south bay of the dining room. Photo: Claudia Mullins - 2018
A detail of the tile work in the south bay. Photo: Claudia Mullins - 2018
The view toward the alley in the south bay. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
A pointer toward the cashier. Photo: Tony Hoover - 2018
A pointer toward the cashier. Photo: Tony Hoover - 2018
At the alley end of the south bay of the dining room. Note the "Cashier" sign on the wall. Beyond the wall is the kitchen. Off to the right, toward the alley, it's a warren of support spaces. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
Coming out of the kitchen/serving area one would see this sign on the wall. It is visible above the head of the left theatre explorer in the previous photo. Photo: Claudia Mullins - 2018. Thanks, Claudia!
The kitchen. We're just south of the dining room and looking toward Broadway. Farther off to the right, behind this, is a staff locker room and toilet areas. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
Coming out of the kitchen/serving area one would see this sign on the wall. It is visible above the head of the left theatre explorer in the previous photo. Photo: Claudia Mullins - 2018. Thanks, Claudia!
The decorative treatment in a corner at the alley end of the dining room's south bay. Photo: Stephen Russo - 2013. Thanks, Stephen!
Molding and stencil work in the south bay. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2012. Thanks, Michelle!
The kitchen. We're just south of the dining room and looking toward Broadway. Farther off to the right, behind this, is a staff locker room and toilet areas. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
Heading back from the dining room to the string of rooms along the alley side of the building. The signs conveniently direct us to the generator room, fire pump room, etc. The stairs at the right are a back exit up to the alley. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
A detail of the tilework seen in the previous photo. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
The tile seen in the center of the previous shot. Photo: Tony Hoover - 2018. Thanks, Tony!
The tile seen in the center of the previous shot. Photo: Tony Hoover - 2018. Thanks, Tony!
A storage room back in the northwest corner of the basement with a set of stairs, perhaps formerly up to one of the 7th St. retail spaces. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
The freight elevator to the alley. The open door is to one of the cold storage rooms. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
Cold storage -- note the cooling coils on the wall. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
A bit farther south in the corridor, looking back to the open door of a cold storage room. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
Electrical gear on the west wall. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
Looking farther south along the alley side of the basement. Storage and a bit of electrical gear. Generator room, fire poump room and exit stairs arrayed on the right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
A basement map helpfully posted just to the left of the doors seen in the previous photo. The red lines are suggested fire exits. Many of the walls shown in the dining area no longer exist. They view temporary construction by the church tenant and have been removed. Broadway is at the bottom, 7th St. over on the right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
A basement map helpfully posted just to the left of the doors seen in the previous photo. The red lines are suggested fire exits. Many of the walls shown in the dining area no longer exist. They view temporary construction by the church tenant and have been removed. Broadway is at the bottom, 7th St. over on the right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
The emergency generator. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
The fire pump room. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
Exit stairs to the alley. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
Exit stairs to the alley. Photo: Bill Counter - 2018
In addition to the original Broadway entrance south of the office building lobby (and an office building elevator), these spaces were once accessed from the theatre itself. Down the marble stairs at the west end of the lobby there's a landing. The theory is that stairs once continued down to the cafeteria space. The church that was a tenant of the theatre until early 2018 had constructed a wood set of stairs down to the level that used to be the cafeteria.
Closing: It's unknown what tenants used the space after Leighton's Cafeteria closed. It appears that the end of that chapter came in 1938.
An ad from the October 2, 1938 issue of the L.A. Times. Thanks to J.H. Graham for locating the ad.
The State Theatre pages: history | vintage exterior views | recent exterior views | ticket lobby | lobbies and lounges | vintage auditorium views | recent auditorium views | projection booth | backstage | back to top - basement cafeteria |
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