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Roxie Theatre: recent exterior views

518 S. Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90013 | map |

The Roxie Theatre pages: history + vintage exterior views | recent exterior views | interior views | 

A bit of a fixup with new red paint on the marquee, improvised replacements for several letters above the readerboards and gray paint on the facade to cover graffiti. Thanks to Esotouric's Secret Los Angeles for sharing the October 2024 news on Facebook in a short video clip taken on one of their walking tours. Their headline: "GASP! The Roxie doesn't look horrible!" The reasons for the cleanup are unknown. Maybe someone at city hall just shamed them into doing something, anything, ahead of the October 12 "Broadway Night Lights" celebration.
 

The post-fixup look of the theatre from across the street. Photo: Bill Counter - October 6, 2024
 
 
 
The Roxie during "Broadway Night Lights" on October 12, 2024. City councilman Kevin de Leon resurrected the annual street festival that had been on hiatus since 2018. Thanks to Andy Crosby for sharing his photo with the DTLA Photo Group on Facebook. 
 
 
 
A bit more work after the first go-round. A broken piece of plastic on the left side of the bullnose got replaced and they re-did the "R" on the north side so it's now a better match with the other letters. Photo: Bill Counter - October 18, 2024

The Roxie's terrazzo abides. Thanks to Gary Parks for sharing his 2024 photo.  
 

Another angle on the pattern. Photo: Gary Parks - 2024

Checking out the retail action. Photo: Yasmin Elming - May 2021. Escott O. Norton commented: "I'm looking forward to seeing 'film' on the Roxie marquee, but this is not it."
 
 
 
A detail of the north side of the marquee. Photo: Yasmin Elming - May 2021
 

A look up the facade of downtown's only deco movie palace. Photo: Yasmin Elming - May 2021. Thanks! 
 
 

A view taken from a fire escape across the street. The street setup going on is for the January 30, 2016 "Night on Broadway." Photo: Bill Counter



The "triplets" -- Roxie, Cameo and Arcade. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - January 2016. Thanks, Hunter! The photo originally appeared on the LAHTF Facebook page. Keep up with his latest explorations:  HunterKerhart.com | on Flickr



The Roxie as a screen for digital projections during "Night on Broadway." Thanks to Stephen Russo for his January 2016 photo.



Retail at the Roxie Theatre. The north side of the lobby, at left, had just been renovated and was awaiting a new tenant. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - June 2014



South on Broadway from a balcony level office. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - April 2014



Another view across the Roxie marquee. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - April 2014



Looking north on Broadway from the 2nd floor. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - April 2014



The view up the Roxie facade. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2013



The "triplets" from the north. Photo: Bill Counter - 2012



A long-covered deco panel on the south storefront that was uncovered in 2012. Photo: Bill Counter



A detail of the storefront panel. Photo: Bill Counter - 2012



A look north on Broadway in 2010. Photo: Bill Counter



A 2007 view of the marquee and the thriving retail operation in the lobby. Jon Frugoli notes that the copy, up in various states of disarray for a number of years, once said "Chemical Control of Emotions." Photo: Bill Counter



The entrance terrazzo. Photo: Bill Counter - 2007



The Roxie, Cameo and Arcade theatres before the street is awake. Photo: Bill Counter - 2007



An early morning facade view. Photo: Bill Counter - 2007 



A closer look at the tower. Photo: Bill Counter - 2007



A 2005 photo by Carol Highsmith that's in the Library of Congress collection. Thanks to Jonathan Raines for spotting the image in the LOC collection. There's also a page listing more Highsmith photos of L.A. buildings. Highsmith's Roxie photo appears, uncredited, on the website Legends of America in their article "Los Angeles - City of Angels."


Around the back: 

 
A view from Spring Street. The Arcade/Pantages is at left (beige), the Cameo (brick) in the middle and the Roxie (unpainted concrete) at right. Note the stagehouse on the Roxie. Perhaps the owners were optimistic about the return of vaudeville. The ramp down on the left is a loading ramp into the Arcade Building basement. Photo: Bill Counter - 2007 



The south exit passageway, between the Cameo and Roxie Theatres. Here we're pointed toward Broadway looking at the stairs coming down from the balcony. Thanks to the Roxie's owners, Downtown Management, for the photo. See the Roxie page on their Downtown Filming website for more views of the theatre. The firm also owns the Arcade and Cameo Theatres as well as the nearby Chester Williams and Arcade Buildings.



Up on the balcony stairs looking toward the stage end of the building. Beyond the gate, across the parking lot, that's Spring St. Photo: Downtown Filming - c.2008



A ground level view looking toward the Spring St. That's the Cameo over on the left. Photo: Downtown Filming - c.2008. Thanks!


The beginning of our back alley tour. This is the rear of the Roxie and we're looking north down the alley. It continues behind a building north of the theatre then takes a left and heads toward Broadway! Photo: Bill Counter - 2012



The exit passageway on the north side of the Roxie. We're in the alley looking toward Broadway. Photo: Bill Counter - 2012



Looking south in the alley. The concrete mass in the center is the stagehouse end of the Roxie. Straight ahead on the right beyond the Roxie is the Arcade Theatre and the Arcade Building beyond, where the alley stops.

Off to the left in the distance is the parking lot that opens onto Spring St. It's the site of a proposed parking garage and/or highrise residential/retail development -- there have been several plans announced. Behind us is a building fronting on 5th St. -- the alley doesn't go straight through. Photo: Bill Counter - 2012 



The alley takes a turn to the west and continues toward Broadway. We're looking toward Broadway in this view. The building at the left is 510-514 S. Broadway. Photo: Bill Counter - 2012 



Here's where we come out. This is the alley's exit on Broadway. We're looking south toward the Roxie Photo: Google Maps - 2011 


Up on top: 


On the roof of the Cameo (just south of the Roxie) looking toward Broadway. Note the bulging roofline of the balcony end of the Roxie Theatre and the back of the Roxie's sign. Photo: Bill Counter - 2011



From the roof of the Cameo, a look at the stagehouse of the Roxie and the mechanical room above. Photo: Bill Counter - 2011



The back of the Roxie's sign. Thanks to Hunter Kerhart for his 2018 photo.

The Roxie Theatre pages: history + vintage exterior views | back to top - recent exterior views | interior views |  

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