Los Angeles Theatres: Pantages/Arcade Theatre: basement

A 1909 plan by Morgan and Walls with little shown as built-out under the auditorium. Eventually that area would become a warren of dressing rooms and storage areas. This is from the Morgan, Walls & Clements Archive at the Huntington Library, on their site as drawing #3801. Thanks to Mike Hume for locating the drawings of the theatre on the Huntington's site. Click on any of these images for larger views.

The stage basement is over to the left, Broadway to the right. That's the men's room at the bottom, about a third of the way in from the street. But they don't show any stairs to get down there from the lobby. The protrusions along the north and south basement walls are open wells up to the exit corridors along side of the auditorium to get added light into the basement.

Another version of the 1909 basement floorplan, here with a few additions. Thanks to William Cervera for providing this one. Note the blackened area in the upper center indicating the electrical switchboard room.

In the lower center note a large area built-out near what had been the men's room. One area is marked as storage. The other area had been turned into a more opulent lounge area -- but now for the ladies instead of the men. It's marked "ladies toilets" and "ladies lounge - toilets & stairs." The ladies restroom was initially on the house left end of the lobby, on the main floor plan as the "Ladies Retiring Room." With this move of the ladies room downstairs, that main floor restroom was revamped as a men's room.

Another basement plan showing the ductwork of the plenum system. The room for the furnace and supply fan is indicated in the lower center of the drawing. Here we get a clearer look at the two toilet and sink areas that had originally been the men's room. Thanks to William Cervera for the plan.

A section of the building. Note the basement windows leading to light wells in the exit passage along the side of the auditorium. This is from the Morgan, Walls & Clements Archive at the Huntington Library, on their site as drawing #3810.

Heading back toward the stage from the office building portion of the basement. We're in a corridor under the house right side of the auditorium. Up ahead on the right is a window -- one of a number on both sides of the basement. They have light wells with subway grating on top to allow light to the basement. Photo: Bill Counter - 2011

Under the auditorium looking north with a better look at one of the lightwell windows. Note the slope of the auditorium floor above. Some of that ductwork you see is supply air up to the mushrooms. Photo: Bill Counter - 2011

The main building switchboard. Not live front, so probably a 30s re-do. The board originally had both AC and DC sections. We're about half way along the auditorium on the house right side of the basement. Photo: Bill Counter - 2011

Another look at the main switchboard. Thanks to Joël Huxtable for this 2011 photo and others of his appearing on these pages.

Farther forward in the basement with the main supply fan behind the wall at the left. Note more supply air ducting. The dressing rooms begin behind the brick wall, with the stage farther off to the right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2011

A curious gas water heater. Photo: Bill Counter - 2011

A warren of dressing rooms. We're still under the auditorium, looking toward stage left. The audience side of the orchestra pit is on our left and dressing rooms are on the right. At the end of the view is the corridor along the house right side of the basement. Turn right and you'll head toward the lobby. Thanks to the Hellen family's Downtown Management Co. for the photo. It's one that used to be on their now-vanished Downtown Filming site.

Same area as the previous view except we're looking in from the corridor toward stage right. The wall on the right is the audience side of the orchestra pit. That bit of duct above the arrow on the beam is supply air up to a mushroom. The arrow on the beam is pointing us back to the trap room. Photo: Bill Counter - 2011

In the trap room looking toward stage right. The musician's room and orchestra pit access are to the left, some of the dressing rooms are off to the right. There are stairs up to the stage at both ends of the room. Off to the left at the far end is a room with a fan and the dimmers. Photo: Bill Counter - 2011

A detail of the stage area from the 1909 basement plan. Among the things not shown on the original plans are the wing of dressing rooms downstage of the pit as well as the row of dressing rooms along the back wall of the trap room.

Note the "electrician closet" in the lower right. It's a room downstage of the proscenium with dimmers and a supply fan. Above that on the plan note the rooms under the pit for "stage carptr's closet," "band master's closet," and, above that, the stairs up into the pit. Not showing in that area stage left is access from the stage basement forward through the firewall toward the lobby.

Another view to stage right in the trap room, looking along the dressing rooms on the upstage wall. Photo: Joël Huxtable - 2011

Looking up at a trap upstage right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2011

"This Is Not The Greenroom So Stay Out." Photo: Joël Huxtable - 2011. Thanks, Joël!

In the trap room looking toward the stairs going up to stage left. The pit is on the right. It's a c.2010 photo that had once appeared on Downtown Management's now-vanished site DowntownFilming.com

Downstage left at the stairs. We're looking toward Broadway and down the long corridor that leads to the basement space under the lobby. Photo: Downtown Filming - c.2010. Thanks!

Looking toward the stage left end of the pit, covered at the time of the photo. Note the decorative plaster area down at the end. Photo: Bill Counter - 2011

A closer view of the column at the stage left end of the pit. Thanks to Hillsman Wright for his 2020 photo.

Plasterwork at the stage right end of the pit. Photo: Bill Counter - 2011

Stage right, just downstage of the proscenium. We're in the in the dimmer room (on the plans as "electrician closet") looking at a supply fan. Steam pipes head from here back to the boiler room under the north storefront. This room is also an electrical equipment room as we're directly under the stage switchboard. Photo: Bill Counter - 2011

The fan motor. Photo: Bill Counter - 2011

Los Angeles Theatres

Pantages/Arcade Theatre: basement

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