Opening: 1850s. Don Abel Stearns and his wife Arcadia lived in a rambling adobe compound known as "El Palacio," parts of which dated back to the 1830s. The 14 room compound, at the southeast corner of Main and Arcadia St., was the early social center of the pueblo. This 1857 illustration is from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Also see another 1857 view in the LAPL collection. They note:
"...Stearns purchased the land from Francisco O'Campo and built a three-room adobe with an attached kitchen. He gradually expanded the adobe from 1835-1838, and the home eventually became U-shaped with a wide-open cobblestone court, and contained a grand ballroom at least 100 feet long. At the time, it was the largest and most magnificent house in the pueblo..."
A July 25, 1918 L.A. Times obituary for Diedrich Kuck, operator of another theatre in town, also gives an 1858 opening date for Stearns Hall and calls it the "first theater here." They gave the location as Arcadia and Los Angeles streets.
An ad for an event in 1871. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.
Closing: Nicolas Kanellos, in "Mexican American Theatre: Then and Now," has it running as late as 1875. The book is on Google Books.
Status: Demolished. The property became the site of the Baker Block, 342 N. Main St. It was completed in 1878. The new building was a project of Robert S. Baker, who had married Arcadia Stearns after the death of Abel. Right now those lots are in the middle of the 101 between Arcadia and Aliso.
Looking toward the Plaza on N. Main c.1870. The Stearns' compound is the low rise stuff halfway between the Bella Union and the larger brick building in the distance, the Pico House. We don''t yet see the Merced Theatre, a building that opened in January 1871. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. Also in the LAPL collection see a view of Arcadia and Main in 1871 and a c.1875 view looking at the Stearns house and orchards beyond.
Looking north in 1882 with the Baker Block (on the right, with the towers) on the site of the Stearns compound. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.
An ad appearing in 1926 that featured the Arcadia Block, named after Stearns' wife, the former Arcadia Bandini. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this for a post on Photos of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Public Library has several photos of the Arcadia Block: c.1890 - looking north | c.1920 - Baker Block behind | c.1925 - with City Hall rising behind |
The Arcadia Block was demolished in 1927. The L.A. Times ran a big story about the demolition in their May 15 issue. The article also included much information about Abel and Arcadia Stearns. It's reproduced on "On This Day: The Demolition of the Arcadia Block...," a 2017 post on the blog of the Homestead Museum.
The site of Stearns Hall and, later, the Baker Block. The 300 Block of N. Main has been gobbled up by the 101. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019
More information: See J. Scott Shannon's article about the Baker Block on the blog Los Angeles Past. The Pacific Coast Architecture Database has a page on the building. They note that the architects were S. H. Buchanan and Charles E. Herbert of the firm of Buchanan and Herbert. The building was demolished in 1942.
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