Republic Theatre

629 1/2 S. Main St. Los Angeles, CA 90014 | map |

Opening: It was running in 1923. The Republic Theatre is in the city directory that year with an address of 629 S. Main. It's not in the 1922 or earlier directories. The location was on the west side of the street mid-block between 6th and 7th. 

Also in the 600 block, and also on the west side of the street, were the Lark Theatre at 613 S. Main, across from the Pacific Electric Building, and the Gem Theatre at 649. 

A September 2, 1923 Times listing located by Jeff Bridges in a Paramount Week ad: 

"Republic Theater, 629 ½ South Main Street - Sept. 1-3 - Jack Holt and Bebe Daniels in 'North of the Rio Grande.' Sept. 4-7 - William S. Hart in 'White Oak.' Sept. 8-10 - Douglas Fairbanks in 'Arizona.'"

Closing: Perhaps 1925 was it. It's in the directory that year with an address of 629 1/2 S. Main. It's not in the 1926 or later directories.

Status: Initially it was converted into a bus depot. Later the building was demolished. The site is now a parking lot.

 

1939 - The former Republic Theatre. It's the storefront just beyond the bay-windowed building with the little vertical sign saying "Bus." We're looking north toward the Central Building at 6th and Main. The Lark Theatre at 613 S. Main was once this side of the Central Building but it was gone by the time of this photo. It's a Dick Whittington Studio photo in the USC Digital Library collection. 

1941 - A detail from a photo from the Automobile Club of Southern California that appears on the USC Digital Library website. The left storefront that had been the Republic is here seen as part of the depot for All American Bus Lines.

Also see another 1941 view looking farther north on the block that has 629 in the lower left and shows the former location of the Lark Theatre as a bus shed up against the Central Building. The photo series is labeled "undesirable stores and vacant lots." Thanks to Joe Vogel for spotting this series in the USC collection.

 

 

 

1941 - A closer look at the former theatre. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the photo. 

 

 

 

1941 - Looking north toward 6th with a view of the side of the building. It was another find by Ken McIntyre. His post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group included three additional 1941 shots of the west side of the block. 

 

 

2019 - Looking for a trace of the Republic in the middle of the west side of the block between 6th and 7th. Nothing but parking. There's only a single historic building left on this side of the block, what is now called the SB Main, on the northwest corner of 7th and Main. That's the north wall of it on the left. Photo: Bill Counter

More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Republic for various speculations about this theatre as well as the other Republic, a venue up the street that ended up being called the Follies.

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