Opened: c.1885 as Pasadena's first theatre. It was on the second floor of a building located on the northeast corner of Colorado Blvd. and Fair Oaks Ave. This c.1903 photo from the Pasadena Museum of History appears on the website of the Pasadena Digital History Collaboration. The signage reads: "Parlor Theatre - Every Night - General Admission 15 cents - Children 10 cents." On the left we're looking north up Fair Oaks Ave.
The PDHC site also has another version of the photo from the Pasadena Public Library. In the caption they suggest that that the photo was probably taken not long before the building's demolition, probably in 1903 or 1904. In one of the ground floor windows there is signage indicating that the "building will be destroyed May 7th." The Carlton Hotel on the right opened in 1886.
The building was constructed in 1882 by Lawson T. Hollingsworth. It was later purchased by Romayne (Barney) Williams. Williams ran a store on the ground floor and initially called the second floor Williams Hall. Mr. Williams' store contained the first Pasadena Post Office and had the city's first telephone. Later the space became known as the Parlor Theatre offering nightly shows.
The theatre is mentioned on page 25 of "Pasadena, A Business History" by Patrick Conyers, Cedar Phillips and the Pasadena Museum of History (Arcadia Press, 2007) where the authors note that the stage featured "drop curtains and scenery painted by a prominent Los Angeles decorative painting firm." The page appears in the book's preview on Google Books.
Seating: Unknown
Status: The building was demolished c.1903. The closing date is unknown.
An 1885 view of the theatre set up for the city's 2nd Citrus Fair. Note the stage with painted scenery at the far end of the room. It's a photo from the Pasadena Museum of History collection appearing on the Pasadena Digital History Collaboration website.
More exterior views:
An 1883 photo of the building that would later have the Parlor Theatre on the 2nd floor. It's a photo from the Pasadena Museum of History collection appearing on the Pasadena Digital History Collaboration website.
An 1880s photo of the Williams store and a Masonic Hall next door. It's a photo from the Pasadena Public Library that appears on the website of the Pasadena Digital History Collaboration. Thanks to Scott Babcock for spotting it in the collection and including it in his Noirish L.A. post #44134. He also includes photos of a later Pasadena Masonic Hall on Fair Oaks as well as two interior views of Masonic lodge rooms.
A c.1890 photo by E.A. Bonine. We're looking west with the First National Bank on the northwest corner of Colorado and Fair Oaks and the Williams store (on the right) on the northeast corner. It's a photo from the Pasadena Museum of History collection appearing on the Pasadena Digital History Collaboration website.
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