Los Angeles Theatres: Park Theatre

1375 N. Fair Oaks Ave. Pasadena, CA 91103 | map |

Opening: Christmas Day, 1928. It was on the west side of the street a half block north of Washington Blvd.

Seating: 760

An ad for the new theatre that appeared December 24, 1928. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.

Architects: Orlopp & Orlopp. Cinema Treasures researcher Joe Vogel found an item in the Southwest Builder & Contractor issue of May 13, 1928 reporting that a permit had been issued for construction of a theater at 1373 N. Fair Oaks Ave. with that firm as designers. He adds that the firm was evidently based in Dallas.

Thanks to Ken McIntyre for sharing the Pasadena Post page this June 27, 1929 ad was on as a post for the America in the 1920s Facebook group.

"Always Cool, Comfortable and Airy." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this 1930 ad.

A 1931 ad for the Park. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it.

Mike Rivest reports that in the 1940 Film Daily Yearbook that the theatre was listed as part of the Robb & Rowley chain, based in Dallas. At the time they also had the Pasadena Theatre (the former Clune's) and the State Theatre, both on Colorado Blvd. In its later years the Park was operated by Fox West Coast, as were the other two houses.

There's no question that the L.A. area was a racist environment and various minorities were gently (or not so gently) encouraged to go to theatres in the neighborhoods in which they lived. There are very few detailed, credible accounts of segregation practices in specific theatres. Thanks to Patricia Zeider, assistant archivist at the Pasadena Museum of History, for adding this to the record:

"For those who are interested, I did find mention of movie theater segregation in Pasadena in the 1920s/30s in an oral history of Elbie J. Hikambottom. Hikambottom was an African American man who was born in 1924. He states that 'Theaters [in Pasadena] were segregated. I remember when there was only one theater that blacks could go to, and that was called the Park Theater. And even then you had to sit in the first ten rows on the left side.

"Oh, I remember that, because it was some distance from where we lived, and I was a little fellow. And my sister used to actually carry me on her shoulders....It was on North Fair Oaks, three or four doors above Washington Boulevard.' The oral history was transcribed in 2006. I believe Hikambottom died in 2004. He served as the only black member of the Pasadena School Board from the 1970s into the 1990s and was involved in the contentious school desegregation of Pasadena (i.e. busing) in the 1970s."

Closing: Early 1950s. Bill Gabel reports that it was still running in 1951 but had closed by 1952.

Status: The building occupied by the Berry & Sweeney Pharmacy may be the theatre building. They use an address of 1377 Fair Oaks. It's an older brick building. The newer building to the south that's occupied by Louisiana Fried Chicken uses a 1367 Fair Oaks address.

The pharmacy building at 1377 Fair Oaks. Photo: Google Maps - 2016

Los Angeles Theatres

Park Theatre

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