Los Angeles Theatres: Florence / State Theatre

770 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91101 | map |

Opened: May 1918 as the Florence Theatre, an independent operation of D.H. Schumann. In this photo of the newly opened theatre from the California State Library collection they're running "The Sign Invisible" with Mitchel Lewis, a March 1918 release. Evidently they ran out of Ls for Mitchell's name.

Architect: Oliver Perry Dennis. A year before the Florence he had designed the Rialto Theatre in downtown L.A. Thanks to Joe Vogel for finding a mention about Dennis designing the Florence in the November 1917 issue of Architect and Engineer.

A 1917 sketch by the theatre's architect. Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Dallas Movie Theaters for adding it to that site's page about the theatre.

Seating: 797 at one point

Pipe organ: An item in the February 9, 1918 issue of Moving Picture World:

"The new Florence theater, soon to be opened in Pasadena under the management of D. B. Schumann, is installing a two-manual and piano-manual pipe organ built by the Seeburg-Smith factories at Chicago. This firm is practically a newcomer on the coast and especially in the South, although it is very well known in the East and throughout the Middle West. C. R. Dibble Company of Los Angeles made the sale, and is superintending the construction."

Thanks to Joe Vogel for the research.

In 1921 the Bay Area circuit Turner & Dahnken came to town and made several theatre owners offers they couldn't refuse. This May 5 story appeared in the Long Beach Press. Thanks to Ron Mahan for locating it. The four theatres involved were Clune's Pasadena (later called the Fox Pasadena) the Raymond, the Strand, and the Florence.

Claude L. Langley had worked for T&D in San Francisco and moved south. Soon the Pasadena theatres of the firm were being known as the Turner, Dahnken & Langley circuit, or T D & L. In early 1923 West Coast Theatres bought out the 2/3 interest in the mini-circuit that was held by T&D and the chain was then known as West Coast-Langley. See the page about the Palace Grand Theatre in Glendale for more data about the circuit's evolution.

A c.1924 ad for the Florence and the three other Pasadena theatres operated by West Coast-Langley. The Los Angeles Public Library has this as a pdf in their California Index.

A March 1925 ad for the Raymond and the other West Coast-Langley houses. In May 1925 they would add a fifth Pasadena theatre, the Washington, much later called Cinema 21. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this for posts on the America in the 1920s and Ken's Movie Page Facebook groups.

C.L. Langley sold his 1/3 interest in the circuit in the fall of 1925 and all their theatres were then operated directly by West Coast. After William Fox bought a controlling interest in 1929 the firm was called Fox West Coast.

The Fox Florence with "Fox Movietone Follies of 1929." 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.

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

The theatre was still running as the Florence as late as 1935. It evidently became the State Theatre after a remodel following a fire. Mike Rivest notes that listings in the L.A. Times as the State began in 1935. It was frequently advertised as the Fox State. The theatre was later operated by National General Corp. after they acquired the Fox circuit.

It was part of the Pussycat chain in the mid-1980s but later recovered from that fate. In 1989 it became a revival house operated by Louis Federici and Bob Stein. The State was known for attracting cinephiles with rare and quirky double bills. Federici was interviewed for a February 2, 1990 L.A. Times article located by Ken McIntyre:

"Louie Federici was a schoolboy when the State Theater was born in Pasadena in 1918. And like Federici, who is now nearing 80, the Colorado Boulevard theater has been a witness to changing times. In the early days, it was a proud Fox West Coast moving-picture theater. Then it burned down, was rebuilt, changed hands. When it finally closed its doors a couple of years ago, it had a garish sign headlining X-rated films. But last spring, Federici cranked up the dormant projector and restored the neon marquee, and the 700-seat auditorium once again flickered with movies such as 'Robin Hood,' 'Top Hat' and 'Suspicion.'

"It is the only theater in the San Gabriel Valley that exclusively shows old movies. 'You have to be a lover of the old classics to be in this business,' said Federici, who has spent his life working in theaters like the State-taking tickets, popping popcorn, and watching glamorous stars cavort on screen. Federici, of Hollywood, and his partner, Bob Stein, 55, of Studio City, hope they can revive the revival house. But they know they’re bucking a trend.

"If enough customers do not pack the theater to ensure its salvation, it is unlikely that the State would be preserved as a historic landmark like its South Pasadena neighbor, the Rialto Theater, which shows first-run art films and cult offerings such as 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.' There is nothing ornate or unique about the State’s architecture. Its walls are bare, its lighting subdued. When the two men took over, they did little more than tear down the red-flocked wallpaper left over from when the place was called the Pussycat Theater.

"Inside the auditorium, the ceiling vents are scarred with soot, and the only ornaments are lighted wall sconces reminiscent of the moderne look popular when the State was rebuilt after the fire in the 1930s. A narrow staircase winds up to a cluttered projection booth overflowing with heavy film canisters. A part-time employee sometimes spends the night on a mattress in a cubbyhole off the booth."

After Federici, the theatre had a period of being vacant. Then from 1991 to 1993 ran product from Taiwan. By 1997 it was back to being an art house and by 1998 it had become a revival operation.

Closing: It closed for good in 2000. The city wanted a seismic retrofit and evidently the owner wanted a bit more return on his investment than he was getting from the theatre operation. Jim Darrell advises that the last film to play was "The Insider" with Russell Crowe and Al Pacino.

Status: It's now a retail and office complex with the theatre space gutted and the building envelope pushed up for a new second floor over the storefront spaces on either side of the entrance. Much of the facade on the rebuilt building is a restored/reconstructed version of the original.

Interior views:

Part of the lobby in 1918. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for posting the trade magazine photo on Cinema Treasures. The photo's caption mentioned owner D.H. Schumann's new $45,000 theatre having an Italian water fountain.

The auditorium in 1918. It's a view by an unknown photographer that's in the California State Library collection.

A closer look at the stage. It's a detail from the California State Library photo.

A house left detail from the California State Library photo.

A view of one of the auditorium's wall medallions. They were of famous Florentines including DeMedici, Machiavelli, Giotto, Galileo, and Michelangelo. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for finding the 1918 trade magazine photo for a post on Cinema Treasures.

More exterior views:

1918 - Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for finding this trade magazine photo for a post on Cinema Treasures. On the marquee: Mitchell Lewis in "The Sign Invisible."

1918 - A ticket lobby view from the California State Library collection. Posters in the cases are for "The Birth of Democracy," a March 1918 short, and something about government called "The Eye" featuring William J. Flynn.

1925 - A fine view added to Cinema Treasures by that site's contributor D. Sedman. The caption a trade magazine had used with the photo:

"The Florence Theatre in Pasadena brings in two race cars to promote 'California Straight Ahead.' Manager Tom F. McDonald (behind the seven car) puts a giant arrow as a marquee topper with motor spinning throughout the day and night. The well-placed and popular Florence Sweet Shop is also visible at right."

1925 - A trade magazine shot of the entrance added to Cinema Treasures by contributor Dallas Movie Theaters. The caption: "Great eye-catching front at the Florence Theatre by manager T.F. McCoy as he plays 1925’s 'I’ll Show You the Town.'"

1926 - A look at the Florence running "The Still Alarm" with Helene Chadwick. Note the display of the horse-drawn fire engine above the marquee. Thanks to Charmaine Zoe for finding the trade magazine photo for a post on Flickr. It's included with 1,700+ photos in her Theatres: Stage and Movie album of images culled (mostly) from various issues of Motion Picture News. Many volumes of the Motion Picture News are available for browsing on Internet Archive.

1928 - A view by Harold A. Parker that's in the Huntington Library collection. The Florence is running "The Air Circus" with Sue Carol. The banner below the marquee reads "OUR SCREEN TALKS AND SINGS Movietone Talking Newsreel Weekly."

1942 - A view of the renamed theatre appearing on p.107 of "Theatres in Los Angeles" by Suzanne Tarbell Cooper, Amy Ronnebeck Hall and Marc Wanamaker (Arcadia Publishing, 2008). Most of the rare photos in the book are from Mr. Wanamaker's Bison Archives.

1948 - Shriners on parade in front of the theatre. Claudia Mullins notes that on the far left there's a view of the tower atop the Academy Theatre. The photo is one on display in the museum at the Shrine Auditorium. They identify it as being taken in 1954.

Bruce Kimmel did the work of figuring out the 1948 date. Following a post of the image on the Los Angeles Theatres Facebook page he went to work. The first step was figuring out that the bottom title on the marquee might be "The Bishop's Wife." He adds: "But I couldn't find any indication that 'The Bishop's Wife' was playing in 1954 anywhere. It came out in December of 1947 at Christmas time. April/May of 1948 was its general release first run. I'm thinking this might be 48 or 49?" And then a breakthrough: "Got it - week of June 23, 1948. Whew! Top feature was 'Mating of Millie.'"

1958 - Shoppers thronging the new Robinson's store across from the theatre on its opening day. Note that the original 1918 arch on the State's facade hadn't yet been covered at this time. Thanks to Alex Rojas for finding the photo for a post for the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.

1959 - Looking west with the State on the left running "Gigi" after it got its 9 Academy Awards. Thanks to Dave Swantek for posting this on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group along with 15 other 50s photos of Pasadena and other towns taken by his grandfather Vergil J. Morris. And thanks to Claudia Mullins for spotting this shot of the State in the post. The Robinson's store on the right is now a Target.

1983 - A lovely shot showing off the theatre's neon from the now-vanished American Classic Images website.

1984 - The theatre during its adults only phase. Thanks to American Classic Images for the photo.

1980s - The State during its revival house days. It's a photo by filmmaker and cinematographer Gary Graver. More of his photos of vintage single screen theatres can be seen in two compilations on YouTube: "Second Run - part 1" and "Second Run - part 2." Thanks to Sean Graver for use of the photo.

1989 - A Pasadena Star-News photo that appeared with Matt Hormann's now-vanished Hometown Pasadena article "Ghost Theatres of Colorado Part 2." Thanks, Matt!

1996 - A vacant period. It's a photo by Tahoe 61 on Flickr.

1997 - Thanks to Scott Neff for sharing this photo he took. It's one appearing on the Cinema Tour page about the State. "Different For Girls" was a British/French film about a transsexual woman.

c.1998 - As a revival operation once again. Thanks to Scott Neff for his photo on Cinema Tour.

2000 - "Was Open Daily." Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for posting his photo of the closed theatre on Flickr. It also appears, uncredited, on Cinema Treasures.

2000 - A post-closing view from Marcel on Cinema Treasures.

2000 - Thanks to Corey Miller for this marquee detail taken in June. It appears on Flickr in his terrific Theatre Signs album.

c.2001 - Thanks to Bill Gabel for this marquee shot, a post on Cinema Treasures.

2002 - Thanks to Ken Roe for this great shot taken after the later facade was removed. He says: "The original façade had been uncovered by workmen as seen on the November 2002 visit I organised to Los Angeles by the Cinema Theatre Association(UK)." The photo appears on Cinema Treasures.

2010 - The rebuilt structure with a restored entrance arch and an added second floor. Photo: Bill Counter

2019 - Note the side entrance for the "Florence Building" in what had been the theatre's exit passageway. Photo: Bill Counter

More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the State for lots of discussion about its history by Ken McIntyre, Joe Vogel and other contributors. One interesting report from Joe:

"The State Theatre nearly had a much larger theater as a neighbor. In 1927, the October 8 edition of Building and Engineering News reported that architect B. Marcus Priteca was preparing the working plans for a seven-story theater, commercial and office building at the southwest corner of Colorado and Hudson in Pasadena. Had it been built, the new theater, which was to be leased to the Pantages circuit, would have seated about 2,200, making it a little over two thirds the size of the Hollywood Pantages, opened in 1930. The theater portion of the Pasadena Pantages was to have been 110x170 feet, and the frontage building containing the entrance and lobby would have been 116x90 feet.

"Another Pasadena theater that was planned but never built was a large house for Warner Bros., also to have been designed by Priteca, and slated for the corner of Colorado and Euclid, which is very near where the Arclight Pasadena is now located. This theater probably would have been very much like the Warner houses Priteca designed for Beverly Hills, Huntington Park, and San Pedro at about the same time."

Los Angeles Theatres

Florence / State Theatre

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