Los Angeles Theatres: Madrid Theatre

21622 Sherman Way Canoga Park (Los Angeles), CA 91303 | map |

The news: The building is still closed and under Phase II of its renovation. Expect a Grand Opening celebration in November or December 2026 tied to the 100th birthday of the original theatre on the site.

The original building:

Opened: November 24, 1926 as the Madrid Theatre when the town was known as Owensmouth. The location is on the south side of the street three blocks east of Topanga Canyon Blvd. Cassandra Reyes, in charge of the Madrid Theatre for the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, notes that it was given that name because Madrid was a "sister city" of Owensmouth.

This newspaper photo, which originally appeared with the caption "New Moving Picture Theatre," is on display at the museum of the Canoga Park-Owensmouth Historical Society. They were missing an "L" but on the marquee it was "An Affair of the Follies," a film with Lewis Stone and Billie Dove that had its L.A. first-run engagement in mid-February 1927 at Loew's State.

Seating: 600 originally, 570 later after a re-seating.

A 1926 newspaper article announcing the project. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it.

A November 23, 1926 story in the Van Nuys News. Thanks to Ron Pierce for locating it for a post on Cinema Treasures. The Van Nuys Theatre noted in the article was later known as the Fox Van Nuys.

An April 2, 1929 item about a church rental that was spotted by Ken McIntyre.

It's in the 1928 and 1930 city directories. By the 1939/40 directory it had become the Canoga Theatre.

A 1944 program from the Canoga. The item donated by Jack Corbett appears on the Cal State Northridge Oviatt Library website.

The inside of the program. It's on the Oviatt Library website.

In 1950 they were running Spanish language films on Wednesday nights due to the large Hispanic population in the area.

Some October 4, 1951 listings located by Ken McIntyre. The Canoga was running "Alice in Wonderland" and "Nature's Half Acre."

Also advertised on October 4, 1951 were the theatre's Movie Sweepstakes.

By 1960 it had been re-branded as the Park Theatre and the bookings were usually adult product. In March they were running "Airport Girls." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the ad.

In June 1960 Fernandel in "The Sheep Has Five Legs" got a one-night booking.

A May 25, 1965 ad for "The Molesters" and Shelly Winters and Robert Taylor in the co-feature "A House is Not a Home." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the ad.

"It's a Pussycat Theatre." Thanks to Cassandra Reyes for locating this 1971 ad.

Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding this July 1976 ad.

This 1984 view, many remodels later, was taken when they were calling it the Park Pussycat. Thanks to the now-vanished American Classic Images website for the photo. It also makes an appearance in Chapter 1 of Jay Allen Sanford's epic article "Pussycat Theatres: The Inside Story," originally written for the San Diego Reader. It's on blogspot: Chapter 1 | Chapters 2-15 |

Closing as a film house: It closed following damage from the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The City of Los Angeles acquired the property from the Pussycat chain and demolished the building.

The new theatre:

Opened: December 12, 1998. It's owned and managed by City's Department of Cultural Affairs as a live performance venue. The November 2024 image is from Google Maps.

Architects: The 1998 building was designed by Art Yanez of the Tarzana-based firm FSY Architects (Fisher Merriman Sehgal Yanez). Their page on the Madrid Theatre has five photos of the project. They note that the site had serious size restrictions and that they squeezed 11,000 s.f. of audience and support spaces onto a 50' x 140' lot. Gensler was the firm that designed the 2023-2026 renovations.

Seating: As of 2020 it was 338 on the main floor and 92 in the balcony for a total of 430. After the renovations it'll be 291 total with 219 on the main floor and 72 in the balcony.

Phone: 818-347-9419

Online: culture.lacity.gov/cultural-centers/madrid-theatre | the Madrid on Facebook | See some tech information in a c.2020 booking packet PDF.

The project was announced in this December 6, 1995 L.A. Daily News article:

Thanks to Cassandra Reyes for sharing this at a March 2026 presentation for the Canoga Park-Owensmouth Historical Society. She is the Performing Arts Coordinator in charge of the theatre for the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

The groundbreaking ceremony was covered in a February 1, 1997 L.A. Daily News article:

Thanks to Cassandra Reyes for sharing the article.

A December 1, 1998 article in the L.A. Times discussed the new theatre shortly before its opening:

Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the article. Also see it on the Times website as "A Change of Scenery in Canoga Park..."

A renovation project was funded by the City in 2019. The August 30 Los Angeles Daily News story "Reseda's Madrid Theatre Cultural Arts Hub just got over $400K to be 'a destination for arts and culture'" discussed a round of upgrades the theatre would be getting. Thanks to Donavan S. Moye for spotting the story. At the time they noted that the project would include a revamped lobby with a larger boxoffice, a digital marquee and upgrades to the lighting and sound systems.

It closed in 2020 and had a brief period of operation in 2022 and 2023. The 2023-2026 remodel was designed by the architectural division of the City's Bureau of Engineering and Gensler. Waisman Construction was the contractor. It was then discussed as an $8 million project with a reopening that was planned for 2025. See "Canoga Park's Madrid Theatre, long under renovation, to open by end of 2025," an April 10, 2024 L.A. Daily News article by Olga Grigoryants. Thanks to Donavan S. Moye for spotting it.

The renovations include new signage, relocation of the main restrooms to the ground floor, new concession and catering areas, a redesign of the upstairs lobby, relocation of the control booth from the 3rd floor to a space at the back of the balcony, upgraded ADA provisions, new interior color scheme, new seating, upgraded IT systems and stage lighting and sound.

The new house curtain is a design by Wendell Wiggins, who also won the competition to design the new curtain for the City's Vision Theatre in Leimert Park. Thanks to Cassandra Reyes for sharing this shot of the artist in front of the completed curtain. In 2024 he had shared a drawing of the curtain on Instagram.

Cassandra Reyes is the Performing Arts Coordinator assigned to the project for the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. She can be reached at 213-526-7192 or cassandra.reyes@lacity.org

Status: Following about a nine-month intermission, Phase II of the construction is scheduled to begin in March 2026. They're anticipating completion in November or December. Expect a celebration then that's tied to the 100th anniversary of the opening of the first theatre on the site. It'll be running with a full slate of both rental events and City Department of Cultural Affairs programming by January or February 2027.

The lobby areas:

A look out the front doors from a c.2020 City of Los Angeles "booking packet" PDF.

The upstairs lobby. Photo: City of Los Angeles - c.2020

Inside the front doors as construction gets underway. It's a photo from a January 11, 2023 Madrid Theatre Facebook post. They note:

"It’s finally happening: After several years of work by Councilmember Blumenfield, consulting with the community, creating the Canoga Park Arts District, cobbling together the funding, developing a vision and plans for the renovation of the two theaters (the Madrid and Taxco Theatres), and completing a city led Request for Bid process that selected a contractor for construction, we are very pleased to be able to say the following: please pardon our dust! We will keep YOU posted...more pictures to come!"

The upstairs lobby in 2025. It's one of seven photos appearing with an April Facebook post from the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering. Their comment: "Sneak peek into the transformation! The Madrid Theatre renovation is in full swing, featuring a brand-new lobby, upgraded backstage spaces, and a new performance audio system."

The bar in the upstairs lobby. Photo: LA Bureau of Engineering - April 2025

Looking down to the main floor. Photo: LA Bureau of Engineering - April 2025

The auditorium:

A look to the stage in 1998. Note the original color scheme. Photo: FSY Architects

A view to the rear. Photo: FSY Architects - 1998

A 1998 balcony view. Photo: FSY Architects

A look toward the stage. Photo: Cat Whalen - 2019

The rear of the house. Photo: Cat Whalen - 2019

Lighting catwalks. Photo: Cat Whalen - 2019

The auditorium by ghost light. It's a photo the City shared on the Madrid Facebook page in January 2020.

Work underway in the auditorium. It's a photo from a January 11, 2023 Madrid Theatre Facebook post.

"Construction continues..." It's a photo from a January 25, 2023 post on the Madrid Theatre Facebook page. Also see a January 18 post.

A look onto the stage. "Waisman Construction Inc. and the City team continue to work hard in transforming our community theatre!" It's a photo from a March 12, 2023 post on the Madrid Theatre Facebook page.

Along the house left wall. Photo: Madrid Theatre Facebook page - March 12, 2023

A view to house left near the stage. Photo: Madrid Theatre Facebook page - March 12, 2023

Down a bit lower. Photo: Madrid Theatre Facebook page - March 12, 2023

Seats in on the main floor. Photo: LA Bureau of Engineering - April 2025

A balcony view. Photo: LA Bureau of Engineering - April 2025

More exterior views:

A 1998 view. Photo: FSY Architects

Thank to Cat Whalen for sharing this 2019 photo. Other photos from her visit can be seen in two posts on the LAHTF Facebook page: set one | set two |

A marquee detail. Photo: Cat Whalen - 2019

Sidewalk art. Photo: Cat Whalen - 2019. Thanks, Cat!

Looking east on Sherman Way. Photo: Google Maps - 2019

"CLOSED R RENOVATION." This 2022 shot by Richard Guzman appeared with the April 2024 Los Angeles Daily News article "Canoga Park's Madrid Theatre, long under renovation, to open by end of 2025" by Olga Grigoryants.

A January 2023 Google Maps view looking west toward Owensmouth Ave.

Under renovation in mid-2023. Thanks to Dave Hunter for sharing this as well as the two shots below in a June Facebook post.

Another look at the facade work. Photo: Dave Hunter - June 25, 2023

Project data. Photo: Dave Hunter - June 25, 2023

A January 2024 photo by Dean Musgrove that appears with "Canoga Park's Madrid Theatre, long under renovation, to open by end of 2025," an April 10, 2024 L.A. Daily News article by Olga Grigoryants. Thanks to Donavan S. Moye for spotting it.