21622 Sherman Way Canoga Park (Los Angeles), CA 91303 | map |
The news: The building is still closed and under renovation. The city doesn't expect a reopening before the end of 2025.
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.
This 1984 view, many remodels later, was taken when it was 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 |
Seating: 600 originally, 570 later.
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.
By the mid-60s it was known as the Park Theatre and running adult films. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding this July 1976 ad. It later became part of the Pussycat chain, advertised as the Park Pussycat.
Closing: It closed following damage from the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
Status: 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. Thank to Cat Whalen for her 2019 photo. Other photos from her visit can be seen in two posts on the LAHTF Facebook page: set one | set two |
Architects: FSY Architects. 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.
The 2022-2025 renovation project was designed by the architectural division of the City's Bureau of Engineering and Gensler. Waisman Construction was the contractor.
Seating: 338 on the main floor and 92 in the balcony for a total of 430.
Phone: 818-347-9419 Website: culturela.org/madridtheatre | the Madrid on Facebook
Status: It closed in 2020 and is now under renovation. It's an $8 million project with a reopening not planned until 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 a revamped lobby with a larger boxoffice, a digital marquee and upgrades to the lighting and sound systems. The project had been funded in 2019. See a 2019 Daily News story first announcing it.
Interior views:
Another view to the rear. Note the original color scheme. Photo: FSY Architects - 1998
More exterior views:
More Information: The L.A. Times discussed the history of the site in their 1998 story "A Change of Scenery in Canoga Park..."
The 2019 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.
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