140 Richmond St. El Segundo (Los Angeles), CA 90245 | map |
There have been two theatres on the site. This one opened in 1921, a replacement for an earlier wood frame building. Thanks to Claudia Mullins for this 1918 view.
Phone: 310-322-2592 Website: oldtownmusichall.org | on Facebook |
The first El Segundo Theatre 1913-1920:
Opened: Around 1913 on the east side of Richmond St., a block and a half south of Grand Ave. Ken McIntyre found a mention of this unnamed theatre, evidently the same wood frame building seen in a 1919 photo, in the March 1, 1913 issue of the L.A. Times:
A c.1910 photo taken before the theatre was constructed. On the right we're looking east on El Segundo Blvd., at the time called Ballona Ave. The building on the right is the new El Segundo Hotel, at Ballona and Richmond. On the left are stores on the east side of the 100 block of Richmond St. The theatre would soon be constructed on the far left, where there's a pile of lumber.
Click on it for a larger view. The image appears in Debra Brightman's 2016 Arcadia Publishing book "El Segundo." There's a preview on Google Books. The photo is from the Friends of the El Segundo Public Library collection.
The new theatre's opening: It evidently debuted in 1921, opening as the El Segundo Theatre. It seems to have flopped back and forth several times between its initial name and being the State Theatre. Thomas Bunce figured out that the posters on display in this 1944 photo are for "The Racket Man."
The photo appeared on the Old Town Music Hall Facebook page in 2018 with this comment: "A few months ago, a gentleman from Pennsylvania stopped by OTMH and gave owner Bill Field this amazing picture from decades ago! Apparently, the man's father once owned the theatre." Thanks to Donavan S. Moye and Claudia Mullins for spotting the post. Claudia shared it on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group where it received many comments.
Seating: 188 currently. In a 1944 item in Boxoffice the capacity was noted as 350. The original capacity is unknown.
Architect: Not quite settled yet. Edward Leodore Mayberry Jr. did one set of plans for an El Segundo theatre for owner E. L. McMurry. Mayberry had offices in the Pacific Electric Building at 6th and Main. With a partner he had earlier been involved in the design of the 1911 Adolphus/Hippodrome Theatre on Main St. downtown as well as the c.1913 Playhouse Theatre (now the Teragram Ballroom) on 7th St. just west of downtown.
Joe Vogel comments:
"The L.A. County Assessor’s office says that this building was built in 1921, with an effectively-built date (indicating major alterations) of 1923... Both an architect and an engineer, E.L. Mayberry is most closely associated with Long Beach, but worked throughout Southern California. He is credited as the engineer for architect George Washington Smith’s second Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, a legitimate house which later presented movies..."
Southwest Builder and Contractor had this item in its issue of June 11, 1920:
"Brick Picture Theater Building. Arch. E. L. Mayberry, 468 Pacific Electric Bldg., is preparing plans for a part 1-story part 2-story brick moving picture theater building to be erected at El Segundo for E. L. McMurry. It will contain an auditorium to seat 500 people, two storerooms and four office rooms: 50 X 150 ft., brick walls, pressed brick and plaster exterior, plate glass, cement and wood flooring, composition roofing, plumbing, wiring."
But was it built to Mayberry's plans? Cinema Treasures contributor Taylorb suggests that it might have been built to plans by John P. Kremple and Walter E. Erkes for a smaller theatre. Taylorb located this December 10, 1920 item in Southwest Builder & Contractor:
"Brick Theater. Archts. John P. Krempel and Walter E. Erkes, 538 Bradbury Bldg., are preparing plans for a one-story brick moving pictures building, 35 X 100 ft., to be erected at El Segundo for Mr. McMurry. Concrete foundation, brick walls, stucco exterior, cement floor, opera chairs, plumbing, wiring, heating, ventilating. Day Work."
The "Miracle Child" made an appearance for a seance in 1924. Thanks to Mark Shoemaker for locating this December 12 article.
Another January 1928 ad. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it for a post for the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.
In 1929 the owner was trying to sell the State Theatre. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the ad for a post for the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.
It closed in the early 1930s and when it reopened in 1940 it was again called the El Segundo Theatre, using an address of 142 Richmond. Joe Vogel notes that the house had remained dark for nearly nine years. He found an item in the August 19, 1944 issue of Boxoffice that said Norman W. Rowell had renovated and reopened the 350-seat house as the El Segundo.
A 1949 L.A. Times listing for the theatre as the El Segundo, Thanks to Ken McIntyte for posting this as a comment for the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.
In 1951 the theatre resumed using the State Theatre name according to a July 28 item in Boxoffice that year that was located by Joe Vogel.
Closing: The date of the closing of the State as a film house is unknown. Mark Shoemaker comments:
An October 26, 1969 photo appearing in the L.A. Times. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it, added as a comment to a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.
Status: Until the pandemic shutdown it was open on the weekends running classic films with a pipe organ concert and sing-a-long before the feature. Bill Coffman died in 2001. Bill Fields died in 2020. The theatre reopened September 19, 2021 with a screening of "The Black Pirate."
Interior views:
Randy discussing the instrument. The console came from the Metropolitan / Paramount Theatre downtown. The rest of the beast was once in the Fox West Coast Theatre in Long Beach. The installation at the Music Hall, and the blacklight paint, dates from the 60s.
A look back to the booth before the latest round of redecoration. The c.2010 photo is one that once appeared on OldTownMusicHall.org.
More exterior views:
c.1955 - A color version of the shot. Thanks to Mark Shoemaker for sharing this one with the Vintage El Segundo Facebook group. He comments: "The corner building opened as a clothing store in 1923, it became a mortuary in 1943, and Douglass Mortuary in 1948. Prior to the mortuary, Standard Oil had an Employees Mortuary Fund."
1980 - Another find by Ken McIntyre.
2008 - A photo by Ken McIntyre.
2012 - A shot from Google Maps.
c.2013 - A facade detail taken after a paint job. Photo: Ken McIntyre. Thanks, Ken!
2019 - The facade from the east. Photo: Bill Counter
2022 - A uniformed volunteer ready to assist you. Photo: Bill Counter
More Information: See our page on this site about various other 16mm Revival Houses that had opened between 1940 and 1975.
The Cinema Treasures page on the Old Town Music Hall has some good research by Joe Vogel and other contributors. The Cinema Tour page has ten 2003 photos.
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Mayberry was not the architect of the old town theater, he did submit plans for a theater at this location but it was much larger. A few months later, another architect was hired and those plans match the existing theater.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the nudge about your recent research on this. If it was yours, that is. Interestingly, despite the December 1920 item from Southwest Builder & Contractor saying it was going to be a one-story theatre, it's definitely a two-story building. As far as size, I presume you saw the note about a 1940 listing in Boxoffice saying it was 350 seats. Which means it probably had even more when it opened in the 20s. All good stuff, and I'll add it to the text -- but it sounds like we still need more research. Among other things, we could see if the theatre is 50' wide (as proposed by Mayberry) or only 35' (as proposed by Kremple & Erkes). Cheers!
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