El Segundo / State Theatre / Old Town Music Hall

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, the same wood frame building seen in a 1919 photo, in the March 1, 1913 issue of the L.A. Times: 

"A photoplay theater has been opened here by Alfred Fielder, formerly of Anaheim. A record crowd witnessed the opening show. Mr. Fielder aims only to show the best of pictures and make the show one of the best in this section." 

 

 

Looking south on Richmond before the theatre was constructed. This image appeared in the August 26, 1911 issue of the Los Angeles Evening Post. Their caption: "Looking down Richmond Street -- The first street west of Main street showing building activity." 

 

 

 

Store buildings south of the theatre site several months after the previous photo. Thanks to Mark Shoemaker for locating these. This one appeared in the October 21, 1911 issue of the L.A. Evening Post. The third building in was the Martin and Ellis grocery and dry goods store, built in mid-1911. 

 

A 1911 or 1912 photo. The theatre would soon be constructed on the far left, where there's a pile of lumber. 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. 

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. 

 

Looking north on Richmond St. during some road construction. The theatre would soon be built on the right, two lots beyond that last building, a restaurant. It's another photo from the Friends of the El Segundo Library collection and appears in Ms. Brightman's book "El Segundo." She gives it a 1917 date but it's evidently a few years earlier.   

 

 

The theatre appears as "Moving Pic." in this detail from page three of the 1917 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map that's in the Library of Congress collection. Thanks to Mark Shoemaker for the nudge about the map. The town rated all of three pages. In his post for the Vintage El Segundo Facebook group he comments: "In 1918, Ballona became El Segundo Blvd., and El Segundo Ave. became Grand Ave."

 

 

A 1917 item about the "moving picture theater" located by Mark Shoemaker. He comments: "Prior to 27 April 1917, the theatre hosted community groups forming the Chamber of Commerce and a Fire Department." It's unknown if the presentation on this this particular evening consisted of films or just lantern slides. 

 

A May 18, 1917 item located by Mark Shoemaker.

 

 

An August 17, 1917 ad located by Mark Shoemaker. "Animated Weekly" was a newsreel series from Universal that was produced between 1913 and 1918.  

 

 

"You Need the El Segundo..." A fine August 31, 1917 ad located by Mark Shoemaker. 

 

 

 

A big minstrel show in 1918 to raise money for the war effort. Many thanks to Mark Shoemaker for locating this May 9 article for his Vintage El Segundo Facebook post.  

The theatre is on the left in this image located by Mark Shoemaker. We're looking south with that candy store at the corner of Richmond and Franklin. Thanks to Mark for including this in an extensive post about the theatre for the Vintage El Segundo Facebook group. 

 

The theatre survived a March 10, 1919 fire that consumed, as the El Segundo Herald put it, "almost every business house on the east side of Richmond street between El Segundo avenue and Franklin street." The image above, which dates from before the fire, was used in the March 14, 1919 issue of the Herald. For that issue they added an arrow to indicate the structures beyond the theatre that had burned. Regarding the theatre, they noted:

 

"The M.Q. Meehan property, in which the picture show is located, was untouched by the fire, but quite badly damaged by the firemen's axes. It was necessary to break open the front of the building to remove the motion picture machine." 

Thanks to Mark Shoemaker for his extensive research on the fire. He has the full Herald article as well as other material and comments in a separate post about the fire for the Vintage El Segundo Facebook group.

 

 

The L.A. Times covered the fire in their March 11 issue. Thanks to Mark for locating the article. They goofed in saying that the refinery was north of the buildings that burned. It's south.  

 

 

 

In this March 14 article in the Hermosa Beach Review it was also noted that the theatre had been saved. Thanks to Mark for locating the article.  

 

A May 29, 1919 ad located by Mark Shoemaker. 

Closing: Evidently sometime in 1920. Mark notes that the 'wooden shack' had safety concerns and was condemned in 1920."

 

 

The second El Segundo Theatre - 1921-present: 

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."

A bit more research is needed. Kremple and Erkes had done the Hollywood Theatre, 6764 Hollywood Blvd., a venue that opened in 1913.

 

The "Miracle Child" made an appearance for a seance in 1924. Thanks to Mark Shoemaker for locating this December 12 article.

 

This portion of a 1925 "Paramount Week" lists the new building as the El Segundo. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the ad. 

 

A 1928 ad for a reopening as the State Theatre. It was a post on the Old Town Music Hall Facebook page. 

 

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:

"Unfortunately, low attendance was a chronic problem - it struggled financially, opening and closing under different ownership several times. Eventually the theater stopped showing movies and was abandoned around 1951. The ES Junior Chamber of Commerce Jaycees purchased the building in 1953 and was used by Kiwanis and other local groups."

 

In 1969 the theatre was reopened by Bill Field and Bill Coffman as the Old Town Music Hall featuring the 4/26 Wurlitzer from the West Coast Theatre in Long Beach. Mike Hume notes that the console and one rank of pipes are from the Metropolitan/Paramount Theatre.

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: 

The lobby as seen in a 2013 photo by Don Holtz from the theatre's Facebook page. 

The front of the house in 2016. It's a photo by Don Holtz from the theatre's Facebook page.  

 

A view toward the screen by Tod Seelie. It appeared with "El Segundo's Vintage Movie Theater..." Ken Loc's November 2016 article for LAist. It featured more than 30 photos. The version now online only has one, a console view.

 

 

Randy Woltz playing the Wurlitzer. The occasion was the March 12, 2022 Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation annual meeting. Photo: Bill Counter

 

 

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.

The rear of the house in November 2016. It's photo by Tod Seelie for LAist. Thanks, Tod!

More exterior views: 

 

c.1955 - Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this photo.  

 

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

 

2019 - The west side of the building. 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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