Opened: March 13, 1923 as the Empress Theatre. It was on the east side of the street in the middle of the block between Anaheim and G St. It was just a block north of the Granada. In the photo we're looking south toward the theatre in 1939. The banner is trying to get us in with the information that it's "Any Seat 15 Cents Any Time." It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.
"Where Everybody Goes" -- only it wasn't open yet. A portion of an ad column in the L.A. Times from an April 1923 issue. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting the ad.
Seating: 450
Architect: Unknown
It's in the 1925 L.A. city directory as the Empress at 722 Canal Ave. In the 1923 San Pedro directory it's the Empress but it gets a sex change in 1924 to become the Emperor. It's back to the Empress in 1926 and 1928 with the address listed as on Avalon Blvd. The street had been renamed. There's no listing in the 1930 directory.
In the 1932, 1934 and 1937 San Pedro directories it's still called the Avalon. In the 1940, 1946 and 1949 directories it's the Fox Avalon.
Closing: It had closed by 1955, according to Bill Gabel.
Status: It's been demolished. The site is now a parking lot.
A matinee for young cowboys in 1948. The photo is one that appears in the wonderful 2009 Taschen book "Los Angeles: Portrait of a City" by Kevin Starr, David L. Ulin and Jim Heimann. It's available from your local bookseller or, if you must, from Amazon.
The photo got a few comments when it made an appearance on the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation Facebook page as a post by Stephen Russo.
Looking south in the 700 block. The parking lot is the site of the Avalon. The Granada is another block down the street, also on the left. Photo: Google Maps - 2017
More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Avalon.
| back to top | Theatres Along the Coast | Along the Coast - list by address | Downtown theatres | Westside theatres | Hollywood | Westwood and Brentwood | [more] Los Angeles movie palaces | Los Angeles theatres - the main alphabetical list | Los Angeles theatres - list by address | theatre history resources | film and theatre tech resources | contact info | welcome and site navigation guide |
Anyone ever go there on Saturday mornings?
ReplyDelete