Dome Theatre: location #1

3034 Ocean Front Promenade Venice (Los Angeles) 90291 | map |

Also see: Dome Theatre location #2, after 1924

Opened: The first Dome Theatre was originally a dance hall that had opened on July 4, 1916. The building was constructed on the Great Western pier at Ocean Front Walk. The main space was a 100 foot diameter reinforced concrete dome. This c.1920 view looks north with the Dome still a dance hall. It didn't get converted into a theatre until 1922. Thanks to Jeffrey Stanton for sharing this photo from his collection. It's one appearing on his terrific Venice History Site hosted on Westland.net. 

Seating capacity: Unknown

Architect: Unknown for either the original structure or the theatre conversion.  

This location on the west side of Ocean Front Walk between Marine St. and Navy Ave. was in the Ocean Park amusement area just south of the Fraser/Pickering Pier but was just beyond the Santa Monica city limits. The property, originally in an unincorporated area, briefly became part of the separate city of Ocean Park. Soon the name was changed to Venice. In 1925 it was annexed to Los Angeles. A typical early directory listing was 14 Ocean Front Walk, Venice. In the 1923-24 directory it's listed as 3034 Ocean Front Promenade, Venice.

 

The Dome's location can be seen in this detail from image 29 of the 1918 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map for Santa Monica that's in the Library of Congress collection. On the left see the note about the dotted line of the Santa Monica city limits running through the amusement area. On the pier in the center of the image is the Rosemary location 3, appearing with the note "motion pictures." The large building in the upper right with the octagonal roof structure would soon become Rosemary location 4.  

 

A closer look from the 1918 Sanborn Map. Evidently things didn't work out with the initial tenant: "Vacant." 

 

 

A Dome ad appearing in the 1919-1920 Santa Monica city directory.

 

 

A 1921 ad. Thanks to Rob Race for sharing it as a post on the private Facebook group Venice, Ocean Park & Santa Monica. He comments: "My great uncle was the Chief of Police for SMPD for 18 years - Chief Clarence E. Webb. This photo of Pickering Pleasure Pier is from the First Annual Police Benefit Booklet from 1921 that was in his memorabilia. "

It was converted into a theatre in 1922 after the Lick Pier was constructed seaward of the dance hall. Joe Vogel found a mention of the theatre project in a Southwest Builder and Contractor item about the pier construction in their September 16, 1921 issue. 

 

The "Pride of Santa Monica Bay" opened in April 1922 with "Trouble," an August release with Jackie Coogan and Wallace Beery.

  

 

Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating this April 15, 1922 ad. Visit his site: Movie-Theatre.org

 

 

A May 1922 ad located by Suz Somerville for the Vaudeville! Facebook group. The Sessue Hayakawa film "Five Days To Live" was a January release from Robertson-Cole Distributing. Steve Russell commented about the Norris Circus: "Interesting to see 'The Greatest Show on Earth' being used by someone besides Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey. The company has always been very protective of that phrase."

The demise: It was demolished after a fire on January 6, 1924 that consumed most of what was on the Lick and Pickering Piers. 

The Dome building was a total loss except for the entrance portion of the structure. This was used with a new building behind and became the new Rosemary Theatre. See that page for views of the old Dome facade after the rebuilding. The new building for the Dome Theatre location #2 was just north of the original spot.

More exterior views: 

[There seem to no surviving interior shots of the building either as a dance hall or theatre.] 

 

 

c.1918 - An early view of the Dome entrance. Note the "dancing" sign. The artist seems to have obliterated the dome itself. The card appears on the Card Cow site where they note that their copy wasn't postmarked until 1930, by which time the view had changed substantially. If you'd care to go browsing the site for more cards: Ocean Park | Venice | Additional cards can be found on the Penny Postcards from California site: Santa Monica and Ocean Park | Venice |

 

1918 - Wing walker Babe Kalishek on a Curtis JN biplane piloted by Jim Hester. It's a photo on Flickr dated August 14 from the Jim Hester collection at the San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive. 

1920 - Looking toward the Dome from out on the Fraser/Pickering Pier. Thanks to Thanks to Jeffrey Stanton for the photo from his collection, one appearing on his Venice History Site. Don't miss his articles about the "Fraser / Pickering / Lick Piers 1913-1924," "Ocean Park Pier (1926-1956)" and "Movie Making in Venice and Ocean Park." On his map of the Pickering / Lick Piers - 1923 the Dome Theatre appears as #21.

c.1920 - Looking south toward the Dome. The structure with the elaborate roof and fancy facade (just left of the "Cafeteria" sign) is the 4th location of the Rosemary Theatre. Thanks to Jeffrey Stanton for the photo from his collection, one appearing on his Venice History Site.

Mr. Stanton is the author of "Venice California - Coney Island of the Pacific," available direct by check or money order for $59.57, including tax. He's at 12525 Allin St. Los Angeles 90066. His email: jeffreystanton@yahoo.com.

 

c.1920 - A lovely view from the Venice Historical Society that appeared as a post on the Santa Monica Conservancy Facebook page. The Dome, here still a dance hall, is seen on the right. The circular Rosemary building #4 is seen beyond the Dome. The Rosemary #3, just right of center, had been renamed by this point. It has signage on the stagehouse saying "Pickering Pleasure Pier - Rialto Theatre."

 

 

c.1921 - A lovely view north toward Marine St. On the upper left note the sign for "Dome Dancing," all we see of the venue in this shot. The vacant lot on the right would eventually be the location of the Palace dance hall. The large three-story building beyond housed the La Petite Theatre with the Decatur Hotel on the upper floors, with the entrance for that on the right on Marine St. It's a photo from the Santa Monica Public Library collection.

c.1921 - The Dome is over on the right and seaward of it on the new Lick Pier they're building the Zip roller coaster, which opened April 15, 1922. The Ocean Front Promenade is running horizontally across the top of the image with Pier Ave. down the left side. In the upper left, the building with the circular structure on the roof was the Rosemary location #4. Here it looks like there's scaffolding up to add a stagehouse.

In the upper middle is the La Petite Theatre and the first building this side of the Promenade is a billiards hall and bowling alley. Below it is the Breakers Cafe. And the next building out closer to us on the pier is the Rosemary location #3., by the time of the photo renamed the Rialto Theatre. It's a detail from a photo from the Ernest Marquez collection appearing on the Huntington Library website.

1922 - A trade magazine photo that was taken at the grand opening in April. The initial film was "Trouble" with Jackie Coogan and Wallace Beery. Thanks to Elmorovivo for finding the photo for a post on Cinema Treasures. The caption was "Crowd drawn to the Dome theatre, Ocean Park, Cal., to see Jackie Coogan in 'Trouble.'"

 

1922 - In this photo the "Big Double Program" was the Clara Kimball Young feature "The Worldly Madonna," a May release, along with Joseph Mattingly's "The Land of Golden Dreams," which seems to be a lost film for which there is no data. Or perhaps that's the title of the stage portion of the program. Thanks to crack theatre researcher Ken McIntyre for locating the photo for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page. 

 

c.1922 - A look at the entrance from the collection of Laura Steere Witowsky. When she posted it on Facebook in 2018 it was with this comment: "My grandpa In front of the Dome Theater (not sure of year).. We were told he helped build it."

Thanks to David Doherty for spotting Laura's post. He calls our attention to the poster in the display case, the same layout as seen in the previous photo. It was their regular display with only the piece in the lower left changed for new programs. The bottom of that area advises that we have vaudeville along with the feature film.

c.1922 - A card showing the Dome with its new coat of paint after the theatre conversion and the new Zip roller coaster mostly completed. The large building out toward the end of the Lick Pier this side of the roller coaster is the Bon Ton Ballroom. Here it looks like they're still putting the roof on the place. It's a card from the author's collection. Ethel, the woman who bought this copy of the card, dated it August 7, 1923. 

 

c.1923 - A lovely view from the site Card Cow. A black and white version of this card is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Sharrye Hagins also shared her copy of the black and white card on the Lost Angeles Facebook page.

c.1923 - A photo taken by Kenneth Strickfaden that's in the Santa Monica Public Library collection.  The building with the Moorish domes to the left of the Dome Theatre is the Ocean Park Bathhouse. A similar view but with quite different cropping is on the Huntington Library website.

1924 - The theatre burning on January 6. It's a view west on Marine St. toward the Promenade. The photo is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1924 - A view during the fire. It's a photo by George Herrmann's PhotoArt Studios in the Herald Examiner Collection at the Los Angeles Public Library. Contractors Stradley and Newton had been there working on a project on the east side of the promenade that we see in the foreground. The Palace dance hall would soon be ion the site.

1924 - A detail of the entrance with the last show still on the marquee. It was "White Tiger," a December 1923 release with Priscilla Dean and Matt Moore that was directed by Tod Browning. The photo is in the collection of the Los Angeles Public Library.

1924 - Another fire view a bit later. Note the firemen on the roof to the right of the Dome. In the foreground it appears that anything movable had been pulled out of the buildings. It's a photo from the Ernest Marquez collection appearing on the Huntington Library website.

1924 - Looking south at the ruins. The spires visible to the left of the Dome are at the Ocean Park Bathhouse, which survived unscathed. On the far right in the distance it's the Venice Pier. The earlier version of that, the Abbott Kinney Pier, had burned in 1920. It's a photo by Stokes Photo from the Ernest Marquez collection appearing on the Huntington Library website as their item #19839. It's also on the site as #19841.

1924 - A ruins view from a bit farther west, taken after the supports for the dome had collapsed. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

1924 - The site with a rebuild beginning. The Dome's entrance would be repurposed for the new Rosemary Theatre but the dome itself would be demolished and replaced with a new building for the auditorium. On the marquee: "Dome Attractions Now Playing at the California and Neptune Theatres in Venice." The photo is in the collection of the Santa Monica Public Library where they credit it to Kenneth Strickfadden. 

 

1924 - A May photo showing the Ocean Park business district after much of the fire debris had been cleared. Thanks to John Bengtson for locating the photo from the Ernest Marquez Collection that's on the Huntington Library website. 

 

John included the photo in "Soft Shoes - Crossing Paths with Chaplin, Laurel and Lloyd," his Silent Locations post that dissects the filming locations of the 1925 film "Soft Shoes" starring Harry Carey. They did shots in Ocean Park on Pier Ave. and Marine Ave.

 

1924 - The surviving arched entrance to the Dome Theatre is at the center of this detail from the Huntington Library photo above.  

1926 - The Dome entrance repurposed for the new Rosemary. They're running "Men of Steel," a July release with Milton Sills and Doris Kenyon. Thanks to Ken Roe for locating the photo. A smaller version of the image appears with Jeffrey Stanton's fine article "Ocean Park Pier 1926-1956."

The Dome in the distance is over the new entrance to the Ocean Park Pier. The new Dome Theatre location is actually this side of it. The building on the far right is the Palace dance hall. The light colored building beyond the Palace on the northeast corner of the Promenade and Marine St. contained a hotel and the La Petite Theatre.

1931 - Another view north on the Promenade toward the new theatre locations. This postcard was a find of the late Chrys Atwood for a post on the Venice, Ocean Park & Santa Monica Facebook page. At the Rosemary it's Joan Crawford and Neil Hamilton in "Laughing Sinners." The card appears in the page's "Trams Through The Years" set.

2019 - Looking out to where the Dome and Rosemary once were. Behind us it's all condos. There's no more Ocean Park business district unless you go several blocks east to Neilson Way/Pacific Ave. or Main St. Photo: Google Maps

 

The Dome in the Movies:

Part of the Dome is seen in the upper right corner of this image from a scene at the end of the Harold Lloyd two-reeler "Number, Please?" (Hal Roach/Pathé, 1920).  We're looking north toward the Ocean Park/Pickering Pier. The Rialto Theatre on the pier had earlier been Rosemary Theatre location #3. At this time the Dome was still a dance hall. Note the "dancing" sign.

The film gives us an intercut mix of great amusement-area views from Venice, Ocean Park and The Pike at Long Beach. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for shots in Long Beach of the  Strand Theatre and the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium.

More Information:  See the page on the second Dome Theatre for more about that post-1924 building.

And if you'd like to sort out the various Rosemary locations, here are those pages: Rosemary #1: Ocean Front Promenade north of Pier Ave. - c.1910 - 1912 | Rosemary #2: Trolleyway between Kinney and Pier Ave. - 1912 - 1913 | Rosemary #3: 6 Ocean Park Pier - 1913 - c.1919 | Rosemary #4: 2946 Ocean Front Promenade - c.1919 - 1924 | Rosemary #5: 3034 Ocean Front Promenade - 1924 -1969 |

The listings at the bottom of the Theatres Along the Coast survey page have some Ocean Park history references. The site Cinema Treasures has a page that covers both this Dome Theatre as well as the new post-fire replacement built to the north of this location.

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