Ritz / Miracle Theatre

226 S. Market St. Inglewood, CA 90301 | map |

Opened: 1937 as the Ritz Theatre, an independent operation. It's on the east side of the street a half block south of Manchester Ave. The image is a slightly cropped version of a 1938 photo by Herman Schultheis in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Since 2016 it's been a live events space called the Miracle Theater.

Architect: Unknown

Seating: 708

Phone: 323-651-1582    Website: www.themiracleinglewood.com | on Facebook

 

A 1938 ad for the Ritz appearing in The Southwest Wave, a paper for the African-American community. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.  

The address for the theatre was listed as 220 S. Market in the 1938 and 1940 city directories, and as 226 in 1942. 

 For a period in the 1940s it was operated by Laemmle Theatres. In 1958 Wendell Smith had been running the theatre. Ken McIntyre found this item in a June 1958 issue of Boxoffice: 

"Los Angeles - Helm-Hoffman Enterprises, in which Phillip Hoffman and Bob Hellman are partners, has purchased Wendell Smith’s Ritz Inglewood Theatre Corp. and will operate the 700-seat theatre on an alternate first-run and seven-day availability schedule."

Ken notes that in the early 60s the Ritz was operated by Allied Theatres of California. At the time the circuit also had the Nubel in Bellflower, the Compton, the Vogue in Southgate, the Boulevard in East L.A., the Arden in Lynwood and the Ritz in Ontario.

 

In 1967 it was under Loew's management and after a remodel emerged as the Loew's Ciné with a reopening on December 20. 

 

 

A December 19 ad announcing the Loew's reopening with "The Bible." Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating this. Visit his site: Movie-Theatre.org 

After Loew's left the southern California market it became a General Cinema operation beginning June 28, 1972. Starting November 7, 1973 it was operated by Century Cinema Circuit. Thanks to Ken Roe for these dates.

In 1975 it was renamed the Pussycat Theatre, with a reopening on December 9. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating the opening day ad: "Pussycat Announces It's [sic] Newest Theatre!"

After Pussycat left it ran as an independent first and second run house before closing.

Closing: Sometime in the 1990s is the guess.

By 2005 the building was being used as a church with the vertical painted beige to obscure the Pussycat identity and letters on the marquee saying "Miracle." It went up for sale in 2007, initially offered at $749,000. The price later dropped. The Loopnet listing (calling it the Miracle Theater) reported in mid-2014 that it was off the market.

Status: It reopened in 2016 for concerts and special events, taking the name The Miracle Theater aka The Miracle Inglewood, an homage to the building's days as a church.


Interior views:

A peek in the lobby of the building when it was dormant in 2007. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for the photo.

A Toys For Tots drive. Photo: Miracle Theater Facebook page - December 2016 

A dance recital. Photo: Miracle Theater Facebook page - 2017

At the tech table. Photo: Miracle Theater Facebook page - 2017

A stage view during a load-in. Photo: Miracle Theater Facebook page - 2017

A set for a legit show. Photo: Miracle Theater Facebook page - 2018

Setting up for a film event. Photo: Miracle Theater Facebook page - 2018

A fine view from the back of the house. Photo: Farah Sosa, Miracle Theater Facebook page - 2019 

 

 

A view to the booth. Thanks to Comfortably Cool for locating the photo for a 2022 post on Cinema Treasures. 

More exterior views:

 

1952 - A lovely panorama looking north on Market St. in November. The Ritz is on the right with the United Artists beyond. On the left is the Fox Inglewood. The image is a detail from part of a much larger photo by Joseph Fadler taken for Southern California Edison that's in the Huntington Library collection. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor BifRayRock for the find. He has it on his Noirish post #37847.

 

1953 - Looking south on Market toward the Ritz. It's a detail from a shot taken by Doug White for Southern California Edison as part of a series documenting street lighting. It's in the Huntington Library collection. Thanks to Scott Collette for locating this image, as well as other Inglewood views, for a post on the Forgotten Los Angeles Facebook page. His album is also on Instagram. 

 

 

1953 - Zooming in to the previous photo a bit. Scott comments: "The Ritz Theatre is showing a double bill of the Joel McCrea western "The Outriders" and the MGM noir "The Turning Point" starring William Holden. From theatre listings, this was taken the week of March 28." 

 

 

1955 - Looking south on Market. Many thanks to transit historian Sean Ault for sharing this photo from his collection.

1972 - A view south on Market in April with the theatre as Loew's Ciné. Loew's left the southern California market later in 1972. The photo is on Calisphere from the Inglewood Public Library.

1984 - As the Pussycat. Thanks to the now-vanished American Classic Images website for the photo. A cropped version of the image appears with Jay Allen Sanford's Pussycat Theatre History epic chronicle on blogspot "Pussycat Theaters: The Inside Story": chapter 1 | chapters 2-15

2007 - A look south on Market. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for sharing his photo.

2007 - The entrance before the place got painted up to go on the market. Photo: Ken McIntyre

2007 - Advertised for sale on Loopnet. "In great condition. In heart of 'Market Street' district."

2012 - A facade view of the dormant building from Google Maps. Hey, save those "Miracle" letters. It might make a good name for it when it reopens.

2019 - The building alive again although at the time of the photo not much on the schedule. Note the new panel on the Loew's/ Pussycat vertical sign. Photo: Bill Counter

2020 - A February view, before the virus shutdown. It's a photo from the Miracle Theater Inglewood Facebook page.

 

2020 - A new paint job and the winged things from the church days finally taken down. Thanks to David Cotner for sharing his photo.  

 

2024 - Expansion onto the sidewalk for a drinking area. Photo: Bill Counter

More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the theatre, which they list as the Miracle Theatre. There's a fun history by George Haider and research by Ken McIntyre. Cinema Tour also has a page on the theatre.

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