Arlington Theatre

2517 W. Washington Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 | map |

Opened: 1923, initially advertised as the New Arlington. It was on the north side of the street just west of Arlington Ave. in the Arlington Heights neighborhood. This new one is listed as the Arlington in the 1923 city directory. The 1920s photo with Mack Sennett advertised on the marquee is from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

This was a larger, more deluxe replacement for the older Arlington Theatre on the other side of the street at 2488 W. Washington. That house got renamed the United and then the Maynard Theatre.

Seating: 792

Architect: Unknown 

 

The project was announced in this November 1921 article located by Ken McIntyre. The bit about what would become the new Arlington: 

"Lilly-Fletcher Company will build the new Arlington theater, to go up on Arlington near Washington. The theater will seat 900 and will contain a $30,000 pipe organ. Building and furnishings are estimated at $150,000.

That second theatre mentioned at the end of the article as planned by United Theatres for 7th and Washington (3600 or 3700 blocks) never got built. What United DID do, however, was take over the old Arlington Theatre at 2488 W. Washington and rebrand it as the United Arlington. It later ended up as the Maynard. 

 

A June 1923 flyer. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this for a posts on the Facebook group America in the 1920s and Ken's Movie Page.

A 1949 ad. It was a find by Comfortably Cool for Cinema Treasures. 

 

The 1949 Film Daily Yearbook listed "Academies of Proven Hits" as a company run by Saul Mahler and James Nicholson. The theatres listed as being under their control at the time included the Arlington, Cinema, Jewel, Picfair and Vermont. Joe Moritz was also a part of the company.

A 1949 ad for the theatre as the Arlington Art Cinema that was located by Ken McIntyre. 

Closing: The closing date as a theatre is not known. It wasn't running in 1951.

It was a facility called The Skatium from 1954 until at least 1973. Jeff Bridges found a June 23, 1954 item in the L.A. Times noting that the roller rink had recently opened its doors. 

 

 

 

"Make a Date for the SKATIUM." It's a September 1954 ad located by Ken McIntyre. 

 

Another 1954 ad. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this one for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group. 

Noirish Los Angeles contributor Hoss C discusses the building on his Noirish post #24073 and notes that the Skatium appears in city directories from 1956 until 1973.

Status: The building is still there but remodeled beyond recognition.   

 

More exterior views:

1951 - We're under the marquee of the Arlington looking east toward the Maynard Theatre on the south side of the street in this Edward Clark photo, part of a set on Google/Life Images that was done for an article titled "Hollywood Slump." Also see another similar shot.

2006 - The Skatium sign on the building was captured in this shot by Eric Lynxwiler. It's on Flickr.  Thanks to Hoss C for spotting the photo in Eric's collection. 

2008 - Thanks to Ken McIntyre for this look at the remodeled facade.

2008 - The screen end of the building. It's a Ken McIntyre photo.

2020 - Looking west across the facade of the former theatre. Photo: Google Maps

More information: The Cinema Treasures page on the Arlington has interesting research by Joe Vogel, Ken McIntyre and others.

See the page here on this site for information about the first Arlington Theatre, later called the Maynard Theatre.

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