Opened: 1939. It's also been listed with an address of 7510 S. Vermont. We're on the east side of the street three blocks south of Florence Ave. and three blocks west of the 110. We're looking north in this October 1960 photo. Thanks to Sean Ault for locating it.
Architect: Clarence J. Smale. Joe Vogel notes that Smale was listed as the architect in the 2005 Arcadia Publishing book "Art Deco Los Angeles" by Suzanne Tarbell Cooper and Amy Ronnebeck Hall.
Seats: 869
A booth view. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for locating the trade magazine photo for a post on Cinema Treasures. It evidently appeared with this caption: "The New Congress Theatre’s projection room has two Simplex E-7 projectors, Four-Star Sound System, Magnarc lamps and GE Copper Oxide Rectifiers." They add: "And that’s asbestos-backed linoleum which was being promoted as a new must have innovation for projection rooms."
In 1941 the Congress was taken over by Vinnicof Theatres, headed by Harry Vinnicof. It had been operated by the Steinberg brothers. Thanks to Joe Vogel for locating a mention of the transfer in the April 22 issue of Daily Variety. Joe comments:
Part of a January 1948 Vinnicof Theatres ad in the Southwest Wave. It's one located by Ken McIntyre for a post of South Central theatre ads on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.
At the time Harry Vinnicof was the King of S. Vermont. He didn't have the Balboa but in addition to the Madrid and the Regent his Vermont Ave. operations included the Temple and Vermont theatres. On S. Broadway at this time he operated the Strand and the American.
Closing: September 1960 was evidently the end of the line for the Congress as a movie house. Ken notes that there weren't any newspaper listings after that month.
Status: It was a church for decades. It went through an abandoned period after 2015. It was used again briefly in early 2019 by another church group but now seems to be headed for another period of no use.
1983 - Thanks to the now-vanished American Classic Images website for this view. Note that the readerboard still had changeable letters on it at this time. Up on the tower the outline can be seen remaining from the removed "Congress" letters.
2009 - A view south taken by Don Solosan that was part of a survey by the now-dormant Historic Theatre Committee of the L.A. Conservancy to determine the condition of surviving historic theatre buildings in L.A. Thanks to Hillsman Wright of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation for making Don's photos available.
2009 - Looking north. Photo: Don Solosan
2009 - A tower detail. It must have been fun at night when it was properly lit. Photo: Don Solosan
2009 - The entrance. No more boxoffice but the ceiling coves and the terrazzo survive. Photo: Don Solosan
2009 - A terrazzo detail. Photo: Don Solosan. Thanks for these, Don!
c.2010 - A view from Mary Jane Seltzer appearing on page three of the vast California Theatres section of her site Roadside Architecture.
2015 - Looking north on scenic Vermont Ave. Photo: Google Maps
2019 - The view south across the facade of the abandoned theatre. Photo: Bill Counter
2019 - A tower detail. Photo: Bill Counter
2019 - The north side of the screen end of the building. Photo: Bill Counter
More information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Congress. The Cinema Tour page has three 2007 exterior views from Bob Meza.
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I was born just a few blocks away two years before the thaeatre was built. My mother danced in many of the other nearby theatres. Then, the ‘Talkies’ arrived and her career ended.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bill. I think I worked for Vinicoff. His name is very familiar.
ReplyDelete