Los Angeles Theatres: Dreamland Theatre

3021 S. Main St. Los Angeles, CA 90007 | map |

Opened: 1912. It was on the west side of the street about four and a half blocks south of Adams Blvd. It's in the 1913 city directory. Thanks to Elmorovivo for finding the trade magazine photo for a post on Cinema Treasures. The caption: "The Dreamland Theatre at 3021 South Main Street, Los Angeles, Cal., has just opened for another busy winter season. B.H. Ludig is the owner of this cosey house."

Seating: 550 in later years.

Architect: J. T. Zeller. Thanks to Joe Vogel for the research. He found this item from the August 24, 1912 issue of Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer:

"BRICK STORES AND THEATER—Archt. J. T. Zeller, 203 Currier Bldg., has completed plans and is taking bids for the erection of a l-story brick building to be erected at Main and Thirty-first Sts. for N. J. Sanders, 3025 S. Main St. It will contain four stores and a moving picture theater seating about 800. Concrete foundation 100x88 ft., glazed brick facing, steel beams and columns, composition roof, plate glass store windows, metal frames and sash and wired glass, galvanized iron skylights, stucco theater front, pine trim, plumbing, electric wiring. The site is now being cleared."

Singer Anna Robinson got a bit of publicity about her altercation with a band member. Thanks to Jeff Greenwood for sharing this c.1913 clipping from his collection of memorabilia related to his great-grand-aunt, a singer, actress and vaudeville performer. In earlier years she was sometimes billed as "The Little Girl with the Big Voice" and "The Great Coon Shouter."

A publicity photo of Anna from the collection of Jeff Greenwood.

Another account of the incident. In yet another newspaper story it was reported that the cornetist yelled "Get the Hook!" while Anna was onstage. Her husband, Frederick Palmer, previously worked as an actor and magician. They appeared in vaudeville theatres for years together with acts such as "Palmer and Robinson, The Sorcerer and the Soubrette" and "The Maid and the Mountebank." In 1905 they had played at Fischer's Theatre and the Unique Theatre in downtown L.A. Other engagements in the area included the Colonial in East L.A., the Optic in Whittier and the Bentley Grand and Byde-A-Wyle theatres in Long Beach. Thanks, Jeff!

The Dreamland appears among these 1918 listings for southend theatres in the L.A. Express. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the ad.

The theatre is shown on the northwest corner of Main and 31st in this detail from Plate 13 of the 1921 Baist Real Estate Survey Map from Historic Map Works. It also appeared on the 1914 Baist map. The theatre's auditorium was perpendicular to Main, exiting onto 31st. On Main were five storefronts in front of the auditorium at 3019, 21, 23, 25 and 27. The theatre's entrance was in the second one from the north end of the building, 3021.

A June 1935 L.A. Times ad. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this and the newspaper items below for a post about the theatre on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.

An August 1935 listing of some of the independent theatres. Ken notes that this was the last Dreamland ad he could find in the Times.

Evidently they had re-seated the house. Ken spotted this 1940 classified ad.

Closing: The date is unknown. It's still listed in the 1942 city directory.

Status: The building survives and is now used for some sort of manufacturing.

The Dreamland entrance was in the second bay, the one with the gate and the shrubbery. We're looking south toward 32nd St. Photo: Google Maps - 2020

The portion of the building with the triangular pediment is the screen end of the former auditorium. It's a vew west on 31st St. Photo: Google Maps - 2020

Los Angeles Theatres

Dreamland Theatre

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