Mission Theatre

There were two different locations for the Mission on the same block. It first opened in 1911 in a storefront of the recently built retail and hotel building at 4250-4254 S. Moneta, a street that was renamed S. Broadway in the 1920s. The location is on the east side of the street three blocks north of Vernon Ave.

The second theatre, a larger replacement that opened in 1913 or 1914, was a purpose-built brick structure at 4258, just south of the original location. Thanks to John G. Ripley for his research on the two buildings. 

 

The first Mission location:  4254 S. Moneta Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90037 | map |

Opened: 1911 in the south storefront of a newly constructed two-story retail and hotel building on the southeast corner of Moneta and 43rd Place. 

Architect: Edward B. Rust of the Ye Planry Building Co. John Ripley notes that the building was constructed in late 1910 / early 1911. He located the following permit information via the online City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety building permit database: 

BP # 8813, 12/12/1910 - "4250 Moneta; 2-story brick stores and flats; $10,000; M. J. McLean and L. A. Flowers, owners; Fraternal Realty Co., contractor; Ye Planry Building Co., designer; 60 x 80, Malthoid roof. The property was Thill, Weber & Brockamp Tract, block A, lot 5."

John adds: 

"It should be noted that this was during the period (1908-1913) when Edward B. Rust was the architect for Ye Planry."

He located an alteration permit issued in early 1911, when the building was probably just being completed, to convert part of it to a theater:

BP # 1037, 2/8/1911 - "4250-54 Moneta; 'To convert the south room 1st floor of the building on S. E. corner of Moneta Ave and 42nd Place into a Moving Picture Theatre'; $500; M. J. McLean and L. A. Flowers, owners; McMullen & Kendall, contractors; no architect listed. Legal description Thill, Weber & Brockamp Tract, block A, lot 5."

There's no listing for a theatre in the 1911 city directory. In the 1912 directory the corner space at 4250 was a grocer, 4252 was listed as the Hotel Mission plus a hard goods store on the 2nd floor. The Mission Theatre was listed at 4254 with Phil A. Kilfoil as the proprietor. The 1912 directory also listed one Tony Daley as a vocalist employed at the theatre. 

In the 1913 city directory the theatre is still listed as 4254 and with A.B. Johnson as the proprietor. 

 

Closed: 1913 or early 1914. There's nothing listed at 4254 in the 1914 city directory. Presumably the space was vacant for a while after the theatre moved.

 

 

The 4250-4254 building is circled in purple in this detail from plate 14 of the 1914 Baist Real Estate Survey Map from Historic Map Works. The lot to the south where the replacement theatre would be constructed was vacant at the time of the survey for the map. 

John notes that in 1916 an undertaker was in the former theatre space at 4254. 

 

Status: The building survives with other tenants, including a church in the two ground floor spaces at 4250 and 4254.

 

The 1911 vintage building as it appeared in 2021. That's Moneta/S. Broadway along the front and 43rd Place along the left. The 1st Mission Theatre location is the storefront to the right, behind the tree. The replacement theatre building of 1913 is farther to the right where the cars are parked. Photo: Google Maps

 

The second Mission location: 4258 S. Moneta Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90037  | map |

Opening: Late 1913 or early 1914.

Seating: The initial capacity is unknown. 525 was the number that appeared in a much later Motion Picture Daily Yearbook.

Architect: De Forest Howry.

Clyde J. Cheney was preparing plans for a replacement venue in 1912 but John Ripley's research reveals they weren't used. Joe Vogel located the announcement of Cheney's version of the project in the September 21, 1912 issue of Southwest Contractor & Manufacturer:

"MOVING PICTURE THEATER—Clyde J. Cheney, 727 Story Bldg, is preparing plans for a 1-story brick moving picture theater to be built on Moneta Ave. between Forty Second Place and Forty-third St. for George E. Van Guysling. It will contain an auditorium seating 620 and two small store rooms. Dimensions 50x120 ft.; plastered front with glazed tile trim. composition roof, steel beams, tile and marble lobby, plate and prism glass store fronts."

It's unknown why Van Guysling didn't go with Cheney for the project. John found this item on page 10 of the May 8, 1913 issue of the trade journal The Builder & Contractor:

"Theater – Architect De Forest Howry, 411 Mason Opera House building, has prepared plans for a brick moving picture theater building to be erected at Forty-Second and Moneta avenue for G. E. Van Guysling. It will contain two store [i. e. retail] rooms, and will have a mission front[,] plaster and tile exterior, tile entrance, stage, electric wiring. The cost will be about $7500."

John comments:

"Note that past tense was used, implying that the plans were completed and not merely in work."

The Builder and Contractor carried the following notice on page 10 of their September 18, 1913 issue:

"Brick Theater Building — Home Builders, Mason Opera House building, have prepared plans and have the contract at $9000 for the erection of a one-story brick moving picture theater building at Forty-third street and Moneta avenue for J. B. Slocum, Georg [sic] E. Van Guysling, agent. 

"It will contain two stores and a moving picture theater auditorium with stage, etc. It will have concrete foundation, 50x 110 feet, cement floor with pine floor over, plastered front, metal tile and composition roof, plate glass windows, tile floor in the entrance, pine trim, opera chairs, lavatories, plumbing, electric wiring, etc."

John reports that the permit for the new theatre building was issued in September 1913:

BP # 12163; 9/17/1913 - "4258 Moneta; 1-story brick picture theater; $9,000; G. A. Van Guysling, agent for owner; Home Builders, contractor; De Forest Howry, architect; 50 x 100, composition roof. Legal description Thill, Weber & Brockamp Tract, block A, lot 4."

John comments: 

"The delay from May to September was probably because the middle of 1913 was affected by the recession of that year, and building activities dropped significantly during that time frame. It can be seen that Van Guysling did not choose to use the plans that were being prepared by Clyde Cheney in 1912, but instead went with Home Builders and their staff architect De Forest Howry. Such switches were not too uncommon in the period, and notices reading 'is preparing plans' (present tense) do not always pan out. Howry was a licensed architect."

 

The new theatre is in the 1914 city directory with a 4260 Moneta address. Charles C. Slater gets a listing as having some association with the venue although he isn't given a specific title. 

 

 

Stores for rent in 1914. One of them might have been the original theatre space. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the ad for his long, long Facebook thread about the theatre on Ken's Movie Page.

It's not listed in the 1915 directory. Perhaps it was dark. In the 1916 directory the theatre is given a 4258 address with Roy E. Darnell as manager. The south storefront in the building at 4260 is listed as being a confectioner, something seen frequently in the days before theatres had snackbars.  

In the 1917 directory the Mission is listed again at 4258. R.E. Darnell was also listed for this location under "motion picture theatres" in that directory. In 1918 the address is shown as "bet 42nd Pl & 43rd." In 1919 it's at 4256. 

 

The site of the replacement building is identified as "theatre" at 4256 Moneta in the center of this detail from plate 14 of the 1921 Baist Real Estate Survey Map from Historic Map Works. The building shown in brown to the north was the Mission's earlier home. Moneta runs vertically down the middle. 42nd St. is the horizontal street across the top, 42nd Pl. in the center, 43rd St. across the bottom. 

 

A December 17, 1920 ad noting that J.A. Hessel was the theatre's operator at that time. It was a find by Ken McIntyre. 

Hessell got the listing in the 1921 directory instead of the theatre's name. The 1922 and 1923 directories continue to show the Mission with a 4258 address. 

 

 

 

A September 3, 1922 ad calling it the "Mission Theater No. 2" that was located by Ken McIntyre. It was taking the No. 2 place because another more prominent Mission Theatre had opened in December 1920. It was Mack Sennett's rebuild of a downtown theatre that had originally been called Woodley's.

 

July 1934 flyers for the Mission that were located by Ken McIntyre for inclusion in his long, long Facebook thread about the theatre on Ken's Movie Page. Thanks! 

 

The Mission appears in this September 17, 1935 column of southside theatre ads located by Ken. 

 

 

An October 14, 1943 ad.  

 

 

An August 1, 1946 ad located by Ken McIntyre.

Moving to a different kind of product in 1947. This L.A. Times ad was located by Ken McIntyre for a 2019 post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.

 

 

An April 1948 ad located by Ken McIntyre for a Facebook post on Ken's Movie Page. See the page about the Pico Theatre. 

 

A 1948 ad for another outstanding program. 

 

 

A fine 1948 ad added by Ken McIntyre as a comment to a post on Photos of Los Angeles. 

 

 

Yet another 1948 show you wouldn't have wanted to miss. 

 

 

Back to family product in 1949. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this January 6 story about a personal appearance by Rand Brooks in conjunction with their booking of "The Marauders" and "Buck Privates."

More personal appearances advertised on February 10, 1949.

 

 

Still open on March 31, 1949. 

 

 

Signs of trouble with no films listed in this April 3, 1949 ad that Ken located. It was the same story on April 7. By April 21 the "Mission" listing had vanished. 

 

 

Open again in June 1949. Thanks to Ken for locating this June 5 ad. 

 

Still running in June 1950. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this June 5 listing in the Times.

Closing: June 1950 was the end for the Mission. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for the research. 

 

It got turned into a store for the Gem Furniture Co. sometime before this October 1951 listing.

 

 

 

It was a warehouse at the time of this August 1954 ad. 

 

The space was advertised as for rent in this March 2, 1958 ad.

Status: The building survives and has been remodeled several times for various retail and light manufacturing uses.

Looking north on Broadway toward 42nd Place in 2019. This 2nd Mission Theatre building dates from 1913. The 1911 building beyond had been the theatre's 1st location. Photo: Google Maps

A better look at the very exciting facade. Photo: Google Maps - 2019

More information: See the Cinema Treasures page about the Mission.

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