The Alex is the surviving gem of Glendale, the last evidence of a once thriving theatre district. Theatres started popping up in the 1910s, mostly on Brand Blvd., and that street was still the Valley's theatre district into the 80s when multiplexes started replacing the many single screen theatres.
Many of the theatres used multiple names over their lives. The bottom of the San Fernando Valley Theatres survey page has an alternate name list that includes these Glendale theatres.
It might also be helpful to consult the San Fernando Valley: theatres by address page to see what was on a particular street in the Valley.
Americana Way
| AMC Americana at Brand 18 |
Atwater Village
| Atwater Theatre |
Brand Blvd.
| Alex Theatre | AMC Americana at Brand 18 | California Theatre | Capitol Theatre | Cosmo Theatre | Glendale Marketplace 4 | Glendale Theatre - 1920 | Palace Grand | Roxy Theatre | Sands / Regency One | Look Cinemas | Temple Theatre | Vogue Theatre |
Broadway
| Glendale / Broadway Theatre - 1910 | Majestic Theatre |
Central Ave.
| Tuesday Afternoon Club / Villa Glen Theatre |
Colorado St.
| Bard's Glendale / Glen Theatre |
Maryland Ave. / Artsakh Ave.
| Hide Away Theatre | Exchange 10 / Studio Movie Grill |
Orange St.
| Glendale Centre / Nocturne Theatre | Glendale Cinemas |
Pacific Ave.
| Hearthside Theatre |
San Fernando Rd.
| Gateway Theatre |
Verdugo Rd.
| Glendale Civic Auditorium |
Alex Theatre
216 N. Brand Blvd.
This 1,413 seat house opened in 1925 as the Alexander Theatre, a project
of C.L. Langley. The Greek Revival design was by Arthur G. Lindley and
Charles R. Selkirk. After decades of operation by Fox West Coast and its
successor companies, it closed in 1996 and got a restoration in 1992-93. Now a performing
arts center operated by Glendale Arts, it hosts a wide variety of
attractions. For more information see the pages on the Alex: history + street views | forecourt | lobby areas | auditorium | booth + attic | backstage |
322 Americana Way
This complex at Rick Caruso's Americana at Brand shopping center opened
in 2008 as the Pacific Glendale 18. It's on the west side of Brand between Colorado St. and
Broadway. Thanks to Scott Campbell on Cinema Tour for the 2008 photo.
In 2021 Pacific decided not to reopen any of their theatres and AMC ended up with the lease. For more information see the page about the AMC American at Brand 18.
3183 Glendale Blvd. Atwater Village
This house run by bandleader Harry Owens was decorated in a Hawaiian style with murals depicting mountains, waterfalls and beach scenes. It opened in 1941 and was running into the 50s. It's now retail space and an artists studio. The 2012 photo of the building as the Pampered Birds store is from Google Maps. For more information see the page about the Atwater Theatre.
341 N. Brand Blvd.
This 1928 vintage theatre was part of a building at Brand and Lexington that also included the California Hotel. The late 20s image is a detail from a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Seating was 772 with about a third of those in a balcony. It survived into the mid-1950s and then got turned into a furniture store. There's now a newer building on the site. For more information see the page about the California Theatre.
139 S. Brand Blvd.
It opened in 1930 as Young's Capitol with the biggest neon illuminated marquee in Glendale. The 808 seat house was later operated by Fox West Coast and ended up with United Artists as the UA Capitol. Thanks to David T for his 1978 photo. It closed in 1990 after years of deferred maintenance. Demolition came following damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. For more information see the page about Capitol Theatre.
730 S. Brand Blvd.
This 688 seat house opened in 1925. In the early 40s it was joined by the Vogue right across the street, both operated by Grover Smith. Thanks to Rick Roessler for the 30s kid's matinee photo. The theatre ran until 1951. It's been demolished and replaced by a BMW dealership. For more information see the page about the Cosmo Theatre.
3731 San Fernando Rd.
This 912 seat house with an Egyptian interior opened in 1923 a block or so north of Brand Blvd. The "Watch For Opening" photo appears in the terrific 2008 Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres in Los Angeles" by Suzanne Tarbell Cooper, Amy Ronnebeck Hall and Marc Wanamaker. It's not known who the architect was. In the 40s and 50s it was operated by Fox West Coast and was running as late as 1956. It's been demolished. For more information see the page about the Gateway Theatre.
1014 E. Colorado St.
This 844 seat house opened in 1925 as Bard's Theatre, also known as Bard's Glendale. Kenneth Gordon was the architect. The photo is from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. When Fox West Coast took over the operation it was called the Glen Theatre. After closing in the 60s it was a bowling alley and then a restaurant. It's now a banquet hall called Palladio. For more information see the page on the Glen Theatre.
501 N. Orange St.
This 5 theatre complex was opened in 1991 as the General Cinema Glendale Central Cinema. Beginning in 2002 AMC ran it for several months following the General Cinema bankruptcy. Later it was an independent operation. It's also been known as the Glendale Central 5 and the Glendale Cinemas. Thanks to Scott Neff for his 2002 photo. When it closed in 2004 the space was converted to office use. For more information see the page about the Glendale Cinemas.
1401 N. Verdugo Rd.
This two-level facility was built as a WPA project in 1938. The main space has a flat floor plus a stage with fly capability. The basement has a ballroom space and a kitchen area. The photo is one from the City of Glendale collection. For more information see the page on the Glendale Civic Auditorium.
144 S. Brand Blvd.
The complex opened in 1998 as the Mann Glendale Marketplace 4. The photo dates from 2007. Mann ran it until 2011 when the owners of the circuit were winding up the business and dropping leases. It was reopened in 2012 as the Galaxy Glendale Marketplace. The complex closed in the summer of 2014 and was gutted to become an L.A. Fitness location. For more information see the page about the Glendale Marketplace 4.
520 E. Broadway
This first Glendale Theatre was running by 1910 with an original address of 702-04 W. Broadway when the city's East/West blocks were numbered from A St. (now called Adams). By 1917 it was called the Broadway Theatre and that may have been its last year of operation. The address changed when Glendale did a revamp in 1918. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for finding the trade magazine photo. The building survived with other tenants until after the 1971 Sylmar earthquake. For more information see the page about this first Glendale Theatre.
Glendale Theatre
122 S. Brand Blvd.
This theatre, the second in town to use the Glendale name, opened in 1920 with 1,231 seats. It was a design by Alfred F. Priest, who also did the Tuesday Afternoon Club. It got a stage and dressing room expansion in 1924, a remodel by Clifford Balch in 1939, and a twinning in 1980. Thanks to Stacie Inkel for the 1981 photo. Long operated by West Coast Theatres and its successor companies, it was under the Mann banner when it closed in 1990. The Marketplace complex is on the site. For more information see the page about the Glendale Theatre.
Hearthside Theatre
232 S. Pacific Ave.
There's no real data about this one yet except that it was listed under "theatres"
in the Glendale city directories for 1951, 1953 and 1954. Pacific is
three blocks west of Brand Blvd. The theatre was located on the east
side of the street a block north of Colorado St. For more information see the page about the Hearthside Theatre.
Hide Away Theatre
102 S. Maryland Ave.
This little house was on what is now called Artsakh Ave. just south of Broadway. It was running in the early 50s but opening and closing dates are unknown. It's the second building from the corner in this view south on Maryland from Andre de Toth's 1954 Warner Bros. film "Crime Wave." There's now a new building on the site. For more information see the page about the Hide Away Theatre.
128 N. Artsakh Ave.
It opened in 1991 as the Mann Exchange 8, part of a complex with an
entrance on Brand but the theatres back a block on what was then called
Maryland Ave. In 1996 two more screens were added. Mann exited in 2011
and 8 of the screens were taken over by Vintage Cinemas as the Glendale
Exchange 8. Later it was a dine-in venture called MGN Five Star Cinema.
In 2019 it became part of the Studio Movie Grill chain, a firm that soon
declared bankruptcy. It's now operated by Look Cinemas. Thanks to Laura Medina for her photo. For more
information see the page about the Look Cinemas.
Majestic Theatre
115 E. Broadway
This theatre opened in 1912 on the north side of the street between Brand and what is now called Artsakh Ave. The initial address would have been 1105 W. in the city's pre-1918 system. It was perhaps running only until 1916 or 1917. The building survives in a very remodeled fashion, given a new facade along with several adjacent structures. For more information see the page about the Majestic Theatre.
Nocturne Theatre
324 N. Orange St.
This legit operation began in 1947 as the Hale Centre Theatre, a project
of Nathan and Ruth Hale. It stayed in the same family until a 2023 sale. The
current 380 seat in-the-round location, opened in 1964, was called the Glendale Centre Theatre until new operator Meyer2Meyer Entertainment renamed it the Nocturne. The 2019 image is from Google
Maps. For more information see the page about the Nocturne Theatre.
131 N. Brand Blvd.
This one opened in 1914 as Jensen's Palace Grand, a 900 seat house. The 1920 photo is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Later it was the T.D. & L. Theatre, operated by Turner, Dahnken & Langley, a group of theatres soon absorbed into West Coast Theatres. The final act appears to have been around 1928 when it was called the Lincoln Theatre. For more information see the page about the Palace Grand.
417 N. Brand Blvd.
This 800 seat house opened c.1938. Initially operated by Grover Smith, later it was run by Century, Statewide, Loew's, SRO and Pacific. Thanks to Meredith Jacobson Marciano for her 1980 photo. The house closed in 1995 and is now a banquet hall called Stars on Brand. For more information see the page about the Roxy Theatre.
210 S. Brand Blvd.
It opened in 1963 as the Sands, a independent operation, with about 800 seats. Pacific Theatres got it in 1985 and renamed it the Regency 1. Down the block was the Regency 2, the former Temple Theatre/U.S. Cinema. The 1991 photo is by Gary Graver. Closing of the Regency One was in 1994. It's now a banquet hall. For more information see the page on the Sands Theatre.
234 S. Brand Blvd.
The 707 seat ground floor theatre space was in Glendale's Masonic Temple, a building completed in 1929 that was designed by Arthur G. Lindley of the firm Lindley and Selkirk. They had earlier done the Alex, a few blocks up the street. This one wasn't opened as a commercial theatre until 1937. The 1938 image is a detail from a Dick Whittington photo in the USC collection. In the 80s the theatre was known as the U.S. Cinema. When Pacific took over in 1985 it became the Regency 2. It closed in 1991. The building was rehabbed in 2015. For more information see the page about the Temple Theatre.
404 N. Central Ave.
The building opened in 1923 as the home of the Tuesday Afternoon Club, a social and charitable organization that had been founded in 1898. The early photo is from the Los Angeles Public Library. In addition to the 900 seat theatre, there were also offices, a kitchen and meeting and banquet rooms. The theatre space over the years was also known as the Glendale Playhouse, Show Shop Theatre and the Arcade Theatre. The last films were run in 1976 with demolition of the building in 1977. For more information see the page on the Villa Glen.
735 S. Brand Blvd.
This 735 seat house opened in 1941, a design by Paul Hartman. It was leased by Grover Smith, who also had the Cosmo across the street. The 1949 image is a detail from a photo from the Alan Weeks collection. The Vogue was running until around 1955. Lately the remodeled building has been part of a Nissan dealership. For more information see the page on the Vogue Theatre.
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