Los Angeles Theatres: Palace Grand Theatre

131 N. Brand Blvd. Glendale, CA 91203 | map |

Opened: 1914 as Jensen's Palace Grand. It was on the west side of the street two-thirds of a block north of Broadway. This photo looking south on Brand is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. On the right note a bit of the Jensen's signage on the side wall. Thanks to Deanna Bayless for identifying the poster as being for "The Chorus Girl’s Romance," an August 1920 release starring Viola Dana.

Seating: 900

Architect: Robert J. Kitts. Thanks to Joe Vogel for the research. The Pacific Coast Architecture Database page on the theatre notes that the August 8, 1914 issue of Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer had run an item saying that excavation for the project had begun.

The theatre was designed for Henry Jensen. He also had Jensen's Theatorium in Echo Park, a venue that would later be called the Holly Theatre. A block west of that he built a mixed use apartment building, bowling alley and restaurant complex called Jensen's Recreation Center. Later he would build the Raymond Theatre in Pasadena and Jensen's Melrose on Melrose Ave. He was a brick maker turned contractor turned theatre owner.

Glendale revamped their street numbering system in 1918. Before that the North/South streets began their numbering with 100 blocks starting either side of 1st St., now known as Lexington. In the 1917 city directory the Palace Grand was listed as 319 S. Brand. The new system started the 100 blocks at Broadway and the East/West blocks at Brand. In the 1919 directory, depending on which section you looked in, you could find the theatre listed at either 129 or 135 N. Brand Blvd.

Data is contradictory, but a City of Glendale staff report dated October 25, 2010 that was unearthed by Joe Vogel suggests that Jensen later built a mixed-use building to the north of the theatre. The report, untrustworthy about the theatre itself, noted this about the annex:

"The Palace-Grand Shops, also known as Jensen’s Arcade, was completed in 1923 and featured a drugstore, jewelry shop, and post office, along with one of Glendale’s most cherished historic businesses, the Egyptian Village Café. The basement, called the Glendale Recreation Center, had a barber shop, billiards hall, and bowling alley."

In 1921 Bay Area circuit Turner & Dahnken came south and took over four theatres in Pasadena, including Jensen's newly constructed Raymond Theatre. Presumably the Palace Grand was sold or leased to T&D at the same time. Claude L. Langley had worked for T&D in San Francisco and moved south.

Soon the L.A. area theatres of the firm were being known as the Turner, Dahnken & Langley circuit with the Palace Grand being renamed the T. D. & L. Theatre. It's listed that way in the 1922 Glendale city directory with a 129 N. Brand address, according to Roger Katz. West Coast Theatres bought out the Turner & Dahnken interests in 1923.

A January 25, 1923 L.A. Times article about the big deal:

Thanks to Mike Hume for locating the article. For a wealth of historical data and thousands of fine photos of the theatres he's explored, see his Historic Theatre Photography site. See more about the West Coast circuit on the Fox West Coast History page.

After the buyout, the southern California branch of the chain was called Southwest Theatres, Inc. See an article down at the bottom of the Alex Theatre page that appeared in the February 7, 1924 issue of the Glendale Evening News. The article discusses the organization of Southwest as well as their new project that became the Alexander. Somehow the Southwest name didn't stick and by 1925 the chain was being called West Coast-Langley. By 1925 the mini-circuit had 21 theatres in Los Angeles Glendale, Pasadena, South Pasadena and other cities. Two 1925 openings nearby were the Alexander, just a block north of the Palace Grand, and the Rialto in South Pasadena.

Langley sold his interest in West Coast-Langley in the fall of 1925. Thanks to Mike Hume for locating this September 12, 1925 item from Moving Picture World. Yet, he wasn't quite done with the theatre business. In 1926 he formed a new company, Associated Theatres, to purchase the Colonial/Monrovia Theatre.

West Coast Theatres had been started in 1920 by Michael Gore, Sol Lesser and Adolph Ramish as a consolidation of their various interests. The chain was later rebranded Fox West Coast after William Fox got control in 1929. See more about the circuit on the Fox West Coast History page.

Joe Vogel has a theory about the last era of the Palace Grand:

"It’s possible, and even likely, that Henry Jensen retained ownership of the Palace Grand building, and that Turner, Dahnken and Langley operated it under a lease. After building the Alexander, West Coast-Langley Theatres might have simply let their lease on the Palace Grand run out."

The building apparently had one last theatrical fling as the Lincoln Theatre. It's listed in the Glendale section of the 1928 L.A. phone directory with that name and an address of 129 N. Brand. Joe Vogel notes that the Lincoln was also mentioned in the June 2, 1928 issue of Exhibitor's Herald & Moving Picture World.

Closing: Possibly 1928 was the end. The date of closing is unknown. The Lincoln is not listed in the 1929 phone book and nothing for this location is listed as a theatre in the 1930 Glendale city directory.

Status: It's been demolished. Scott Wheeler notes that the theatre building and the arcade to the north were actually around until about 1982 or 1983. At some time the theatre got a new facade and in the 50s was a Leed's store. He says:

"At some point, as with many buildings unfortunately, they put the façade on the front. The building with the original façade was intact behind it. I was inside it sometime around 1982-83 when they were trying to tear it down. From the inside upstairs [of the arcade building] you could still see the original arched windows and the details from the Egyptian Café that was located on the 2nd floor."

A lobby view:

A Christmas tree in the Palace Grand lobby c.1920. It's a shot by Delberg Photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. While the Library identifies it as the Palace Grand, it's most likely not the theatre but rather in the Palace Grand Shops, aka Jensen's Arcade, to the north of the theatre.

More exterior views:

c.1915 - The theatre is on the left hiding behind the telephone pole. This photo from the collection of Elwood Igledue once appeared on the now vanished site Community Wire, cwire.com/pub/Glendale/images.

1915 - Another view north on Brand. That's the Palace Grand on the left up there by itself with the Wrights Jewelry Store ad on the side. Thanks to Joe Vogel for finding the photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. They also have another version marked for newspaper use with the date.

1915 - A detail from the LAPL photo.

c.1920 - Presumably someone added that "Glendale, Cal." to use the photo as a postcard. The image is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1924 - Looking north on Brand with the theatre, here renamed the T. D. & L., over on the left. It's a photo by C.C. Pierce from the California Historical Society that appears on the USC Digital Library website. A version is also in the Herald Examiner collection at the Los Angeles Public Library.

1924 - A detail from the C.C. Pierce photo. "Fools Highway" with Mary Philbin and Pat O'Malley was a March release. The building to the right of the theatre with the big skylight was evidently the Jensen's Arcade building. Note the sign for the Egyptian Village Café on the second floor.

1950s - A look at the block in later days with the modern Leed's facade applied to the front of the Palace Grand building. On the far right note the spire of the Alex Theatre in the next block at 216 N. Brand. Thanks to Don Sherman for locating the postcard. A different version of it from the Glendale Public Library appeared in a 2010 post on their Book Talk blog.

Los Angeles Theatres

Palace Grand Theatre

No comments:

Post a Comment