Opened: The building opened in early 1929 as Glendale's Masonic Temple, housing a variety of Masonic organizations. For many years, it was the tallest building on Brand Blvd. The present structure replaced a 1914 vintage Masonic Temple on the site.
The main floor auditorium wasn't used as a commercial theatre until 1937. The image is a detail from a Dick Whittington Studio photo in the USC Digital Library collection. "Gateway" was an August 1938 release with Don Ameche, Arleen Whelan and Gregory Ratoff.
Architect: Arthur G. Lindley. With his partner Charles R. Selkirk, the firm of Lindley and Selkirk earlier had done the Alex Theatre, the Hotel Glendale at Broadway and Glendale Ave., and the California Theatre in Huntington Park.
A section of the building that appeared in an 18 page 2011 rehabilitation project design review from the City of Glendale Register of Historic Resources, available in PDF format. Note the shallow balcony shown on the side walls of the main floor film house. Also note the beams of the ballroom on the 7th floor. Thanks to Deanna Bayless for locating the report. It noted:
"Building contains 55,376 gross square feet of space, of which approximately 48,643 square feet is rentable. It initially contained three lodge rooms, one banquet/auditorium space, a ground floor auditorium, a bowling alley, cafe, billiard salon, related member and guest meeting rooms, lounges and stoarge rooms and an apartment. The two-story high banquet/auditorium and lodge rooms between the First and Seventh Floors are all located adjacent to the north wall of the building...
"Arthur Lindley seems to have visually 'unified' the various floors of the main façade of the building by designing continuous vertical ribbons of windows. To give greater grandeur and height to the building, which stands 105 feet at the top parapet, he designed a series of steps, chamfering the edges, which recede back and toward the center. When completed, the former Masonic Temple was the tallest building and had the largest auditorium, the fastest elevator and the largest enclosed space in the City of Glendale."
An image of the 7th floor ballroom that appeared with the Glendale Historic Resources Design Review. The review discussed the owners' plans to add windows on the south, east and west facades as well as renovate the lobby to make the building more viable as rental office space. The non-historic storefronts adjacent to the entrance were replaced with something more appropriate.
Seating: 707 seats including the wrap-around balcony. Ron Strong notes that the capacity at closing was 450, with the sides of the wrap-around balcony unused.
The Masons defaulted on their mortgage in 1934 and lost control of their building through foreclosure. With the building under private ownership, various Masonic organizations continued using the building although then as rental tenants.
The main floor theatre was used as a movie theatre, the Temple Theatre, beginning in 1937. A flashy marquee was installed across the building's main arched entrance. The first city directory listing for the theatre was in 1940.
An opening week ad. Thanks to Ron Strong for locating it for his fine Bijou Memories page about the Temple. Ron notes that the Temple closed December 19, 1960 with its last booking a triple feature bill of "The Night Fighters," "All The Young Men" and "The Last Woman on Earth." At the time, it was running as a 49 cent bargain house. Later in the 60s, the space was used as a recording studio.
On March 21, 1980 it reopened as the U.S. Cinema, an independent operation run by Bob Meyers, who also had the Sands Theatre up the street at 210 S. Brand as well as the Montrose Theatre. Meyers and his colleague Robert Orso gave the theatre a remodel installing Kinoton projectors, a 43' screen, Dolby stereo and a new marquee and entrance. As the Temple, the main building entrance and lobby had been used. The new theatre had a marquee just over the north storefront. What had been retail space and the entrance into a billiard hall was converted into a boxoffice and small lobby.
For a time in the 80s the building's basement housed a nightclub called "The Network," a noise issue for the theatre until soundproofing was installed. Meyers sold both of his Glendale operations to Pacific Theatres and the houses closed in mid-March 1985. This one was renamed the Regency Two with the Sands becoming Regency One.
The theatre reopened under Pacific management on March 22, 1985. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating this Pacific ad that day announcing the reopening.
Closing: It closed in September 1991. Competition from a new AMC complex in Burbank was one factor.
Later this theatre space was used (on and off) as storage and a scene shop for A Noise Within, a theatre company specializing in the classics. Their performances were held in a 3rd floor ballroom in the building. They've now moved their productions to a new venue in Pasadena.
Status: The building is currently owned by Frank DePietro and Sons and was rehabbed as rental office space in 2015.
Interior views:
Looking in from the lobby. Thanks to Brooks Stonestreet for the 2010 photo. It's one of 28 terrific views in a post about the building on his blog "Stonestreet Photography."
A nice 2010 shot by Hugh looking toward the screen. The theatre space at that time was a shop and set storage area for A Noise Within. The photo is on Flickr from Gamma Infinity. It's one of many interesting views in his 43 photo set "The Monolith."
A fine 2011 panoramic shot of the theatre and its wrap-around balcony. Hugh titles this one "Cinerama Finally Arrives at the Temple Theatre." It's another on Flickr from Gamma Infinity.
A picture on the screen in 2011. Thanks again to Gamma Infinity for the photo, another one on Flickr.
Up in the balcony looking back toward the booth. It's a 2010 photo by Brooks Stonestreet on his blog "Stonestreet Photography." Thanks!
The 3rd floor ballroom that had been used as a thrust-style theatre by A Noise Within. Thanks to Gamma Infinity for this 2011 photo on Flickr. He comments:
"That's A Wrap - Following the last performance on the little thrust stage in the converted 3rd floor ballroom. The ladders are holding up clamp-on floods because the lighting grid has been taken down. The curtains on the far wall are already removed, and the workers have started taking the blackout off the windows. Despite its limited backstage space, no fly loft, and maddening lack of storage, this was a good little house. Many great things happened here."
More exterior views:
1929 - A Mott Studios photo in the California State Library collection. It's one of two they catalog as set # 001385796.
1929 - A closer look at the entrance. Here the Masons had rented out that store front on the left to a cleaners. It's a Mott Studios photo in the California State Library collection. This is the second photo they catalog as set # 001385796.
Only after the organization lost the building was the ground floor theatre rented out as a movie house. As the Temple Theatre, the main entrance was used. Beginning in 1980 that north storefront was used as the U.S. Cinema entrance.
1938 - The full photo that the image at the top of the page was taken from. It's a Dick Whittrington Studio photo in the USC Digital Library collection. We're looking north on Brand. The Glendale Theatre is way down there on the right a few storefronts beyond the Famous department store.
1940 - A photo by Vergil J. Morris. Thanks to Dave Swantek, Vergil's grandson, for posting this on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group as part of an album of images from the 40s and 50s of Glendale, Pasadena, and other communities. And thanks to Claudia Mullins for spotting the post.
1940s - A look north on Brand with the Temple Theatre in the center of the image. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the photo.
1950 - A fine view the Temple to the left of a Pacific Electric Red Car. It's a photo from the site Dave's Rail Pix.
1982 - Thanks to the now-vanished American Classic Images website for this "Porky's" shot.
1985 - Another view from American Classic Images. Thanks! When it reopened March 22 it would be under Pacific Theatres management as the Regency 2.
1991 - The Temple Theatre entrance post-closing. It's a photo taken by Gary Graver, who documented many dying single screen theatres. Wikipedia has an article about him. Two compilations of his photos can be seen on You Tube: "Second Run - part 1" and "Second Run - part 2." Thanks to Joseph Sobora for this screenshot and Sean Graver for use of the photo.
c.2010 - A fine view by Martin that once appeared on his now-vanished site You-Are-Here.
2011 - The building ready for rehab. Photo: Google Maps
2013 - The boxoffice and entrance to the Temple Theatre with the main building entrance beyond. Photo: Bill Counter
2013 - The main building entrance. Photo: Bill Counter
2019 - A look north across the facade of the renovated building. New buildings were constructed on the right, south of the Masonic Temple. Photo: Google Maps
2020 - The building's new lighting at night. Thanks to Scott Shepard for his photo. He notes that he worked at the Regency One and Two in the 80s.
The Temple Theatre in the Movies:
In Andre de Toth's "Crime Wave" (Warner Bros., 1954) we get some action in Glendale. Here we're looking south on Brand toward the Masonic Temple and the Temple Theatre. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for two more shots showing the Temple plus views of the Alex, Glendale and Hide Away theatres in Glendale. There's also a look at the Roosevelt Theatre downtown on Main St. from the end of the film.
In Andre de Toth's "Crime Wave" (Warner Bros., 1954) we get some action in Glendale. Here we're looking south on Brand toward the Masonic Temple and the Temple Theatre. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for two more shots showing the Temple plus views of the Alex, Glendale and Hide Away theatres in Glendale. There's also a look at the Roosevelt Theatre downtown on Main St. from the end of the film.
More information: See Ron Strong's evocative page about the Temple on his Bijou Memories site. Thank for the research, Ron.
The Cinema Treasures site has a page on the Temple. Pasadena Weekly had a 2006 story about the theatre company and their projected move at that time to a new space in Pasadena.
Brooks Stonestreet has 28 lovely views of many of the upstairs spaces in the Temple Building on his blog "Stonestreet Photography." Also see the 43 terrific photos of the building by Gamma Infinity on Flickr, calling the building "The Monolith."
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What I remember from my older brother and sister, in the late 60s it was a dance concert venue for many years. It had a upside down Sopwith Camel plane on the ceiling. It was called Under the Sopwith Camel. Sure would have liked to have seen that. Anyone remember this venue then?
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