Armory / Pomona Opera House / La Pictoria / American

470 W. 2nd St. Pomona, CA 91766  | map | 

Opened: Perhaps around 1900. The building doesn't appear on the 1895 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. The National Guard Company D is seen in front of the Opera House in this c.1900 photo by Hugo E. Schwichtenberg that's in the Pomona Public Library collection. The building was on the south side of the street just east of Ellen St., renamed Park Ave. sometime around 1910.

This was built as a combination theatre and National Guard Armory with the theatre on the ground floor and the balcony, as well as another meeting hall, on the 2nd. It was sometimes referred to as the Pomona Opera House, the Armory Opera House, or just The Armory. By 1908 it had gone to movies and was called the La Pictoria. Beginning in 1917 it became the American Theatre. The Lyric Theatre, another film house, was in the block to the east at 366 W. 2nd.

This is one of three early buildings in Pomona referred to as opera houses. The Fraternal Aid Opera House was constructed in 1903 on the NE corner of S. Gordon St. and W. 3rd St. Two blocks east of that on 3rd was the earlier Pomona Opera House, a building at 3rd and Thomas that burned in 1895. 

The Armory Opera House got a new curtain around 1902. Or maybe it was 1904. Brian L. Solar spotted an item that the Pomona Progress-Bulletin reprinted in their August 4, 1972 issue. They seemed unsure of the date. But this was the news: 

"Armory Opera House is to have a new curtain to take the place of the one that has worn the public eye for the past four years. The centerpiece will be a large marine scene in a circular gilt frame."

 

This view of the facade by an unidentified photographer appeared in an unknown publication with the caption "Pomona Opera House, West Second St." It's from the Pomona Public Library collection. They give it a 1903 date but it may be later as it appears there are some movie posters on display.

 

 

A ball for the National Guard Company D in the Armory Opera House. It's an undated Pomona Public Library photo by Hugo Schwichtenberg.

 

 

The theatre is seen with an address of 13 and 14 2nd St. in this detail from image 26 of the 1906 Sanborn Insurance Map in the Library of Congress collection. That's 2nd across the top with both odd and even numbers on the same side of the street, perhaps assigned in the order the buildings were constructed. 

The narrow building west of the theatre was a candy store with their factory behind the retail operation. Ellen St. (later renamed Park Ave.) is on the left side of the image, Gordon St. is on the right. That's the alley between 2nd and 3rd running horizontally near the bottom of the image. 

Becoming a film house: We see the first mentions of the theatre as the La Pictoria Theatre in 1908, according to research by Brian L. Solar. He spotted these items in a March issue of the Pomona Progress shortly after the theatre began running movies:

 

And, in the same issue, a couple inches lower on the page:

 

Later the theatre was assigned numbers 468 and 470 as seen in this detail from image 29 of the 1911 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map in the Library of Congress collection. Ron Pierce notes that in the 1911 city directory there's also the information that it was operated by James Tewsley. 

 

A 1912 ad from the Pomona Daily Review listing the vaudeville acts and the news film for that week.  Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it for a post on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.

It's listed as the La Pictoria in the 1912/13 and 1914 city directories with an address of 478 W. 2nd St.

Ads for the venue as the American Theater began showing up in 1917, according to Brian L. Solar's research. It was mentioned as "formerly La Pictoria." In the 1919/20 city directory it's listed as the American Theatre at 470 W. 2nd. Ron Pierce notes that in one 1919 city directory it's listed as being managed by E.M. Smith. 

Thanks to Joe Vogel for researching the next chapter. He comments:

 

"The Gore Bros. and Sol Lesser took over the Belvedere and American Theatres in 1920. The acquisitions were announced in the September 20, 1920 issue of Motion Picture News. When West Coast Theatres, Inc. was formed through the consolidation of the holdings of Gore Bros., Sol Lesser, and Adolph Ramish, the American and Belvedere Theatres in Pomona were among the thirty theaters that became part of the new circuit. The formation of the corporation was noted in the January 19, 1921 issue of The Film Daily."

 

A view of the theatre appearing in the February 11, 1922 Motion Picture News. It's on Internet Archive. It appears we had a bit of a facade remodel in the late 1910s or early 1920s. The photo's caption:  

"Atmosphere provided for the showing of 'My Boy' at the American theatre, Pomona, Calif., by manager Jack Retlaw through dressing his ushers in appropriate costume."

Closing: The end came in 1923. Thanks to Brian L. Solar for locating this item in the November 26, 1923 issue of the Pomona Progress Bulletin: 

"The American Theater on West Second Street closed its doors last night and will not be opened again by the West Coast Theaters Company. Manager Preston stated to-day that the theater will either be remodeled for a store room, or rented as it is. The company will not operate it as a theater any longer."

Brian found a post-closing mention of the American:  

 

"In the November 15, 1924 Pomona Progress Bulletin, there was an article about the fading Belvedere closing due to the new California Theatre opening. It mentions the Belvedere was once the main place to see movies in town, and before the Belvedere, that honor used to belong to the Armory Opera House, 'which was later converted into what is now known as the American theater.'"

 

Status: It's not known what uses the building had after closing as a film house.  It was demolished at some unknown date.

 

The block after a bit of demolition:  

Looking east on 2nd St. across Park Ave. The Opera House/American was once over on the right a couple lots in from the corner. Photo: Google Maps - 2019

 

 

 

Looking west from Gordon St. along the vanished south side of the block. The Opera House was once down near the end of the block. The north side of the block didn't fare any better. Photo: Google Maps - 2019

More information: See the Cinema Treasures page about the American Theatre. Thanks to Joe Vogel and Ron Pierce for their research.

 

Early Sanborn maps in the Library of Congress collection: 1885 | 1887 | 1888 | 1895 | 1906 | 1911 |

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