314 S. Myrtle Ave. Monrovia, CA 91016 | map |
Opened: February 20, 1920 as the Colonial Theatre. This early card looks across Library Park toward the theatre. It's from the collection of Kim Anderson and appears on a City of Monrovia page as part of the Monrovia Historical Society's Monrovia Legacy project.
Thanks to Joe Vogel for coming up with with the opening date, from J.D. Wiley's "History of Monrovia." The Monrovia Historical Society notes that the opening night film was "Judy of Rogues Harbor" starring Mary Miles Minter. They add that she was a suspect in the murder of the movie director William Desmond Taylor.
The theatre was on the east side of the street a half block south of Palm Ave. Palm is a big double block south of Foothill Blvd. It's in the 1923, 1924 and 1925 city directories as the Colonial at 314 S. Myrtle. The earlier Monrovia Opera House/Imp/Elite Theatre was a block farther north and on the west side of the street at 217 S. Myrtle.
Architect: Sanson Milligan Cooper. Thanks to Joe Vogel for the research. He found reference to an item in the July 23, 1919 issue of Building & Engineering News:
"Monrovia, Los Angeles Co., Cal. Class 'C' motion picture theatre, 88 x 54. Owner — Mrs. Castle. Architect— S. M. Cooper, 802 Story Bldg., Los Angeles."
Joe also found a notice about a stage remodel in 1921. Either they were adding one or upgrading whatever the theatre started with. He comments:
"The original building being only 88 feet deep would have left plenty of room for the stagehouse that was added in 1921. Sanson Milligan Cooper appears to have started out as a contractor and gradually eased into architecture in the late teens and early twenties."
The cover of a twelve-page May 1922 program. Thanks to Zeke for sharing this, as well as all the inside pages, on Cinema Treasures. He notes: "Thanks to Monrovia Historical Society Legacy Project and Sandy Burud." On page 3 they list the staff, including F.A. Alexander as general director and Archie Robinson as house manager. Miss Dixie Johnson was on the organ. The film for Sunday the 14th was "The Journey's End" with Mabel Balin, George Bancroft and Wyndham Standing. At the time they were doing three or four program changes weekly.
The February 21, 1926 issue of the L.A. Times had an item announcing that the theatre had been acquired by Associated Theatres, a new company headed by C. L. Langley. Until the fall of 1925 Langley had been president of West Coast-Langley Theatres, a chain of 21 houses that was an affiliate of the larger West Coast Theatres, Inc. circuit. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the article. A March 21, 1926 L.A. Times item mentioned a remodel that Langley was undertaking. In the 1927 directory it's listed at 316 S. Myrtle.
By 1937 it had been renamed the Monrovia Theatre. Joe Vogel found an item in the September 30, 1941 issue of Daily Variety noting that Fox West Coast was taking over the operation. Bill Gabel notes that this was the smaller of the two Fox theatres in town. They also had the Lyric/Crest. From 1937 through at least 1948 this one is listed as the Monrovia Theatre at 316 S. Myrtle.
Closing: The date is unknown.
1949 - A view north taken by Burton Frasher that's in the Pomona Public Library collection. That's Library Park on the left. Bruce Kimmel notes that the double bill of "House Across the Street" and "Canon City" opened November 16.
More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page about the Monrovia Theatre for lots of research by Joe Vogel. The Cinema Tour page about the theatre offers one exterior view of the building as retail space.
Joe Vogel discusses other Monrovia theatres, perhaps unbuilt:
"The earliest references are to a 900 seat brick theatre to have been built on East Lemon Street in 1911. The architect named for this theatre was Herbert Alban Reeves. There are also references to a theater planned in 1923, to be financed by Marco Hellman, and to be located at the corner of White Oak (probably an earlier name of Foothill Boulevard) and Encinitas Avenue.
"I don’t know if either of these projects was actually built. There is also a single mention of a theatre planned by a Mr. F.C. Thompson, announced in the April 15th, 1921 issue of Southwest Builder and Contractor. No address, architect or theatre name is given."
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