The original address prior to street renumbering was 211 E. Philadelphia St. The location was on the south side of Philadelphia, east of Bright Ave. That's a block and a half east of Greenleaf Ave. It's listed as the Scenic at 211 E. Philadelphia in the 1924 through 1936 directories.
Architects: Walker and Eisen. Thanks to Joe Vogel for the research via the Los Angeles Public Library's California Index. He found a reference to the July 18, 1919 issue of Southwest
Builder and Contractor that noted architects A.R.
Walker and P.A. Eisen had prepared plans. The project was noted again in the SB&C issue of August 19, 1919.
Seating: 600 in later years with the balcony unused. Original capacity was 1,500.
An April 21, 1927 ad for the Scenic and the Strand Theatre that appeared in the Whittier News. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it.
Fox West Coast took over the house in 1929, according to data from Bill Gabel. They also were operating the Strand Theatre. Evidently Fox bailed out in the early 30s when they were in receivership and the Scenic closed.
It was renamed the Roxy Theatre in 1936. There's no listing in the 1938 or 1939 city directories. It gets listed as the Roxy in the 1942 directory, still with the address as 211 E. Philadelphia. It's listed with an address of 217 in 1944 and beyond.
For the last few decades of its operation it was part of the local circuit operated by Hugh W. Bruen.
Closing: The theatre closed in 1968.
Status: The building was destroyed by an arson fire in September 1971. Joe Vogel notes that the event was noted in an October 1 story in the L.A. Times.
1920 - The Scenic running "Heart of Twenty," a June release with Zasu Pitts and Jack Pratt. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for locating the photo for a post on Cinema Treasures.
c.1920 - The theatre's on the far right in this Whittier Public Library photo. On the marquee it looks like "An Old Fashioned Boy," an October 1920 release. The Library says that it was taken during a Liberty Bond drive but it may have been their successor, Victory Bonds, as Liberty Bonds weren't sold after 1919. That's the gas company building in the center of the photo.
1920s - A postcard looking west on Philadelphia with the Scenic on the left. Thanks to Steven Otto for sharing this from his collection.
c.1938 - The theatre, renamed the Roxy, is on the left in this postcard view. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for spotting it on eBay.
c.1938 - A detail from Michelle's card. No idea what that top title is but the second feature is "Man-Proof," a January 1938 release with Myrna Loy.
1968 - A view of the closed theatre from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.
2019 - That ongoing remodel on the left is the site of the Roxy. We're looking west on Philadelphia toward Bright Ave. Photo: Google Maps - 2019
More information: See the Cinema Treasures page about the Roxy for many comments. The theatre is discussed Nicholas Edmeier's 2023 article "History of Whittier Movie Theaters" on the Whittier Museum blog.
| back to top | San Gabriel Valley, Pomona, Whittier theatres | theatres by address: San Gabriel Valley, Pomona, Whittier | South, South Central and Southeast theatres | Pasadena theatres | Downtown theatres | Westside theatres | Hollywood | Westwood and Brentwood | Along the Coast | [more] Los Angeles movie palaces | Los Angeles theatres - the main alphabetical list | theatre history resources | film and theatre tech resources | contact info | welcome and site navigation guide |
No comments:
Post a Comment