Los Angeles Theatres: Bijou Theatre

333 on the Pike Long Beach, CA 90802 | map |

Opening: The Bijou probably opened in 1910. The location was on the north side of The Pike in the block between Cedar Walk and Chestnut Pl. At one time or another there were eight theatres on the block.

The Bijou was not in the 1909-1910 directory but is listed consistently in the 1911 through 1918 city directories, always with the 333 address.

The Bijou is seen in the middle of the north side of the block as "Moving Pictures" in this detail from image 28 of a 1914 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map in the Library of Congress collection. The theatre's lot should have been labeled 329-331-333 but they have it as 329-331-335.

West of the Bijou was the Arrowhead / Joyland at 339. To the east toward Cedar Walk it was the Bentley at 319, the earlier Tarrytown / Palace of Pictures at 313 (not shown as a theatre on the map), and the Pastime at 311. On the Beach side were the Art Theatre at 314, the Wonderland / Gaiety at 330-332, and the Boston at 348-360. Earlier that one had been called the Byde-A-Wyle with an entrance at 336. That circle in the lower right is the Looff carousel.

Seating: Unknown.

Closing: 1918 might have been it. It's not in the 1919 city directory.

Status: It's been demolished, like everything else on The Pike. The area has been invaded by multiple condo buildings.

1910 - The Bijou's building appears in this detail from a postcard Michelle Gerdes located in the collection of Loyola Marymount University. The vacant lot to the left would soon be the site of the Arrowhead / Joyland Theatre. To the right of the Bijou are are the Bentley Theatre at 319, the spires of the Tarrytown / Palace of Pictures at 313, the very white facade of the Majestic Rink, and the Columbia Theatre at 237, just before the striped awnings. It was later the site of the Hoyt's / Strand.

1910 - The card the detail was taken from. We're looking west with the Virginia Hotel in the distance. The Theatorium, on Board Walk, here colored brick red, is on the far right. Card Cow has several versions of this: #103537 | #238226 | #106352 - postmarked 1913. A version of the card is in the Long Beach Public Library collection. The Library also has the black and white photo used to create the card. On the image the photographer, "J.A.," has dated it 1910.

1933 - A post-quake view looking west along the 300 block toward Chestnut Pl. The large building with the peaked roof a bit left of center (339-351) is the one that was built on the site of the Joyland plus a few lots beyond. Just this side of it with the curved Mission-style facade is the former Bijou location at 333. The 1932 city directory listed a billiard hall for the 333 address.

The building with the signage for "Wing's" is the repurposed Bentley Theatre building, 315-317-319. Wing's was actually in a single-story building this side of the Bentley at 315. The Pastime Theatre at 311 had once been on the right where that second building is, behind the scale. Before the Pastime came along several of those lots were the location of the Tarrytown and Palace of Pictures. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the photo.

c.1965 - We're looking west again toward the building with the curvy parapet at the Bijou location. It's just this side of the larger, two-story building. On the left note the "Looff's Amusements" sign on their old carousel building. Thanks to Sarah in Vegas for sharing her photo.

2018 - Here's the rebuilt neighborhood. We're looking west on The Pike, now dubbed "The Walk of a Thousand Lights." The Bijou would have been down there half a block on the right. The cross street in the foreground is Cedar Walk with Ocean Blvd. up the hill to the right. Photo: Google Maps.

More information: This is all there is on the Bijou.

The pages about the Gaiety, Tarrytown and the Joyland have additional views of the 300 block between Cedar Walk and Chestnut Pl.

Los Angeles Theatres

Bijou Theatre

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