5036 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019 | map |
Architect: Not known. The building was converted into a theatre from what had been used as a furniture store and a boating supply company.
Seating: 600
Marleen
Rubin Capell, the daughter of the owner, Herman Rubin, notes that she
was the "Mar" in the theatre's name. Marlene was born in 1932 and was
named for Marlene Deitrich, who was famous at the time for "Blue Angel"
(1930). Marleen notes:
"They charged about 7 cents for kids. They showed a cartoon, full length movie, a western (because I told my Dad I wanted a western) and a serial and probably a newsreel. There was a drawing at intermission for large cans of popcorn and 6 packs of soda. My cousins also went every Saturday. I remember going up on the stage to draw the winning tickets. When we left everyone received a free Abazaba Bar."
Bruce Kimmel adds:
It was no longer a family film house at the time of this 1967 Times ad. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it. Note that they skipped the space between the two syllables of the theatre's name.
Closing: It closed as a film theatre in the mid 80s. Tony Joe Stemme notes: "The Del Mar reopened very briefly around 1987. I saw Schlesinger's 'The Believers' there.
After a spell as a church,
the building sat vacant for several years. It was rented from 1997 until 1999 for use as a studio shooting stop-motion commercials. The operators called it The Other End. They noted:
"It was a good space,
but the local area was terrible. We had cars broken into regularly."
A new owner, Ron Davis, then leveled the floor and turned the space into a photo studio called Kaboom!
In August 2001 Joe Milner leased the theatre for use by his company Puget Sound, Inc., a
studio specializing in post production audio work. Some of the renovation work to modify the space was planned by Delta H Design. Also using space in the building was a graphic design studio, La Artista Design, run by Laura A. Mendoza.
Under Joe's watch the marquee and vertical sign were restored in the Spring of 2003. The facade was repainted and there was also refurbishment on the showcases. The exterior work was helped by the city's Pico Revitalization Project, running from 2003 to 2005.
Joe bought the building from Ron Davis in August 2004. For years he lit the marquee and vertical nightly. He sold the building in 2016 to a gentleman who had bought the corner property a few months earlier. Joe comments:
"Shortly after we sold in 2016, the western half of the block was
completely demolished: Oki Dog, a former bar called The Cottage, a
furniture refinishing shop and a floral design company all gone to make
way for the multi-story residential property that now occupies that
land."
On the marquee as late as early 2020: "Puget Sound - Audio For Motion Pictures." And also on the west readerboard "& La Artista Design."
It was offered for lease in 2022. The broker was Jay Luchs of Newmark at 310-407-6585. There's a listing on Loopnet, but no longer active. They were offering a complex of three properties as a possible creative campus. The corner building is at 5030 W. Pico, the theatre is at 5036 and the building to the west is at 5040. That 5040 space had been used for a period by a club called Comedy Union. Of the three buildings, at least the theatre space was leased by the end of 2022.
Status: Beginning in early 2023 the Paris-based gallery Perrotin has used the theatre as an exhibition space. | Perrotin website | Perrotin on Instagram |
In February 2023 Jonathan Wells had commented on Cinema Treasures:
"In conjunction with the recent Frieze art fair in LA, global art gallery Perrotin announced that they will open their first gallery in LA in the old cinema. As a teaser they presented a film from Danish filmmaker Jesper Just on a video wall. They plan to make one sheet posters for each art show to display in the theater’s original poster boxes."
The gallery's digital media manager Jean-philippe Persici commented from Paris in February 2024 that they had done various renovation projects to the space. It reopened February 28 with a show by Izumi Kato that ran through March 23. Their designer for the rebuild was Johnston Marklee along with interior design by Jamie Bush + Co. Both are firms based in Los Angeles.
Perrotin also uses the building just to the west of the theatre, at 5040 W. Pico. Between the two they have 10,000 s.f. to work with. "Earthworm," an exhibit of works by Barry McGee, was in the next door space in March 2023. See an interior photo of 5040 taken during that show. The firm's "about the gallery" page comments:
"Key elements of the historic theater including the marquee and lightboard signage, ticket booth, glass poster boxes, and the theater hall have been retained and adapted as unique sites for artists’ interventions. The Del Mar’s original neon sign has been restored while the lighted marquee announces the gallery’s programming. The striped blue-and-grey pattern unifies the building and signage in a bold super-graphic, echoing the legacy of billboards and advertising that define the urban boulevards of Los Angeles."
Interior views:
2009 - Thanks to Mark Peacock for this photo on Flickr. Visit his Vintage Theatres photo set for lots more great work. Also see his blog: On the Road With Mark Peacock.
2009 - A sign detail by Corey Miller. The photo appears in his Theatre Signs set on Flickr.
More information: See the Cinema Treasures page for a few stories about the Del Mar. Cinema Tour has several 2002 Bob Meza photos.
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