Theatres of 2011 - Part 6

According to my incredibly scientific calculations, it looks as if there are 7 theatres remaining in the recap of theatres I visited and photographed in 2011. Honestly, I am pretty ready to be done with these posts as I am eager to move on to something else, so I am going to do my best to consolidate the remaining 7 into this and one additional post. 

#11 of '11 is the aptly titled Unique Theatre in East Los Angeles. I had wanted to visit the Unique for quite a while after seeing a Flickr friend's photograph of it in all its glory. For as often as I take the 60 into downtown, it wasn't tough to hop off a couple exits early to experience the Unique. Like most locations, time of day -- as well as time of year -- is critical when trying to get the best photograph. This early May trip to East LA made for a series of photographs starring a (some would say rare, but not me!) blue sky and white clouds in exchange for vibrant colors and detail. The 1920s Unique has been a dollar store for some time, but from what I can see and have heard, many of its features have been preserved (by "preserved" I mean "not completely obliterated", which is a lot to ask, apparently). The fact that the (horribly ugly) "Unique Dollar" sign is on a board in front of the original gives me hope that there's something amazing underneath. 

Unique Theatre, Los Angeles, CA © Monika Seitz Vega, 8 May 2011 

Unfortunately the sun to cloud ratio wasn't balanced enough that day to get good detail on the blade sign. Here's another image from down the street/around the corner of some rough looking neon signs. Revisiting these today, I  realize I need to get off at Gage more often. The Unique is on East First, just north of the 60 freeway, in a pretty interesting old neighborhood.

© Monika Seitz Vega, 8 May 2011

Theatres 12 and 13 are a trip back to Part 2 of this series of posts, Inglewood, CA. I can't say it enough.... I love Inglewood. I plan on a future post focusing on my non-theatre images of Inglewood, of which there are many.

The Academy, located at 3141 West Manchester, opened in the fall of 1939. The theatre was originally designed by renowned architect S. Charles Lee to be the home of the annual Academy Awards ceremony, which unfortunately never happened. Movies were premiered and exhibited at the Academy until 1976, when it (you guessed it!) became a church. It is a lovely location, and well taken care of by pastor Hart and his congregation. I was told that the tower is illuminated only occasionally, what I wouldn't do to be nearby on one of those occasions.

Academy Theatre, Inglewood, CA © Monika Seitz Vega 17 April 2011 

Less dynamic in history and aesthetics is downtown Inglewood's Ritz Theatre. Though it was built in the 1930s, like the Academy, it is rather non-descript and not the kind of place I get particularly excited about. It was a cinema, then a church, and now it's vacant. The end?

Ritz Theatre, Inglewood, CA © Monika Seitz Vega 17 April 2011 

Theatres of 2011 - Part 2

Theatres 3 and 4 are both located in Inglewood, CA. Inglewood has a bad reputation because of its inclusion in the gangster rap genre, which is unfortunate. It's history is deep and rich and, luckily for time travelers such as myself, full of architectural reminders of another era. I like to think of Inglewood not as a crime-ridden caricature of itself, but as the place where Brian Wilson was born, and the town who erected a statue -- albeit a rather small statue -- in memory of a loyal dog in front of the downtown post office (get out your magnifying glass for the plaque reading, it's worth it).

16 April 2011, © Monika Seitz Vega

The 5th Ave Theatre is at 2541 W. Manchester Boulevard. It was built in 1939 (the same year as the nearby Academy, which will be featured in a later post) and has been closed since the 1980s. Closed since the 80s is going to be a trend with these posts. The 80s were dark days.

5th Ave Theatre, 16 April 2011 © Monika Seitz Vega

The condition of the 5th Ave is heartbreaking. What was once a brilliant marquee is bent, broken, and destroyed by rust to the point that rainwater collects the iron and drips methodically onto the marble of the tiled sidewalk, eating it away. The building is an eyesore, covered in tagging and stucco (and I HATE stucco!) and if you look closely enough you can almost see it slumping over, depressed.  It's just so sad. It's made worse, I think, by the fact that there's not any chance that the 5th Ave's grey clouds are going to clear up. It doesn't have the breathtaking spire of the Academy, or the incredible interiors of the Fox. At the same time, though, there's no reason for it to be razed. The corner of Manchester and 5th is far from a real estate hotbed, so it seems that the 5th Ave will keep sitting and waiting for now.

The Fox Theatre in downtown Inglewood opened in 1949 on the site of the Granada Theatre, which burned to the ground in December, 1945. The theatre was last operated by the Mann chain and in operation until the -- wait for it! -- 1980s. Unlike the 5th Ave, the Fox is still in decent shape (some recent interior photographs are available at the theatre's Cinema Treasures page) and has a dedicated group of local preservationists fighting for it. 

16 April 2011, © Monika Seitz Vega

One more thing about Inglewood -- it's the home of Randy's Donuts. Not the only giant donut on earth, but likely the most infamous. My morning coffee tastes better than ever out of my Randy's travel mug.

16 April 2011, © Monika Seitz Vega

I think this is as good a time as any to mention the Los Angeles Historic Theatres Foundation. Visit their website, become a member, and attend their fantastic tours. Coincidentally the next tour is a week from tomorrow, at Hollywood Blvd's El Capitan. It's absolutely worth getting up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday for.

That wraps up Part 2.... for those keeping track at home, so far we've visited:

*Fox Theatre, Inglewood, CA

*5th Ave Theatre, Inglewood, CA

*Warner Theatre, Huntington Park, CA

*Union Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

See you next time.