A Change In Scenery: marquee

Showing posts with label marquee. Show all posts

06 July 2015

The Star Theatre

Oceanside's Star Theatre, built in 1956, is celebrating the competition of restoration of its magnificent marquee, the largest and oldest operating neon sign in all of San Diego County. A sign dedication ceremony will take place this coming weekend.

In February 2012 I shared some photographs of the Star aside this caption:
"Located on Pacific Coast Highway in Oceanside, CA, the Star opened in 1956 and has maintained more or less in one variation or another -- church, movie house, Pussycat theatre, live venue -- since. It's a cute corner theatre which originally held just under 1,000 patrons. In the late 1990s the theatre was vacant, I remember passing by it countless times on my Vespa journeys from San Diego to Orange County and back, the bright yellow marquee [dark and] blank, until one day it wasn't anymore (if memory serves, I believe a Van Halen tribute band was passing through town and was going to rock the Star). The stars and the marquee are wonderfully colorful and stand out amongst the other buildings in downtown Oceanside." (Please click here to see those original photographs.)

In anticipation of the restoration of the Star's marquee, and in excitement for the new life that has been brought to the theatre via the Star Theatre Company, here's a look back at a 2012 photograph of the Star that I took with my Brownie Hawkeye camera. I am looking forward to visiting it again soon to see those stars shining brightly.

17 February 2015

after dark

1926 Orpheum Theatre

1927 Tower Theatre

1930 Eastern Columbia Building

Downtown Los Angeles

1927 United Artists Building, now the Ace Hotel + Theatre at the Ace Hotel

All photographs © Monika Seitz Vega, 2015.

All photographs taken the evening of the 7th Annual Night on Broadway.

19 September 2014

my hometown.

All photographs © Monika Seitz Vega, May 2014.

13 March 2014

postcards, part 4

This time around I chose city scenes from my collection of postcards. I love the linen postcards and artwork from the 1930s and '40s, the feel and color of them are so unique. These selections feature places I've had the opportunity to see myself (New York, Columbus), others to hopefully see in the future (downtown Boston), and the Carthay Circle Theatre, well... it's alive in film and photographs and, in a way, on Buena Vista Street. Enjoy.

front

back, postmarked August 17, 1940

front

back

The Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles opened in 1926 and was demolished in 1969.

front

back, postmarked October 2, 1938

While the Deshler Wallick was demolished in 1970, the adjoining LeVeque Tower and Palace Theatre still stand.

front

back, postmarked July 1, 1935 (It looks like I'm not the only one who has sent postcards to myself)

front

back

As this is part 4 of an ongoing and potentially infinite number of postcard entries, feel free to catch up with the previous entries via the links below. I've already got a theme picked out for part 5, so it shouldn't be long.

Postcards, part 1.
Postcards, part 2.
Postcards, part 3.

03 January 2014

Theatres by Diana

In the fall of 2009 I shot the following photographs with my Diana F+ toy camera. The ultimate in low-fi unpredictability, it's always interesting see how the photos will turn out. Here are the results, straight out of the camera... light leaks and all.

Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, CA. © Monika Seitz Vega, 2009.

Fox Theatre, Pomona, CA. © Monika Seitz Vega, 2009.

Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA. © Monika Seitz Vega, 2009.

Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, CA. © Monika Seitz Vega, 2009.

Vogue Theatre, Hollywood, CA. © Monika Seitz Vega, 2009.

12 November 2013

Theatres of 2012 - Part 1

I'll admit it, I am ridiculously behind in my yearly theatre retrospective. It's not that I haven't been shooting (I have), or I'm not interested in my theatre project anymore (I am), it's just that things get shuffled around sometimes and unfortunately the theatres of 2012 have been relegated to the back burner. I'm committed to complete last years' entries before the end of this year, so let's get started with the first four theatres now.

Fox La Brea Theatre, January 2012 © Monika Seitz Vega

The Fox La Brea Theatre sits precariously at the corner of La Brea and West 8th Street in Los Angeles. The La Brea opened in 1926 and closed in the 1950s. Despite a brief run in the 1960s as an art house, and then in the early 1970s as a Japanese theatre, the La Brea ceased operation as a theatre in 1974. It is currently in use as a Korean church.

Bay Theatre, February 2012 © Monika Seitz Vega

The Bay Theatre in National City, CA opened in 1944. It was designed by renowned cinema architect S. Charles Lee, who designed such theatres as Inglewood's Fox and Academy (both of which are still standing) and my favorite movie house ever, San Diego's Ken Cinema. Just like the La Brea, the Bay ended its run as a theatre and housed a church for many years. Unfortunately, the Bay now sits vacant, awaiting its next incarnation.

El Rey Theater, January 2012, © Monika Seitz Vega

Los Angeles' El Rey Theater opened as a cinema in 1936. After many successful years on Wilshire Blvd., the theater was converted in 1994 to a live performance venue and continues to be one of the best small venues in the city. In 1991, the El Rey was given status as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument for the Wilshire District, joining another gem of a theatre, the Wiltern.

Del Mar Theatre, January 2012 © Monika Seitz Vega

I couldn't get through a theatre post without profiling one killed by the 1980s, could I? The Del Mar opened on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles in April of 1936. Out of business in the eighties thanks to multiplexes/home movies/etc., the Del Mar had a short run as a church before the auditorium was gutted and leveled for retail. The silver lining to the Del Mar's cloud is that Puget Sound, Inc., a group that does post-production audio work for movies, took over the theatre in the early 2000s and restored the facade with help from the Pico Revitalization Project. The Del Mar's beautiful neon shines nightly, a wonderful tribute to its days of being a neighborhood movie house.

There's more to come, and soon. In the meantime, check out the theatres of 2011 retrospective.

11 November 2013

more half-frame miscellany

26 January 2013

Los Angeles' Broadway Theater District - 2008

In the summer of 2008 I set out to photograph the theaters on Broadway. In the few years since, great steps have been made toward the revitalization of the area and preserving the locations on the street that have seen years of decline and neglect. The following are street views of these theaters, many of which can be seen inside and out by attending tours and events put on by both the Los Angeles Conservancy and the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation. More information on the revitalization of the theater district can be found at Bringing Back Broadway.

The 1931 Roxie, 1910 Cameo, and 1910 Arcade. All three are still used as retail space.

The 1912 Globe.

The 1921 Orpheum. Lovingly restored and open for concerts and filming.

The 1911 Palace, renovated since this photograph was taken and open for live performances.

The 1931 Los Angeles. Opening for filming and special events.

The 1918 Million Dollar. Open for film and live performances.

The 1921 State. A church has used the State for many years.

The 1917 Rialto. There's rumors that Urban Outfitters may be moving in, but no confirmation yet.

The 1931 Roxie. The last of the theaters built on Broadway.

The 1927 Tower. The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation did two sell-out tours of the Tower at the end of 2012, as it will be closed soon and undergoing a huge renovation.

The 1927 United Artists. Since this photograph was taken, the church that inhabited the UA for many years has moved, the building was sold, and Ace Hotels has broken ground on turning the floors above the UA into their next location.