Arcade Theatre | |
 The former marquee in 2014 | |
  Location of building inLos Angeles County | |
| Location | 534 S. Broadway,Los Angeles, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°02′51″N118°15′02″W / 34.04737°N 118.2506°W /34.04737; -118.2506 |
| Built | 1910 |
| Architect | Morgan and Walls |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| Part of | Broadway Theater and Commercial District (ID79000484) |
| LAHCM No. | 525 |
| Significant dates | |
| Designated CP | May 9, 1979[2] |
| Designated LAHCM | March 20, 1991[1] |
TheArcade Theatre is a historic formervaudeville and movie theater in theBroadway district ofLos Angeles, California. Commissioned by real estate developerWilliam May Garland in 1910, it originally operated under the direction ofAlexander Pantages. In 1920, the Pantages operation moved to anew auditorium on 7th Street; thereafter, the theater became known as Dalton's Broadway for two years before ultimately taking the Arcade name in 1924 in association with the adjacentSpring Arcade building.Metropolitan Theatres later operated the facility as agrindhouse until its closure in 1992.
Los Angeles architectural firmMorgan and Walls designed the building in theBeaux-Arts style. The seven-story building includes office space on its upper floors. The Arcade neighbors the formerCameo andRoxie movie theaters. The city of Los Angeles designated the Arcade Theatre aHistoric-Cultural Monument in 1991.
Los Angeles real estate developerWilliam May Garland commissioned a new office building and theater in 1909; although most theaters at the time were located onMain Street, he chose a site onBroadway, making it an early part of theeventual theater district there. Local architectsMorgan and Walls drafted plans for the structure in November 1909.[3]
OnNew Year's Day 1910, theLos Angeles Times reported that construction was ready to commence with an expected $150,000 cost and a 15-year, $400,000 lease agreement signed byvaudeville impresarioAlexander Pantages.[4] Work began on the building in March.[5]
The Pantages Theatre opened on September 26, 1910, the 33rd facility to be added to the Pantages vaudeville circuit. Two full-capacity audiences gave positive reviews for a composite show that featured "The Yalto duo, whirlwind dancers; Maurice Burkhart, singing comedian and impersonator; Lelliott Brothers, woh [sic] present an interesting instrumental act; MacLean and Bryant in a clever little dramatic sketch called '17-20 in the Black;'Sophie Tucker, coon shouter, and Barnold's dog and monkey actors, one of the most interesting animal acts seen in Los Angeles in many days." A. J. Louis purchased the first ticket and later presented it to Pantages as a memento. Pantages circuit veteran J. O. Chaney served as the inaugural stage manager.[6]
In 1915, the theater installed an electric scoreboard to provide updates onthe World Series between theBoston Red Sox andPhiladelphia Phillies during matinee hours.[7]
In August 1920, Alexander Pantages opened anew Pantages Theatre on 7th Street, keeping the original Broadway venue open until December 1921 when it temporarily closed for aphotoplayer installation. Afterwards, the facility opened under new management as Dalton's Broadway Theatre. In 1924, officials renamed the building the Arcade Theatre following the newly-constructedSpring Arcade next door.[8]
Following a $100,000 renovation designed by architect Oscar N. Land that featured "every new feature of theater construction available", the Arcade Theatre reopened on April 30, 1927, with a showing of theDorothy Davenport filmThe Red Kimono.[9][10] The theater reopened under the management of Principal Theaters Corporation.[8]
On July 30, 1932, the Dalton brothers reopened the Arcade Theatre as aburlesque house advertised as having "youth and beauty, massive scenic settings, elaborate costuming, a cycle of spectacular chorus song and dance numbers".[11]
With the rise in popularity ofnews cinemas at the time, the Arcade Theatre operated as the Telenews Theatre from August to November 1941. It later operated as the Teleview Theatre, another operation that ceased in favor of regular movie programming.[8]
The Arcade's final operator,Metropolitan Theatres, ran it as agrindhouse. On March 20, 1991, the city of Los Angeles designated the building aHistoric-Cultural Monument, along with the neighboringCameo andRoxie theaters. In 1992, Metropolitan closed the Arcade Theatre. It has since been converted to retail use in the lobby space; the auditorium remains intact and unused.[8]
Morgan and Walls designed the Arcade Theatre in theBeaux-Arts style, specifically designed to imitate the look and feel of an English music hall. The stonework on the facade still bears the original venue name, Pantages. The inaugural auditorium configuration sat 1,400 people between the orchestra, balcony, gallery, and box sections. The original setting featured a mural above theproscenium arch until it was painted over.[8]
S. Charles Lee designed renovations that took place between 1937 and 1938 that included a new marquee, modernized lobby, and the removal of the box seating. At this time, theater officials decided to close the upper gallery section due to poor sightlines, reducing capacity to 800.[8]