 The theater in 1928 | |
 Interactive map of Regency Academy Theatre | |
| Former names | Bard's Egyptian Theatre Bard's Pasadena Theatre |
|---|---|
| Address | 1003 E.Colorado Boulevard,Pasadena, California |
| Coordinates | 34°08′47″N118°07′47″W / 34.1463°N 118.1297°W /34.1463; -118.1297 |
| Type | Movie theater |
| Capacity | 1,709 originally |
| Construction | |
| Opened | June 23, 1925 |
| Renovated | 1942, 1957-1958, 1984 |
| Architect | Lewis Arthur Smith (1925) Carl Gerhardt Moeller (1957-1958) |
Regency Academy Cinemas, formerlyBard's Egyptian Theatre,Bard's Pasadena Theatre, andBard's Colorado, also known asColorado Theatre andAcademy 6, is amovie theater located at 1003 E.Colorado Boulevard inPasadena, California. Shortly after opening it was considered one of the most popular theaters in theLos Angeles area.[1]
The theater that would become Regency Academy Cinemas first opened as Bard's Egyptian Theatre on June 23, 1925. The theater was designed byLewis Arthur Smith, operated by theLouis L. Bard chainFar West Theatres, and its capacity at opening was 1,709. The opening night film wasBobbed Hair.[2]
While operated by Bard'sFar West Theatres, this theater became one of the most popular movie theaters in theLos Angeles area. It also showedPantages vaudeville acts, one of the few theaters outside thecity of Los Angeles to do so.[1]
In 1942,Fox West Coast Theaters bought the theater, renovated it, and then re-opened as Academy Cinemas on July 3, 1942.[2]Reap The Wild Wind was the theater's first screening post-remodel,[3] and the theater would go on to host numerousHollywoodpremieres throughout the 1950s.[4]
In 1957-1958 the theater underwent a $200,000 ($2.18 million in2024)Streamline Moderne remodel, done byCarl Gerhardt Moeller, and in 1984, the theater was converted to a six-theatermultiplex.[5]
The theater at one point was aMann Theatre and is currently operated byRegency Theatres as the Regency Academy Cinemas.[2][6]
The theater was originally designed in theEgyptian Revival style; however, in 1942, the theater's themed statues were covered withmurals ofmermaids and underwater scenes. In 1958, the entire theater was redesigned in theStreamline Moderne style and in the 1984, the single theater was split into six, with the theater's former grandeur hidden byplaster after the renovations were complete.[4][5]