Roxie Theatre, Cameo Theatre, and Arcade Theatre
Update – October 2018
Photo by Hunter Kerhart
The youngest and oldest historic theatres on Broadway are getting some much needed attention.
The owners of the Roxie (November 1931), Cameo (October 1910), and Arcade (September 1910) have pulled building permits to replace and repair the roof areas of all three theatres. Over the years there have been multiple roof leaks, and no further building improvements are likely to take place until the leaks have been fixed, so this is good news for these three underutilized theatres.
According to the owners, there is no new tenant on the horizon, so LAHTF will continue to bring viable prospective tenants through the three theatres as we have been doing over the past year.
About the Roxie, Cameo, and Arcade theatres
Roxie Theatre
Photo by Hunter Kerhart
The newest of all the theatres in the historic Broadway Theatre District, the Roxie opened in November 1931, built on the site of Quinn’s Superba Theatre (1914). The Roxie was designed in the Art Deco style by architect John M. Cooper, who also designed the NuWilshire Theatre in Santa Monica.
The 1,637-seat house was designed primarily for movie presentation however it was built with a stagehouse to allow for stage presentations as needed.
Metropolitan Theatres operated the theatre for many years as a Spanish language house. Currently the theatre’s lobby has been divided and is occupied by two retail units.
Cameo Theatre
Photo by Bill Counter
The Cameo originally opened as Clune’s Broadway in October 1910, designed by architect Alfred F. Rosenheim, and was renamed as the Cameo Theatre in 1924.
The Cameo never had a balcony and its seating capacity in the early days was 900, decreasing to 600 in later years.
During the 1930s the Cameo was operated by Fox West Coast, who were succeeded by Pacific Theatres and eventually Metropolitan Theatres. Before its closure in 1991, for several decades the Cameo screened quadruple-feature grindhouse movies.
The Cameo Theatre is currently used as storage space for the Broadway-facing retail unit located in its lobby space.
Arcade Theatre
Photo by Matt Lambros / After the Final Curtain
Opened in September 1910 as the Pantages Theatre, the Arcade is the oldest surviving theatre in the historic Broadway Theatre District. The theatre was designed by Morgan & Walls and was intended to be reminiscent of an English Music Hall.
The theatre was the first Los Angeles theatre to bear the name “Pantages”. Subsequent theatres bearing the Pantages name in Los Angeles were the 7th St and Hill St theatre which was later called “Warners Downtown” and which currently houses a Jewelry Mart, and the extant Pantages theatre in Hollywood.
Originally seating 1,400, capacity was later reduced to 800 through removal of the proscenium boxes and other general reductions.
Further Reading
Roxie Theatre (1931)
- Los Angeles Theatres: https://losangelestheatres.blogspot.com/2017/11/roxie-theatre.html
- Cinema Treasures: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/500
- Los Angeles Conservancy: https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/roxie-theatre
Cameo Theatre (1910)
- Los Angeles Theatres: https://losangelestheatres.blogspot.com/2018/07/cameo-theatre.html
- Cinema Treasures: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1157/
- Los Angeles Conservancy: https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/cameo-theatre
Arcade Theatre (1910)
- Los Angeles Theatres: https://losangelestheatres.blogspot.com/2018/08/arcade-theatre.html
- Cinema Treasures: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/498/
- Los Angeles Conservancy: https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/arcade-theatre
- Cinema Tour: https://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=10468
- After The Final Curtain (photo-set): https://afterthefinalcurtain.net/2018/04/27/arcade-theatre/