Home > California > Whittier > Whittier Theatre, 11602-11612 East Whittier Boulevard, Whittier, Los Angeles County, CA
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Item Title
Whittier Theatre, 11602-11612 East Whittier Boulevard, Whittier, Los Angeles County, CA
Location11602-11612 East Whittier Boulevard,
Whittier, CA
Find maps of Whittier, CA
Created/Published
Documentation compiled after 1933.
Notes
Survey number HABS CA-2291
Unprocessed field note material exists for this structure (FN-146).
Significance: The Whittier Theatre was the largest and most elaborate movie theater complex in Whittier. It was significant as an example of a local architect's interpretation both of the prevailing trend toward grand-scale movie palace construction and of the enormous popularity of the Spanish colonial architectural style in Southern California in the early 20th century. It was one of few motion picture theaters to have incorporated "atmospheric" effects in the auditorium lighting to simulate sunset, moving clouds, and a starlit sky. Its tower was a local landmark, visible even from the Interstate 605 freeway, more than a mile to the west. For decades, the theater and its adjacent shops were part of the cultural life not only of Whittier but of the adjoining local communities as well. Throughout its history, the theater reflected national trends in family entertainment. Built during the era of the transition from vaudeville and silent films to "talkies," the theater experienced its golden years in the decades of the 1930s and 1940s, declining with the growing popularity of television and video rentals.
Collection
Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)
Contents
Photograph caption(s):
1. March. WHITTIER BOULEVARD ELEVATION
2. March. WHITTIER BOULEVARD AND GRETNA AVENUE ELEVATION
3. February. EAST SIDE OF WHITTIER BOULEVARD ELEVATION
4. February. WEST SIDE OF WHITTIER BOULEVARD ELEVATION
5. February. EXTERIOR OF CURVED WEST WALL
6. February. MIDBUILDING/WEST ELEVATION AND TOP OF TOWER
7. February. WEST SIDE OF REAR UP TO FRONT
8. February. BACK OF AUDITORIUM
9. February. LONG VIEW OF EAST ELEVATION
10. February. EAST SIDE OF TOWER, SHOWING SIGN FRONT AND SIDE OF EAST MARKET AREA
11. February. INTERIOR COURTYARD- FRONT DOORS AND PART OF BALCONY
12. February. FRONT DOOR AND BOX OFFICE
13. March. CLOSE VIEW OF FRONT DOORS
14. February. COURTYARD, WEST SIDE ARCHWAYS
15. February. BALCONY AND TOWER, FROM COURT YARD
16. February. INSIDE COURTYARD, STAIRCASE TO WEST OF BOX OFFICE
17. February. DETAIL OF IRON GRILLS OVER FRONT DOORS
18. February. DETAIL OF WEST COURTYARD WALL
19. February. THEATER AUDITORIUM, SHOWING WEST WALL
20. March. THEATER AUDITORIUM, SHOWING EAST WALL
21. March. THEATER AUDITORIUM, FROM FRONT TO FOYER DOORS, SHOWING WEST WALL
22. March. THEATER AUDITORIUM, FROM FRONT TO FOYER DOORS, SHOWING EAST WALLS
23. February. WEST WALL OF AUDITORIUM, TOWARD FRONT
24. February. EAST WALL OF AUDITORIUM SHOWING ARCHED DOORWAY
25. February. TILE WINDOW PATTERN TOWARD REAR OF WEST WALL OF AUDITORIUM
26. February. TILE WINDOW PATTERN TOWARD REAR OF EAST WALL OF AUDITORIUM
27. February. FOYER, LOOKING EAST
28. March. FOYER, LOOKING WEST
29. March. RESTROOM DOOR OFF OF FOYER
30. February. DETAIL OF KEYHOLE WINDOW IN EAST WALL OF COURTYARD, FROM INTERIOR
31. February. DETAIL OF TILE PLANTER AT BASE OF ARCHES, WEST WALL OF COURTYARD
32. February. STAIRWAY INSIDE FORMER CAFE AREA, WITH EARLY CARPET
33. March. DETAIL OF METAL WORK ON AISLE SUPPORTS
34. ARCHITECT DAVID S. BUSHNELL'S RENDERING OF THE WHITTIER BOULEVARD ELEVATION OF THE WHITTIER THEATRE, 1928
35. AERIAL VIEW OF THE WHITTIER THEATRE COMPLEX, C. 1940
36. POSTCARD OF THE WHITTIER THEATRE COMPLEX, c. 1940
37. ROOF PLAN AND PLOT PLAN OF THEATER, CAFE AND MARKET BUILDINGS
38. PLAN OF FLOOR AND GRADE LEVELS OF THEATER, CAFE AND MARKET BUILDINGS
39. FRONT ELEVATION OF THEATER
40. WEST AND REAR ELEVATION OF THEATER
41. FLOOR PLANS AND ELEVATIONS OF CAFE BUILDING
42. FLOOR PLAN AND ELEVATIONS OF MARKET BUILDING
43. FLOOR PLAN AND ELEVATIONS OF CAFE BUILDING
44. REAR ELEVATION AND TYPICAL CROSS SECTION OF THEATER AUDITORIUM
45. ELEVATIONS OF FOYER
46. ELEVATION AND DETAIL OF PROSCENIUM ARCH AND STAGE FLOOR
47. ELEVATIONS OF SIDE WALLS OF AUDITORIUM
48. FOUNDATION PLAN AND FOOTING DETAILS OF PROSCENIUM ARCH
49. BASEMENT FLOOR PLAN
50. THEATER FLOOR PLAN
51. AUDITORIUM FLOOR PLAN
52. DETAILS OF AUDITORIUM FLOOR
53. DOOR AND WINDOW SCHEDULE
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