The Last of the Warner Theaters

Warner Grand Theater- San Pedro

Warner Theater 1931

The Warner Grand Theater opened its doors in 1931, it was the first movie house in the South Bay, in the coastal area south west of the city center, to accommodate the talkie films.

In 194 the box office sold tickets for 25 cents to the movie "Happiness Ahead" staring movie legend Dick Powell.

The Warner Brothers;

Harry,     Albert,      Jack,           Sam

... built several ornate movie palaces in Los Angeles, but the Grand Warner Theater is the only one still showing films, and in active use.

Like its sister-theaters in Beverly Hills,

-Torn Down, despite objections from film fans and the Directors Guild

Huntington Park,

- Remolded and divided into cheap retail space

The San Pedro venue, known as the Warner Grand

The Warner Grand suffered decades of neglect and with no one to look after it, by the late 80's, it had stopped screening first run movies. Luckily the City bought the building in 1996 and following a multi-million dollar restoration and slight modification to the stage, is now used for concerts and plays year round as well.

  The new, modified stage. Can be used to screen movies, plays or concerts

The current look of the restored theater

     The Original Exterior                                       Original Interior

Unfortunately there aren't too many 'historic' theaters left in the City of Angeles, some are due for a tear down in the upcoming years. However, the Warner Grand is a wonderful example of what a restored theater could be. Retaining its original art decco L.A. architecture, while making it possible to use year round.

I hope more 'historic' theaters can be saved...