Saturday: Special Members-Only Tour for Cameo and Arcade Theatres
Eric Richardson
[Flickr]
The 500-block of Broadway includes next-door neighbors the Cameo and Arcade theatres.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — UPDATE (Friday, 6pm): Saturday's tour has been cancelled due to logistics issues. "All About" will return July 25.
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation's "All About" series continues tomorrow with tours of Broadway's Cameo and Arcade theatres. Because both venues are currently functioning as electronic shops' warehouses, this tour is limited to those who are members of the non-profit theatre organization. They'd be happy to let you join, though.
The tour will meet at the Exchange, 114 W. 5th. Theatre historian Ed Kelsey will present a history of the two venues, both opened in 1910.
The Cameo, opened as Clune's Broadway, was the longest continuously operating movie theater in California. It played for 85 years, finally shutting its doors in 1995.
The Arcade opened ten days earlier, originally known as the Pantages, part of the similarly-named chain of vaudeville houses. The theatre became the Arcade in 1928, and was wired for sound in 1930.
More information about the LAHTF can be found on the group's website. Membership is $25.
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Scott M on June 19, 2009, at 01:00PM – #1
Thanks for helping to spread the word on these tours. I've been on 3 or 4 of these now, and they're totally fascinating! Kudos to the LAHTF (and the LA Conservancy) for their inspired efforts to help preserve these gems...