In 1922, RKO opened their Hillstreet Theater at 801 S. Hill St on the southwest corner of 8th St. It operated as both a movie theater and a vaudeville house and lasted until the summer of 1965. Normally, I’d be showing photos of the theater, but this shot is more memorable. Prior to the theater’s demolition, the marquee read: “Critics acclaim return engagement – Fresh from smash hit at Biltmore – Cleveland Wrecking Co. – Brings down the house.” While it’s a grand shame that LA had to lose what had been a gorgeous theater, at least someone had a pretty good sense of humor about it, and I’m glad we’ve now got this photo.
Bill C. said: “RKO didn’t build the place in 1922. It was the Orpheum circuit. RKO didn’t exist until 1929 when Joe Kennedy did a quick mashup of Radio Corporation of America with the recently merged combine of the Keith-Albee vaudeville circuit and Orpheum.”
This is how the building looked that summer in 1965:
This is how that marquee looked at night in 1933:
This is how the theater looked when it opened in 1922:
And this is how that corner looked in June 2024:
Those Shake Shacks seem to be everywhere. There are a lot of buildings in L.A. lately that are being painted gray, usually dark, and to me that color does not at all suit this city. Around 15 years ago it seemed every building was being painted a, what I called, diarrhea color.
Although yesterday I walked up a street I occasionally do, past a two story apartment building that is, and has been for years, painted a cantaloupe melon color. What is new is that the slightly larger apartment building next door to it was now painted a deep watermelon color. The sun was blazing down on them and it was just beautiful!
Always got a good chuckle when someone in a boringly bland neighborhood decided their house needed to be coated in a “forever Heliotrope” paint job. Of course, I always do appreciate a purple Merc’. Maroon is passable.
Criminal