If one of the purposes of a cinema’s design is to attract the eye, then the Baldwin Theater at 3741 S. La Brea Ave in the Baldwin Hills part of Los Angeles sure fulfilled that goal. Here we see it on the night of its grand opening, August 10, 1949, when five searchlights raked the night sky. When I see a building with soaring arches like those, I think of the first McDonald’s fast food restaurant. I wonder if that’s where they got the idea. (That’s a joke, by the way. Well, mostly…)
Here is a daytime shot of the Baldwin Theater:
This is the building that now occupies that site. I kind of love how its shape echoes the theater’s curves. It’s probably a coincidence, but it’s a nice touch, nonetheless. This image is from February 2023.
Same building, but remodeled and repurposed
Architect Lewis Eugene Wilson designed the innovative structure supported by laminated wood arches.
Great memories here, for me. I lived in Baldwin Hills as a teenager (attended Audubon Junior High and Dorsey High School) in the late 50’s – early 60’s. The Baldwin Theater was our go-to place on Saturday afternoons.
Behind/adjacent to the theater is today’s Village Green (https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=175168). Up the hill was the Baldwin Hills Reservoir which failed, flooding the area below with more than200 million gallons of water (https://www.kcrw.com/culture/articles/remembering-the-baldwin-hills-dam-disaster). At the end of the block was a Hody’s restaurant (https://martinturnbull.com/2024/09/28/color-photo-of-hodys-coffee-shop-3553-s-la-brea-ave-los-angeles-1952-2/)
Thanks, PDQ!