The Majestic Crest, Los Angeles - a photo on Flickriver

The Majestic Crest, 1262 Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024 United States.

The Majestic Crest in Westwood, Los Angeles, was first constructed in 1941 by Frances Seymour Fonda, the second wife of Henry Fonda and mother of Peter and Jane Fonda. Architect was Arthur W. Hawes. Originally intended as a showcase for live theater, the onset of World War II brought with it the need for a venue where local residents could watch newsreels about the battles happening overseas. It was taken over by the independent circuit Dietrich & Feldstein and became a movie theatre, re-named UCLAN Theatre, named after the initials of the nearby University of California at Los Angeles (better known today as UCLA). The UCLAN Theatre was renamed Crest Theatre in the mid-1950's.

The theatre was renovated by the owners Sterling Recreation Organisation in May 1983, reopening as the Metro Theatre on June 3, 1983, with new seats, 70mm projection and Dolby sound. By the summer of 1988 Cineplex-Odeon were operating the building and it was again renamed Crest Theatre. But when Pacific Theatres took control, it was renamed the Pacific Crest and in conjunction with the Disney Organisation, a complete renovation was carried out by theatre interior designer Joseph Musil, who had worked on the restoration of the El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood. The auditorium walls were now decorated with a diorama of Hollywood landmarks in an Art Deco atmospheric style, made even more spectacular by the clever use of 'black-light'. In the ceiling a star system was installed, and when the show starts, a 'shooting star' flies across the ceiling of the theatre and explodes in a little shimmer of stardust as the screen curtains open.

But more renovations were needed. The auditorium was reconfigured, the screen was brought forward, new curtains were put up, a new marquee was designed, and the wall cyclorama was assembled. After all of these updates, the Bette Midler-Lily Tomlin comedy Big Business debuted at the Crest. By 2002, sagging box office returns and an overzealous landowner almost brought an end to the magic. The cinema was in danger of being converted into an adult film venue, a swap meet site, or a church. In the face of these events, a single-screen theatre owner from the community, Robert Bucksbaum, purchased the building and arranged to take over theatre operations from Pacific in January 2003. He renamed it the Majestic Crest Theatre. On May 14, 2008, the Majestic Crest Theatre was desiginated an Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles

Sources: The Westwood Crest Theatre and Cinema Treasures.

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Taken in: United States / California / Los Angeles / Little Persia (show map)

Taken on: August 3, 2010

Tags:

Crest

Los Angeles

Bioscoop

Kino

Theatre

Theater

USA

Architecture

Majestic Crest

Majestic

Arthur W. Hawes

Joseph Musil

Westwood

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Camera: Panasonic DMC-TZ7, f/5.6, 1/800 sec, 5.7mm, ISO 80 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-TZ7
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/800)
Focal Length:	5.7mm
ISO:	80
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Landscape
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Ver.1.2
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