Lido Theater (Newport Beach)

Last updated
Lido Theater
Lido Theater (Newport Beach)
Address3459 Via Lido
Newport Beach, California
U.S.
Coordinates 33°37′06″N117°55′46″W / 33.618202048705726°N 117.92939034832641°W / 33.618202048705726; -117.92939034832641
OwnerFritz Duda Company
Screens1
Construction
OpenedOctober 27, 1939;84 years ago (1939-10-27)
ArchitectClifford A. Balch

The Lido Theater (also spelled Lido Theatre) is a historic single-screen movie theater in Newport Beach, California. The Lido Theater opened in October 1939 and was designed by Clifford A. Balch in the Streamline Moderne architectural style. Edwards Theatres, Regency Theatres, and Laemmle Theatres previously operated the facility.

Contents

History

In March 1939, a new movie theater to be built near the entrance of Lido Isle was proposed with plans drafted by the Griffith Company. The projected cost of the project was US$105,000, including $15,000 to purchase the lot, $45,000 for the building, $15,000 for theater equipment, and $30,000 to create a parking lot and landscape the surrounding area. [1] On April 26, the theater's construction was permitted; an increase in planned capacity from 750 to 800 was also announced. [2]

The Lido Theater opened to the public on October 27, 1939. A popular urban legend about the theater claims it screened Jezebel as its first feature per the suggestion of Bette Davis, the film's star and a resident of nearby Corona del Mar; however, a newspaper report at the time stated that it opened with a vaudeville show titled The Colonel from Kentucky. [3] [4]

In 1989, the 50th anniversary of the Lido Theater was marked by a $250,000 renovation. The theater's ocean murals were restored with luminous paint and the exterior was repainted. [5]

On September 9, 2001, Edwards Theatres ceased its operation of the Lido Theater amidst the company's bankruptcy proceedings. The owner, the Fritz Duda Company, closed the building while searching for a new operator. [6] Regency Theatres, a movie theater chain in Southern California, signed a lease to operate the theater later that year. [7]

In June 2014, Regency Theatres' lease on the Lido Theater expired. A company called Lido Live signed a lease to operate the theater, planning to use it for both movies and live entertainment. [7]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in October 2020, the sidewalk in front of the theater and the area under its marquee were used for outdoor dining for local restaurant Fable & Spirit. The marquee sign bore the name of the restaurant and its head chef. [8]

Architecture

Architect Clifford A. Balch designed the theater in the Streamline Moderne style. The building's original facade, facing north on Via Lido, included a corner entrance with 45 foot (14 m)-tall tower and a circular marquee made of copper. [2]

The theater's original exterior color scheme has been disputed. Newspaper reports at the time of the building's opening did not mention the color and photos of it were in black and white. During the 1989 renovation, a consultant hired to test for the original color of the building determined it was light pink. In 2014, the theater's operator stated that she believed the building was originally yellow and said that some records claimed it was purple. That year, the Fritz Duda Company decided to paint the exterior taupe, causing controversy among locals and a preservation advocacy group. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashion Island</span> Shopping mall in California, U.S.

Fashion Island is an outdoor regional shopping mall in Newport Beach, California. Opened in 1967 by The Irvine Company as the anchor to their master-planned Newport Center district, Fashion Island is anchored by Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollywood Palladium</span> Theater in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an 11,200-square-foot (1,040 m2) dance floor including a mezzanine and a floor level with room for up to 4,000 people. The theater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. The Palladium was designated Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument No. 1130 on September 28, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streamline Moderne</span> Late type of the Art Deco architecture and design

Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design, it was used in railroad locomotives, telephones, toasters, buses, appliances, and other devices to give the impression of sleekness and modernity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regal Cinemas</span> Movie theater chain in the United States

Regal Cinemas is an American movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. A division of Cineworld, Regal operates the second-largest theater circuit in the United States, with 6,853 screens in 511 theaters as of December 31, 2021. The three main theatre brands operated by Regal Entertainment Group are Regal Cinemas, Edwards Theatres, and United Artists Theatres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pellissier Building and Wiltern Theatre</span> Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument

The Pellissier Building and adjoining Wiltern Theatre is a 12-story, 155-foot (47 m) Art Deco landmark at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The entire complex is commonly referred to as the Wiltern Center. Clad in a blue-green glazed architectural terra-cotta tile and situated diagonal to the street corner, the complex is considered one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the United States. The Wiltern building is owned privately, and the Wiltern Theatre is operated by Live Nation's Los Angeles division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway (Los Angeles)</span> Department stores list in Los Angeles

Broadway, until 1890 Fort Street, is a thoroughfare in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The portion of Broadway from 3rd to 9th streets, in the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles, was the city's main commercial street from the 1910s until World War II, and is the location of the Broadway Theater and Commercial District, the first and largest historic theater district listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). With twelve movie palaces located along a six-block stretch of Broadway, it is the only large concentration of movie palaces left in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uptown Theater (Minneapolis)</span> Movie theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Uptown Theatre is one of the oldest surviving theaters in the Twin Cities area. It was in active use from 1916 to 2020. The theater is planning to reopen on May 5, 2023, as a music and event venue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Million Dollar Theater</span> Spanish Colonial Revival movie palace

The Million Dollar Theatre at 307 S. Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles is one of the first movie palaces built in the United States. It opened in 1917 with the premiere of William S. Hart's The Silent Man. It's the northernmost of the collection of historical movie palaces in the Broadway Theater District and stands directly across from the landmark Bradbury Building. The theater is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Rey Theatre</span> Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument

The El Rey Theatre is a live music venue in the Miracle Mile area of the Mid-Wilshire region in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Theater, Westwood Village</span> Cinema in Los Angeles, California, US

The Regency Village Theatre is a historic, landmark cinema in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. Westwood Village, in the heart of Westwood, is near the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). It is currently operated by the Regency Theaters chain. The Westwood Village Theatre has been the site for many Hollywood movie premieres in Los Angeles. The seating capacity of the cinema is about 1,400.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Bruin Theater</span> Historic site in Los Angeles, California

The Fox Bruin Theater is a 670-seat movie palace located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, near University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). It is currently operated by Regency Theaters under the name Regency Bruin Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriental Theatre (Portland, Oregon)</span> Former theater in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Oriental Theatre was a movie theater located at 828 SE Grand Street in the East Portland commercial district of Portland, Oregon that was built in 1927. The Oriental was a 2,038-seat movie palace designed by Lee Arden Thomas and Albert Mercier. The building's exterior was in the Italian Renaissance style. The interior had an "almost surreal appearance" created by interior designer Adrien Voisin. It was built by George Warren Weatherly. Demolished in 1970, the theater was adjacent to the Weatherly Building, which remains standing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl Carroll Theatre (Los Angeles)</span> Former theater and TV studio in Hollywood, California

The Earl Carroll Theatre was a historic stage facility located at 6230 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built by showman Earl Carroll and designed in the Streamline Moderne style by architect Gordon Kaufmann in 1938. The theatre has been known by a number of names since, including Moulin Rouge from 1953 to 1964 and the Aquarius Theater in the 1960s and 1970s. From 1997 to 2017, it was officially known as Nickelodeon on Sunset, housing the West Coast production of live-action original series produced for the Nickelodeon cable channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tower Theatre (Fresno, California)</span>

The Tower Theatre for the Performing Arts is a historic Streamline Moderne mixed-use theater in Fresno, California. Built in 1939, it opened to the public on December 15, 1939, under the management of Fox West Coast Theater Corporation. The building was designed by S. Charles Lee, with its tower inspired by the "Star Pylon" at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The theater underwent a renovation and reopened as a performing arts center in 1990, after being closed as a repertory cinema in 1989 due to financial troubles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walker & Eisen</span>

Walker & Eisen (1919−1941) was an architectural partnership of architects Albert R. Walker and Percy A. Eisen in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fonda Theatre</span> Concert venue in Los Angeles, California

The Fonda Theatre is a concert venue located on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style, the 31,000-square-foot (2,900 m2) theater has hosted live events, films, and radio broadcasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saban Building</span> Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument

The Saban Building, formerly the May Company Building, on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles, is a celebrated example of Streamline Moderne architecture. The building's architect Albert C. Martin, Sr., also designed the Million Dollar Theater and Los Angeles City Hall. The May Company Building is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. The building was operated as a May Company department store from 1939 until the store's closure in 1992, when May merged with J. W. Robinson's to form Robinsons-May. The building has been the home of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures since 2021.

The De Anza Theatre is an office building and former theatre with approximately 800 seats located at 4225 Market Street in Riverside, California in the United States. The De Anza was designed circa 1937 by Fox West Coast theater architect S. Charles Lee and constructed circa 1938 by local Riverside builder T.C. Prichard. Southern California-based Lee had "one of the most celebrated and prolific careers" in the history of theatre design; the De Anza is the only Lee building in Riverside. Architectural photographer Julius Shulman shot the Streamline Moderne-style building at the time of opening; Shulman "did not merely document significant architecture, but interpreted it, becoming one of the most important and influential architectural photographers in history."

The Fairfax Theatre is a mixed-use Art Deco style building constructed in 1930. The building is located in Los Angeles' Fairfax District on the northwest corner of Fairfax Ave, and Beverly Blvd. In 2021, the Fairfax Theatre was added to the list of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments, and declared eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The building is recognized both for its importance to the Jewish heritage of the Fairfax district as well as for its Art Deco architecture.

References

  1. "Twelve City Lots to be Beautiful". The Register . Santa Ana, California. March 10, 1939. Retrieved December 29, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 "Permit Let for $75,000 Theater". The Register. Santa Ana, California. April 27, 1939. Retrieved December 29, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  3. Chang, Richard (April 26, 2018). "Lido Theater in Newport Beach celebrates 80 years" . Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  4. "Discovery Day at Newport Observed". The Register. Santa Ana, California. October 28, 1939. Retrieved December 29, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 Foxhall, Emily (September 4, 2014). "Lido Theater's new color has some residents seeing red" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  6. Earnest, Leslie (September 11, 2001). "Lido Theater Closes; New Operator Is Sought" . Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Foxhall, Emily (June 4, 2014). "New company set to take over Lido Theatre" . Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  8. Valdespino, Anne (October 19, 2020). "Why Fable & Spirit is on the marquee at the Lido Theater in Newport". The Orange County Register. Southern California News Group. Retrieved December 29, 2023.