Downtown Independent
 | |
 | |
 | |
| Former names |
|
|---|---|
| Address | 251 S. Main Street Los Angeles, CA |
| Coordinates | 34°03′01″N 118°14′44″W / 34.0502°N 118.2456°W |
| Capacity | 500 (1924), 222 (2007) |
| Screens | 1 |
| Construction | |
| Built | October 1924 |
| Opened | 1924 (as Arrow Theater) |
| Renovated | December 1, 2007 |
| Closed | March 17, 2020 |
| Years active | 1924–c. 1980, 2007–2020 |
| Architect |
|
| General contractor | A.A. Laisy & Co. (1924) |
| Website | |
| downtownindependent | |
The Downtown Independent (formerly the ImaginAsian Center) was a one screen theater and cinema located at 251 S. Main Street in the Little Tokyo area of Los Angeles, California.[1][2] It was operated by the Downtown Independent and owned by Orange County, California's Cinema Properties Group. The venue is slightly less than 10,000 square feet (930 m2) and had stadium seating for 222.
Film premieres at the theater include The Miracle Song, Goodbye Promise and Regular Show: The Movie.
History[edit]
Early years (1924–1945)[edit]
The first theater on the site of the current Downtown Independent opened in 1924 as the Arrow Theater.[3] The original owner, George Carpenter, had commissioned John E. Kunst to design a picture theater. The building included a pipe organ, two stores and auditorium seating for 500.[4]
Under a new manager, Frank Fouce, the theater began to focus on Latin American films in the late 1930s.[5] It was renamed on March 24, 1940 to the Azteca (later Aztec).[6]
The Aztec hosted burlesque shows in 1941 and 1942.[5][3]
The Linda Lea (1945–1980s)[edit]
The theater was renamed to the Linda Lea Theater in 1945.[6] During this period, it focused on Japanese films and was especially popular in the 1960s.[3]
By the early 1980s, the Linda Lea was declining, due to competition from nearby Japanese theaters and availability of Japanese programming on television and tapes. The theater closed and the building was bought by the Metropolitan News-Enterprise for use as an archive, but it fell into disuse and began to decay.[3]
Renovation and reopening (2005–2020)[edit]
Cinema Properties Group purchased the theatre in 2005,[3] and following extensive renovations which incorporated some walls from the original theatre, it opened as the ImaginAsian Center in 2007 and was rebranded as the Downtown Independent in 2008. It closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6][7][8][3]
Gallery[edit]
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Linda Lea Theater (2006) -
Interior (2013)
References[edit]
- ^ Harl, Thomas; er (September 9, 2016). "21 Movie Theaters in L.A. You Need to Experience Before You Die". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ "Downtown Independent Theater". downtownla.com. Downtown LA. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Pierson, David (March 3, 2007). "Curtain rises again in Little Tokyo". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ "[untitled]". Southwest Builder & Contractor. October 17, 1924 [September 14, 1924]. p. 52, col. 1 – via Los Angeles Public Library card catalog.
Architect John Kunst[...]is completing plans for a theater and store building to be erected at 251 South Main St for George Carpenter; it will have an auditorium to seat about 500 people and two stores; Reinforced concrete[...]
- ^ a b Counter, Bill. "Linda Lea / Downtown Independent". Los Angeles Theaters. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Linda Lea Theatre in Los Angeles, CA - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ Hill, Leonard (March 22, 2013). "Dorfman Does Downtown". Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ "Downtown Independent in Los Angeles, CA - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
