Los Angeles real estate developer
William May Garland commissioned a new office building and theater in 1909; although most theaters at the time were located on
Main Street, he chose a site on
Broadway, making it an early part of the
eventual theater district there. Local architects
Morgan and Walls drafted plans for the structure in November 1909. On
New Year's Day 1910, the
Los Angeles Times reported that construction was ready to commence with an expected $150,000 cost and a 15-year, $400,000 lease agreement signed by
vaudeville impresario
Alexander Pantages. Work began on the building in March. The Pantages Theatre opened on September 26, 1910, the 33rd facility to be added to the Pantages vaudeville circuit. Two full-capacity audiences gave positive reviews for a composite show that featured "The Yalto duo, whirlwind dancers; Maurice Burkhart, singing comedian and impersonator; Lelliott Brothers, woh present an interesting instrumental act; MacLean and Bryant in a clever little dramatic sketch called '17-20 in the Black;'
Sophie Tucker, coon shouter, and Barnold's dog and monkey actors, one of the most interesting animal acts seen in Los Angeles in many days." A. J. Louis purchased the first ticket and later presented it to Pantages as a memento. Pantages circuit veteran J. O. Chaney served as the inaugural stage manager. In 1915, the theater installed an electric scoreboard to provide updates on
the World Series between the
Boston Red Sox and
Philadelphia Phillies during matinee hours. In August 1920, Alexander Pantages opened a
new Pantages Theatre on 7th Street, keeping the original Broadway venue open until December 1921 when it temporarily closed for a
photoplayer installation. Afterwards, the facility opened under new management as Dalton's Broadway Theatre. In 1924, officials renamed the building the Arcade Theatre following the newly-constructed
Spring Arcade next door. Following a $100,000 renovation designed by architect Oscar N. Land that featured "every new feature of theater construction available", the Arcade Theatre reopened on April 30, 1927, with a showing of the
Dorothy Davenport film
The Red Kimono. The theater reopened under the management of Principal Theaters Corporation. With the rise in popularity of
news cinemas at the time, the Arcade Theatre operated as the Telenews Theatre from August to November 1941. It later operated as the Teleview Theatre, another operation that ceased in favor of regular movie programming. The Arcade's final operator,
Metropolitan Theatres, ran it as a
grindhouse. On March 20, 1991, the city of Los Angeles designated the building a
Historic-Cultural Monument, along with the neighboring
Cameo and
Roxie theaters. In 1992, Metropolitan closed the Arcade Theatre. It has since been converted to retail use in the lobby space; the auditorium remains intact and unused. ==Architecture==