Golden Gate Theater

The theater seated nearly 1,500 people and was located at one of the major intersections on the east side of Los Angeles, at the corner of Whittier and Atlantic Boulevards. The theater was built by Peter Snyder, known as the "Father of the East Side," The theater was originally located in the courtyard of the L-shaped Vega Building, a retail structure that wrapped around the theater. The Vega Building was known for its four-story octagon tower. Los Angeles County records describing the basis for the landmark designation describe the complex as one with "a sense of time and place. The majority of its structural features, including its conformation, detailing and decorative elements, have been unaltered. As a result, the building has clearly retained a sense of architectural integrity and original design." ==Closure and earthquake damage==

The theater stopped showing movies in 1986, and in 1987 the Vega Building was damaged in the Whittier Narrows earthquake. One writer notes that the remaining shell "only hints at what this theater was like in its heyday." ==Preservation battles==

The property has been vacant and the subject of attempted demolitions for many years. When the Whittier earthquake damaged the Vega Building, demolition efforts accelerated. County inspectors declared the building unsafe for occupancy, and businesses operating in the building, including a jewelry store, a shoe repair shop, and a bowling alley, were evicted. In 1992, the Vega Building was razed, and in 1994, the family that had owned the property for 20 years sought to have the building removed from the National Register of Historic Places to clear the way for potential demolition of the theater. The Mothers of East Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Conservancy fought the demolition plans. The Conservancy noted that the theatre was one of fewer than two dozen buildings in Los Angeles in the Spanish Churrigueresque style. In 2003, the property was acquired by M&A Gabaee, an affiliate of the Charles Co. Rumors spread that the new owner planned to convert the property into a Walgreens Drug Store. A representative of the owner told the Los Angeles Times: "We're in negotiations so everything is preliminary. We plan to keep the structure. The building is absolutely gorgeous. We want to maintain that but we also want to find what's going to work. We're looking forward to rejuvenating it." Preservationists expressed concerns that the new plans would preserve the outer shell of the building but gut or significantly alter the building's interior. In particular, concerns were raised that the theatre's soaring interior and proscenium arch would be replaced with a dropped ceiling. On May 25, 2010, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the conversion of the theater into a 24-hour drug store. It opened as a CVS on August 19, 2012. ==See also==