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History
The
Raymond Theatre was designed by notable Pasadena architect Cyril Bennett
(1891-1957). The majority of construction took place between 1920 and 1921,
supervised by Pasadena contractor William Crowell. The Raymond was the built in
a rare Adams and Beaux Arts style, with indoor fountains, spiral ramps leading
to the mezzanine, orchestra balconies and intricate auditorium and lobby detail.
The
grand opening of Jensen's Raymond Theatre was held on April 5, 1921, with a gala
vaudeville performance. It was heralded as one of the great legitimate theatres
on the West Coast, which presented the top vaudeville performers of its day.
With a 2000-seat capacity, The Raymond Theatre was packing them in, with three
shows a day, including a matinee, afternoon and late performances running daily.
The
second phase of the Raymond Theatre's life began on February 13, 1948 when
Jensen's Theatre Corporation sold The Raymond Theatre to The Crown Holding
Corporation and it was reopened as The Crown Theatre. From 1948 to 1974,
the Raymond was Pasadena's premier movie house. As stated by the local Pasadena
Star News, "The size of the Crown movie theatre put it in a class of its
own, to rival only Grauman’s Chinese, The Los Angeles, Lowes State and the
Million Dollar theatres in Los Angeles and Hollywood."
In
1976 Bruce E. Barkis acquired The Crown Theatre under a lease-purchase agreement
with the owners, who were the Crown Holding Corporation. Though movies were
still being shown, live performances were also popular. The Crown continued to
present live plays, music and movies and many joint productions were presented
with civic, business and educational organizations. For
more on the Raymond Theatre go to:
www.RaymondTheatre.com
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My involvement at the
Raymond Theatre was the plaster repair in the exterior Box Office area, under
the Marquee. This section had been modernized in the 1940's with a drop
ceiling and false walls. Returning it to its original beauty, I made molds to replace the missing
ornamentation.
The Center Box Office window on both sides was missing it's classic pediment. I carved these out of
water-based clay, made a mold then installed
them in cast plaster. Also, I ran a 30' x 6" plaster
piece of molding along the entrance wall, which has a slight curve to it. |
