Since 1925, the Alex Theatre has been a fixture on Brand Boulevard in Glendale and 82 years later is still going strong. It initially first opened its doors as part Vaudeville Theater and part motion picture theater. During the late 20s through to the 50s, the Alex served as more of a preview house for major Hollywood movie releases, so quite a few glamorous movie stars made their way to the Alex.
In terms of architecture, the Alex features Egyptian and Greek motifs, but in the 1940s, Charles Lee, a famous movie theater designer, added a 100 foot tall Art Deco neon tower with a spiked starburst at the top, which is still there to this day.
Another thing that makes the Alex Theatre unique is that it's an "atmospheric theater." According to the Alex Theater website:
"The auditorium of the theatre is designed as an "atmospherium" with an open air illusion enhanced by the stage-set wall encircling the auditorium, creating the feeling of being enclosed in an ancient garden."
So why am I telling you all this? Well, because I want to encourage you to take a tour of the Alex Theatre like I've done in the past and what better way than to give you some tidbits of information? :) Tours are offered twice a year and are FREE. Now how can you go wrong with a FREE tour?
On the tour, you'll learn more about the history about the Alex as well as visit parts of this historic theater, not normally open to the public like the dressing rooms, the projector room, etc. With eateries close by, you can make an afternoon of with it with lunch at one of the local restaurants. Now that's a nice way to spend an afternoon.
To find out tour dates and times, visit the Alex Theatre website below:
http://www.alextheatre.org/about/backstagetour.php
To see pics I took of the tour I went on, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600035496366/
As a Glendale resident and teen, I used to watch movies here when the Alex was "just" a theatre
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