PCAD - United Artists Theatre, El Centro, CA

721 West Main Street
El Centro, CA 92243-2921

OpenStreetMap (new tab)

Google Map (new tab)

Google Streetview (new tab)

The team of Clifford A. Balch (1880-1963) and Walker and Eisen combined to design the 1,179-seat, single-screen Crest Theatre in El Centro, CA. These two firms collaborated on many movie theatre designs throughout Southern CA.

The building had the pronounced Art Deco-influenced, superimposed layers of vertical pilasters and symmetrical composition seen in other designs by Balch and Eisen and Walker.

In 1952, the Fox West Coast exhibition chain took the United Artists over and set about remodeling it; in the process, Fox West Coast renamed it the "Crest," relaunching it in 06/1952. By c. 1980, it became the "Valley Cinemas 4-5-6" before discontinuing operations in 1999.

PCAD id: 11823

Publications

Livernois, Joe, Hetzel the Photographer : Impressions of Imperial Valley, 30, 1982. "Many Playhouses Built", Los Angeles Times, D1, 09/13/1931. "United Artists Theatre 06/19/1931, El Centro, CA", Southwest Builder and Contractor, 56, 06/19/1931. "United Artists Theatre 03/11/1932, El Centro, CA", Southwest Builder and Contractor, 41, col 3, 03/11/1932. "United Artists Theatre 06/05/1931, El Centro, CA", Southwest Builder and Contractor, 53, col 1, 06/05/1931. "United Artists Theatre 01/15/1932, El Centro, CA", Southwest Builder and Contractor, 60, col 2, 01/15/1932. "United Artists Theatre 12/11/1931, El Centro, CA", Southwest Builder and Contractor, 49, col 1, 12/11/1931.

Links

United Artists Theatre El Centro, CA

United Artists Theatre, El Centro, CA (1930-1931)

Publications

Links