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Mason Opera House

The building in 1910
Address	127 S. Broadway Los Angeles
Coordinates	34°03′13″N 118°14′47″W / 34.0535°N 118.2464°W / 34.0535; -118.2464
Capacity	1650 then 1552 then 1400
Construction
Opened	June 8, 1903
Renovated	1924 or 1927
Closed	1955
Demolished	1956
Architect	Benjamin Howard Marshall Meyer and Holler (renovation)

Mason Opera House, also known as Mason Theatre, was a theater located in downtown Los Angeles. It was the leading live theater in Los Angeles for decades.

History

Mason Opera house was designed by Benjamin Howard Marshall in association with John B. Parkinson and opened on June 8, 1903. Its capacity was originally reported to be 1650, then 1552, then 1400. The building's original lessee was Harold Wyatt.

Upon opening, the theater became the leading live theater in the city. A sample of the theater's early performances include: the Richard J. Jose Minstrels on August 25, 1903, the comic opera The Free Lance by John Philip Sousa in March 1907, a four-night engagement with Sara Bernhardt in 1911, the Broadway musical The Pink Lady in March 2012, and the De Koven Opera Company production of Robin Hood and seven Stratford-upon-Avon Players productions in March 2014.

In 1920, the theater was owned by A. L. Erlanger, who renamed it Erlanger's Mason Theatre, with Frank Wyatt as manager and Charles Frohman, Klaw and Erlanger, and Oliver Morosco as lessees. The theater was remodeled by Meyer and Holler in the 1920s and leased to RKO in 1930. In the 1930s, the theater was the site of numerous Federal Theatre Project productions.

Frank Fouce took over and renamed the theater Fouce's Mason Theatre in 1937. In 1945, the theater started showing Mexican films, and in 1954, the theater was sold to the state, who closed it in 1955 and tore it down in 1956.

Architecture and design

Mason Opera House was about four stories tall and contained six buttresses that provided structural support. The roof was made of a fancy tile that formed ridges, similar to but more noticeable than Spanish tile.

Inside, the lobby featured a fountain and the theater featured an orchestra and two balcony levels. The upper balcony could only be accessed from the rear of the building and wasn't used in the theater's final decades.

References

1. ^ "Early Los Angeles Historical Buildings (1900 - 1925)". Water and Power Associates. p. 2. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
2. ^ Gabel, William. "Mason Theatre". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
3. ^ Michelson, Alan. "Mason Opera House, Downtown, Los Angeles, CA". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
4. "Image / Exterior view of the Mason Opera House, on Broadway, ca.1908". University of California - Calisphere. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
5. "Lobby fountain, Mason Opera House". Los Angeles Public Library Digital Collection. Retrieved December 12, 2024.

• Former cinemas and movie theaters in Los Angeles
• Demolished theatres in Los Angeles
• 1900s architecture in the United States
• Theatres completed in 1903
• 1903 establishments in California
• 1955 disestablishments in California
• Buildings and structures demolished in 1956