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Lewis Arthur Smith (1869–1958) was an American architect who designed many theaters in the Los Angeles area, most notably the Vista, El Portal, and Highland in Los Angeles, the Rialto in South Pasadena, and the Ventura in Ventura.

Biography

Lewis Arthur Smith was born in Ohio in 1869 to German parents. He had one sister three years his elder.

By 1910, Smith was living in Los Angeles. In 1914, he married F. W. Smith, however she died sometime between 1920 and 1930. Smith was living with his sister in 1930 and he died in 1958.

Career

Smith worked extensively with Bard's and Fox West Coast Theatres in the 1920s, and designed approximately forty theaters in total. He was a partner with William Pennell in 1920.

Smith's notable theaters (in Los Angeles unless otherwise noted) include:

• T and D Hippodrome Theatre, Taft, California (1917-1918, destroyed by fire in 1950)
• Casino Theatre (1921)
• Circle Theatre (1921)
• Tivoli Theatre (1921)
• Wilshire Theatre (1921)
• Rivoli Theatre (1921-1922)

• Bard's Hollywood Theatre, also known as Vista Theatre (1923)
• Carmel (or Paris) Theatre, West Hollywood, California (1924, demolished by fire in 1976)
• Bard's Egyptian Theatre, Pasadena, California (1924-1925)
• Bard's West Adams Theatre (1924-1925)
• Fox Uptown Theatre (1924-1925)
• Beverly Theatre, Beverly Hills, California (1924-1925, demolished 2005)
• Manchester Theatre (1924-1925)

• Rialto Theatre, South Pasadena, California (1924-1925), National Register of Historic Places #78000700
• West Coast Theatre, San Bernardino, California (1924-1925)
• Bard's 8th Street Theatre (1925)
• Highland Theatre (1925), Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #549

• El Portal Theatre (1925-1926), Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #573
• Granada Theatre, Ontario, California
• Ritz Theatre (1926, demolished 1977)
• West Coast Redlands Theatre, Redlands, California (1927-1928)
• Ventura Theatre, Ventura, California (1928), National Register of Historic Places #86003523
• West Coast Riverside Theatre, Riverside, California (1928-1929)

Other buildings designed by Smith (all in Los Angeles) include:

• West Adams Gardens (1920), Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #297
• Jessie D'Arche Apartments (1920)
• Harry M. Belden Store Building (1920-1921)
• Lilly-Fletcher Building (1921)
• Paige Agency Auto Dealership (1924)
• Villa Elaine (1925), Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #675
• Withers Residence (1926), Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #648

See also

• List of American architects
• List of people from Los Angeles

References

1. ^ Michelson, Alan. "Lewis Arthur Smith (Architect)". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
2. Gaines, Seth. "Fox Theatre Taft". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
3. Gabel, William. "Paris Theatre". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
4. "Beverly Theatre (Demolished)". Los Angeles Conservancy. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
5. "Rialto Theatre". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. May 24, 1978.
6. ^ "Historical-Cultural Monument Application - Villa Elaine" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. January 18, 2000.
7. Gabel, William. "Granada Theatre". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
8. "Ritz Theatre (Demolished)". Los Angeles Conservancy. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
9. Chappell, John. "Fox Ritz Theatre". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
10. "Ventura Theatre". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. December 29, 1986.
11. "Villa Elaine - Man Ray Residence". City of Los Angeles. 2000.
12. "Withers Residence". City of Los Angeles. 1997.

• 1869 births
• 1958 deaths
• 20th-century American architects
• Architects from Los Angeles