Huntridge Theater

Huntridge Theater sometimes known as the Huntridge Performing Arts Theater is a Streamline Moderne building located in Las Vegas, Nevada that is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. The building was designed by S. Charles Lee.

Huntridge Theater
Huntridge Theater in 2018
Location1208 E. Charleston Blvd.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Coordinates36°9′29.21″N 115°8′10.57″W
Area2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built1943
Built byPioneer Construction Co.
ArchitectLee, S. Charles
Architectural styleModerne; International
NRHP reference No.93000686[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 22, 1993

First opened as a cinema, the theater also hosted stage performances and was a concert venue in its last years.

History

Construction began with a ground breaking announcement in the Las Vegas Review Journal on April 6, 1944. The theater opened on October 10, 1944.[2] It was operated by the Commonwealth Theater Company of Las Vegas, and later the Huntridge Theater Company of Las Vegas. Both companies were headed by Thomas Oakey of Las Vegas. The Huntridge Theater Company, which took ownership in 1951, was partially owned by actresses Loretta Young and Irene Dunne. The theater was built on land which had been owned by international business magnate Leigh S. J. Hunt, before he left it to his son Henry Leigh Hunt in 1933. The Huntridge Theater and the surrounding Huntridge subdivision are named after the Hunt family.

The theater is said to have been the first non-segregated theater in Las Vegas.[3]

The theater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.[1]

On July 28, 1995, the punk rock group Circle Jerks were to perform at the theater. Several hours before they were to arrive, the roof of the theater collapsed. There were no serious injuries.[4] Lead singer Keith Morris would later comment, "As soon as we got there, we were told that the roof had collapsed and the show was canceled. We didn't have anywhere else to go, so we just set up our equipment in the parking lot and played for the 30 or 40 people who were still there."[5]

While attempting to save the theater, it was operated by the non-profit Friends of the Huntridge Theatre, Inc. which dissolved in 2002.[6]

The Huntridge Theater closed on July 31, 2004, almost 60 years after it opened.

The property is controlled by the Mizrachi family of Las Vegas, which owns a furniture store occupying a part of the property which used to house a bank.

Since July 2012, a local nonprofit organization called The Huntridge Foundation has been working to preserve the architectural integrity, history and culture of the Huntridge Theater and the surrounding community. The nonprofit conducts oral history interviews of longtime Las Vegans who experienced the theater when it was open, collects theater memorabilia and photographs for a historic archives collection to be donated to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries Special Collections Department upon completion, among other activities.[7]

As of April 2013, a potential redevelopment project has started and the theater has received new paint and exterior restoration.[8]

In 2015, a Las Vegas record label emerged with the name Huntridge Records, in order to commemorate the historic theater. The label is based out of 11th Street Records, and it has signed one band, named The American Weather. [9]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Clarke, N. (2004). Vegas Confidential: Norm! Sin City's Ace Insider 1,000 Naked Truths, Hot Spots and Cool Stuff. United States: Stephens Press, LLC. p. 220.
  3. Lenz, Richard (1993). "Huntridge Theater". National Register of Historic Places – Registration Form. National Park Service. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
  4. The once and future past: Historic local landmark Huntridge Theatre to reopen for business, October 8, 2002
  5. Las Vegas Weekly October 7, 2004
  6. "Entity Details – Secretary of State, Nevada". www.nvsos.gov.
  7. Clary, Melissa. "Founder". The Huntridge Foundation. Melissa Clary. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  8. Schoenmann, Joe (9 April 2013). "Joe Downtown: Does phoenix mural signal rebirth for landmark Huntridge Theater? – Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". lasvegassun.com.
  9. "The American Weather ascends to the stage of its dreams – Las Vegas Weekly". lasvegasweekly.com.
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