Regency Academy Cinemas
 The theater in 1928 | |
 | |
| Former names | Bard's Egyptian Theatre Bard's Pasadena Theatre |
|---|---|
| Address | 1003 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, California |
| Coordinates | 34°08′47″N 118°07′47″W / 34.1463°N 118.1297°W |
| Type | Movie theater |
| Capacity | 1,709 originally |
| Construction | |
| Opened | June 23, 1925 |
| Renovated | 1942, 1957-1958, 1984 |
| Architect | Lewis Arthur Smith (1925) Carl Gerhardt Moeller (1957-1958) |
Regency Academy Cinemas, formerly Bard's Egyptian Theatre and Bard's Pasadena Theatre, also known as Colorado Theatre and Academy 6, is a movie theater located at 1003 E. Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California.
History
[edit]The theater that would become Regency Academy Cinemas first opened as Bard's Egyptian Theatre on June 23, 1925. The theater was designed by Lewis Arthur Smith, operated by the Louis L. Bard chain Far West Theatres Inc., and its capacity at opening was 1,709. The opening night film was Bobbed Hair.[1]
In 1942, Fox West Coast Theaters bought the theater, renovated it, and then re-opened as Academy Cinemas on July 3, 1942.[1] Reap The Wild Wind was the theater's first screening post-remodel,[2] and the theater would go on to host numerous Hollywood premieres throughout the 1950s.[3]
In 1957-1958 the theater underwent a $200,000 ($2.18 million in 2024) Streamline Moderne remodel, done by Carl Gerhardt Moeller, and in 1984, the theater was converted to a six-theater multiplex.[4]
The theater at one point was a Mann Theatre and is currently operated by Regency Theatres as the Regency Academy Cinemas.[1][5]
Architecture and design
[edit]The theater was originally designed in the Egyptian Revival style; however, in 1942, the theater's themed statues were covered with murals of mermaids and underwater scenes. In 1958, the entire theater was redesigned in the Streamline Moderne style and in the 1984, the single theater was split into six, with the theater's former grandeur hidden by plaster after the renovations were complete.[3][4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Gabel, William. "Regency Academy Cinemas". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
- ^ "Academy Cinemas advert". July 3, 1942 – via Cinema Treasures.
- ^ a b Mills, Michelle (March 12, 2018). "These are 19 of the most unusual Southern California movie theaters". Pasadena Star-News.
- ^ a b Michelson, Alan. "Bard's Egyptian Theatre, Pasadena, CA". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
- ^ "Early Views of Pasadena". Water and Power Associates. p. 6. Retrieved March 20, 2025.