It’s lights, camera and a big happy birthday to the The Art Theatre of Long Beach as the venue gets ready to celebrate 100 years in the movie business.
“The Art Theatre is a pillar of our community,” said theatre board member Hillary Herrmann-Aguirre, who is preparing for a red carpet Oscar fundraiser on Sunday, March 10 to officially kick off the theater’s 100-year celebration.
“Having something in our community that is over 100 years old and has had continued operation is amazing,” she added.
The Oscar event will spotlight 100 years of the theater, which opened to the public in 1925 after a yearlong construction.
“This theater gives you that feeling of nostalgia. I love the smallness of the theater and the historic nature of it,” Herrmann-Aguirre said.
Besides a red carpet entrance for those who attend, the party will feature photo booths, food and drinks, giveaways, a silent auction, and a live telecast on the big screen of the 96th Annual Academy Awards starting at 4 p.m. It’s open to the public and tickets are now on sale.
Originally constructed as a silent movie house with an orchestra pit and pipe organ in a Spanish Colonial Revival style, the 360-seat Art Theatre opened to the public on January 22, 1925 as the Carter Theater with a screening of “The Siren of Seville.”
At the time, Long Beach was becoming a vibrant movie town with more than a dozen single-screen theaters just in the downtown area. Today, after undergoing several renovations, including a major reconstruction in 1933 that remodeled it into Art Deco style, the Art Theatre is the last one standing. It shows first-run and art films, as well as classic flicks and cult hits.
It’s also become a second home to Long Beach residents like 51-year-old Jarret Lovell, who is a theater member and a regular at the Fourth Street venue, which was designated a Long Beach Historical Landmark on June 12, 1992.
“The first thing that hits people when they go there is the…
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