...exterior design was in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, with whitewashed concrete trimmed in blue, with a high bell tower and neon sign that could be seen for miles. From the book, Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles
Vintage Carthay, circa 1926. Courtesy of vokoban.
[CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE]
Sadly, by the late 1960s, the Carthay could no longer compete with the more modern suburban cinemas of the time. The once grand Golden Age movie palace was demolished in 1969 to make way for office buildings.
The yellow square on this satellite image below marks the spot where the theater once stood...
Modern day satellite with 1927 overlay. Image courtesy of vokoban.
It was 1994 that Disney theme parks first celebrated this historic icon with the expansion of their Sunset Boulevard at Disney Hollywood Studios in Orlando. A replica of the facade was built to house one of the gift shops along this street.
In 2007, the $1.1 billion expansion plan was announced for Disney California Adventure. Among the many new additions to the park would be a centralized replica of the theater facade. Set as a visual anchor at the end of the entry plaza on Buena Vista Street, the Carthay Circle Theatre would again find a home.
October 2007 - Concept art of Buena Vista Street with the Carthay at the end...
Early blue prints showing the Carthay Circle Theatre and its plaza. A fountain will be placed in the center with the "pump house" set across the street...
May 2011 - Construction framing...
Image provided by TokyoMagic! of Meet the World.
Images courtesy of Original D.
July 2011 - Construction tarps...
Photo by Andy Castro via MiceAge.
August 2011 - Construction tarps...
Image courtesy of Original D.
August 19-21, 2011 - Model on display at the D23 expo, Anaheim Convention Center...
Image via Walt's Magic Kingdom Blog.
September 2011 - Construction videos from the Disney Parks blog...
October also saw some new Carthay display items at DCA's Blue Sky Cellar, including the scale model building set within the park entrance diorama...
Blueprints on the table...
Photos on the wall...
And posters up above...
Images courtesy of TokyoMagic! at Meet the World.
December 2011 - These shots were taken December 16th...
The left side facade is out from behind tarps and looking mighty fine...
The tower and right side remain mostly covered...
Across the street from the "theatre" is a small building with a matching facade. This is the "pump house" mentioned in the blue prints above. Currently, it's an information booth, but word is that it will also serve as the actual pump house for the plaza fountain...
On December 23rd, the tarps were removed from around the top portion of the theatre tower. On Christmas Eve, even more of the tower was revealed...
Above December shots all generously provided by TokyoMagic! of Meet the World.
And on the 28th, the tarps are nearly gone from the right side too...
Image courtesy of Connie at Life is a Journey.
The memory of the Carthay Circle Theatre will be forever linked to Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. And while this Golden Age movie palace may be long gone, thanks to theme park imagineers, it won't soon be forgotten.
So what's going to be inside? We'll find out in 2012!
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