El Rey / Cinema 1 - Salinas, California
Posted by: 
hotshoe
N 36° 40.336 W 121° 39.265
10S E 620239 N 4059360
Abandoned and perhaps unusable classic theater
Waymark Code: WM5MH8
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 01/21/2009
Views: 8
The El Rey was built in 1935. Though built principally for movies, the theatre was equipped with a small stage. Norma Jean Baker, before her journey to stardom, emceed a stage presentation there, when she was the Castroville Artichoke Queen. In the early 1980s, the theatre was renamed CINEMA 1, and given an exterior paint job, to try to clean up its image from its previous use as a porn house. It switched to bargain movies, and was only marginally successful. Throughout its operating history, the interior remained surprisingly intact--tropical themed murals, most of the original seating, swagged and tasseled curtains, and moderne light fixtures. After suffering damage in the 1989 earthquake, the theatre did not reopen. A group tried to convert it into a church, and, despite some local opposition, painted the entire interior white! Then they were told by the city that they could not operate a church on Main Street, but the damage had been done. A coffee shop operated briefly in the lobby, but since then, the theatre has remained closed. - Gary Parks
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