The Yost Theater--Ritz Hotel - Santa Ana, CA. - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

"The Yost first opened as The Auditorium in 1913. It then was renamed the Clunes the same year. It was not until Ed Yost purchased the theater that it acquired the name, Yost Theater. In 1950 the theater was leased to Luis Olivos, father of Louie Olivos Jr.

The theater housed vaudeville, silent films, and talkies before it became a Mexican cinema house under the Olivos Family. Louie Olivos Jr. brought talent of Mexican cinema to the Yost including Antonio Aguilar, and Vicente Fernández to name some. He also brought Ike and Tina Turner and Sonny and Cher to the Yost.

The Chase Family, developers of the Fiesta Marketplace shopping district, purchased the Yost from the City of Santa Ana in 1986. After this purchase the theater became a church, and as a result of this, the structure suffered defacing and alteration of its interior. In 2007, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Yost Theater would be reopened for the benefit of the community at large. Restoration and conversion to a live theatre was carried out by architect Thomas Berkes, and it reopened as a concert and live performance venue that same year. Following the reopening, the Centro Cultural de México (Mexican Cultural Center in Santa Ana) began programming concerts and related events, including an appearance of Dolores Huerta, Director of United Farm Workers, and a lecture on Frida Kahlo by Mexican art connoisseur Gregorio Luke.

On August 23, 2010, the City of Santa Ana Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve Conditional Use Permits No. 2010-04, No. 2010-05, and No. 2010-06 that allowed the Yost Theater and Ritz Hotel to be operated after-hours, with a Type 47 ABC license, and as a banquet facility." (visit link)

Street address: 301--307 N. Spurgeon St Santa Ana, CA USA County / Borough / Parish: Orange Year listed: 1986 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1900-1924 Historic function: Recreation And Culture Current function: Recreation And Culture, Domestic Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.