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The (Mann) National Theatre loses final battle for historic landmark status
posted by
philbertgray
on
December 12, 2007 at 8:00 am
LOS ANGELES, CA — The National Theatre, once the Mann National Theatre, opened March 27th, 1970 in the Westwood section of Los Angeles. It was one of the last single giant screens to be built and remained in operation until it’s final closure on October 2007.
After an exhaustive study, tours, and two hearings, the City’s Cultural Heritage Commission denied Historic Monument status for it at their Nov 28th meeting. Demolition on the not so historic theater should begin in January and the new LEED-certified glass box with parking on top structure (retail building) should be built shortly thereafter."
The theatre’s lobby substituted for that of the Northpoint Theatre, in San Francisco, in the recent film “Zodiac”. The Northpoint, another large screen theatre built in 1967 closed in 1997. The shell of the theatre remains but was gutted after it closed.
A lengthy discussion on the theatre and the pros and cons of declaring it an historic landmark can be found here, at the Cinema Treasures at the National page.
A brief article on the Mann National theatre can be found at the Curbed Los Angeles web site.
