📷 Pomona Public Library
The 95th anniversary of the majestic Art Deco Pomona Fox Theatre is cause for a supreme celebration! Join us for an in depth tour of the historic 1931 movie palace and a reception with live period music for dancing from Jay Munns' Stardust Trio. Enjoy lobby displays on the history of the Pomona Fox and an opportunity to meet Stella Johnson, Pomona's very own flapper, through displays and discussions with historian Yesenia Zamora.
Later in the evening, experience the Pomona Fox as visitors did in its early days as a movie theatre, with a big screen showing of the musical/dance film TOP HAT (1935) starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers at 5:30 PM.
📷Pomona Fox website.
This event is sold in two tour sections with a reception for all in between tours. An optional add on is a ticket to see TOP HAT on the big screen at 5:30 PM. There is plenty to do in Pomona if you take the earlier tour and need a distraction while waiting for the movie to start. See below for suggestions for antique shopping, dining and other attractions.
Doors open at 12:00 pm for the 1:00 PM tour. Check in for the 2:15 pm tour will begin at 1:45 PM. All guests will mingle in the reception from 2:15 - 3:15 PM. The second tour will begin at 3:15 PM following the reception. The reception includes complimentary appetizers and a no host bar.
Tickets:
Tour & Reception $50 (does not include movie)
Tour, Reception & Movie $60 (choice of 1:00 pm or 2:15 pm
Movie Only $15 (does not include tour or reception - doors open at 5:00 pm)
Note: Tickets are first available to members of the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles, except for movie tickets which are open to all.
About the Pomona Fox
Opened on April 24, 1931, the Pomona Fox was part of the robust Fox Theatres chain. The architects are Balch and Standberry and the decorator: Robert E. Power Studios, both Los Angeles firms. In the Pomona Progress newspaper, an article proclaimed “The architectural treatment is distinctly modern, with lines accentuating the height and ornamentation.” “Modern” is of course what the Art Deco style was called at the time. The article also reported that the ornamentation would consist of “concrete poured into molds during the pouring of the building itself, not placed afterward” – thus the reliefs of Art Deco patterns imprinted in the walls. The tower was said to be the tallest structure in Pomona of 1931. The theatre cost $300,000 to build and opened with a weekend of shows including a Laurel and Hardy short, “Laughing Gravy,” a Fox Movietone newsreel “Land of Evangeline” and a Edward Everett Horton – Spencer Tracy comedy about a couple trying to buy their first car.
📷Pomona Fox website.
A 2008-2009 restoration took place under the ownership of Gerald Investments, turning the theatre into a multi-use performing arts and event center with the occasional movie screening. Evergreen, the same company that restored the decoration on the Grand Central Air Terminal and the Saban Theatre, was hired to return the Art Deco flourishes to their original grandeur.
TOP HAT (1935):
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance cheek to cheek to the music of Irving Berlin in this elegant RKO musical that proved to be the pair’s top grossing film. It also cemented the sophisticated image of Fred Astaire in the public’s mind. with the song "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails." The dazzling posh sets were designed by Van Nest Polglase. Directed by Mark Sandrich. 101 minutes.
Explore Pomona:
The Pomona Antique District, primarily known as Antique Row is a historic shopping area along three blocks of East 2nd Street in downtown Pomina.
The district's anchor is the Pomona Antique Mart, one of the oldest antique malls in California, housed in the historic 1927 Kress building. The Pomona Arts Colony website has more information on things to do in historic Pomona.
The Pomona Valley Mining Company and O'Donovan's Restaurant and Pub are two legacy eating establishments in Pomona.
📷Thumbnail photo credit, Steve Whalen.