This petition is to prevent the destruction of the historic Avenue Theater in Downey, California.
Background information
The Avenue Theater was originally built in 1922, and was the second movie house built in the downtown area. It featured a brick facade which contains a beautiful arch which at onetime marked the entrance to the theater. This brickwork remains intact behind the present facade. The theater has changed names over the years, it was originally called the Downey Theater, then it was the Victory and finally it was changed to the Avenue Theater in the year 1948. The theater was moderate in size with an 850 auditorium and a single screen. In the early days there were also live stage shows and the facility still has about 15 dressing rooms below the stage area. In the 1970's the theater started it's downhill slide and eventually became a second run movie house. It closed for good in the year 2003 only to be used for some b-movie shoots.
The City of Downey's plan and our Vision for a restored Avenue Theater.
The City of Downey is now the owner of the historic theater and has plans to build condos and low rent apartments on the site. It is our belief that this is not the best use for the theater. We would like to see the building restored and used as an historical and cultural meeting place for the community of Downey where patrons can see live shows, vintage movies, jazz bands, informative speakers and community events. This is our vision for the Avenue Theater; please help by signing our petition.
The Downey Conservancy
