Fox Theater

The Historic Bakersfield Fox Theater is a theater and movie theater in Bakersfield, California, United States. It opened on Christmas Day 1930 and was one of the last of its kind built in the Gilded Age. The 1500-seat venue was designed by Los Angeles architect S. Charles Lee, and its first film was "Just Imagine". Its stage hosted performers including Lawrence Tibbett (1933), Kirsten Flagstad (1939), the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (1939) and Arthur Rubinstein (1940). In 1953 the original Mediterranean Village interior was replaced with an Art Deco motif inspired by Fox West Coast Theaters' Charles P. Skouras, and a lavish concession area was added along with a remodel of the marquee, box office and main entrance. By the early 1980s ownership had changed hands a few times; in 1983 William Pierce took out a lease-to-purchase agreement from the then owners, the Martinez family, and it operated as the Fox Performing Arts Theater. Today the venue is presented alongside the Nile Theater under the Bakersfield Live banner, with an event calendar of concerts, film screenings and other shows.

The Historic Bakersfield Fox Theater opened on Christmas Day 1930 and was one of the last of its kind built in the Gilded Age. Its first film was "Just Imagine", a sci-fi tale set 50 years in the future to 1980. The Fox featured the first "talkie" motion pictures, and its stage was graced by live performers including Bakersfield native Metropolitan Opera baritone Lawrence Tibbett (1933), world-renowned soprano Kirsten Flagstad (1939), the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (1939) and classic pianist Arthur Rubinstein (1940). The 1500-seat theater was designed by famed Los Angeles architect S. Charles Lee, known for his trademark "The Show Begins on the Sidewalk". Its Type I construction consists of poured concrete over steel, which withstood the 1952 earthquake. In 1953 the original Mediterranean Village interior was replaced with a contemporary Art Deco motif inspired by Fox West Coast Theaters' Charles P. Skouras, and a lavish concession area was added along with a remodel of the marquee, box office and main entrance. By the early 1980s ownership had changed hands a few times; in 1983 William Pierce took out a lease-to-purchase agreement from the then owners, the Martinez family, and it operated as the Fox Performing Arts Theater. The Nile Theater, originally opened as the Bakersfield Opera House in 1906, was completely rebuilt by Fox West Coast Theatres in 1938; thanks to a gift from Cynthia Lake, The Fox Theater Foundation purchased the theater in 2023 and plans to restore it and operate it as a performance and event venue.

A historic 1930 theater and movie theater in Bakersfield, California, operated as a live performance and event venue.

Product categories. Live performances · Film screenings · Event venue rental

1. 1OFFICIAL BAKERSFIELD FOX THEATER & NILE THEATERbakersfieldlive.com
2. 2Fox Historybakersfieldlive.com
3. 3About The Nile Theaterbakersfieldlive.com
4. 4Fox Theaterwikidata.org