Historic Alex Theatre flashes a glimmer of restored tower lighting
Onlookers on Wednesday evening got a sneak peek at the restored beacon of downtown Glendale — the highly visible tower with a spire atop at the Alex Theatre as it was briefly relit about a week ahead of the historic venue’s 90th birthday.
Redoing the 100-foot-tall neon tower was the latest in a series of restoration efforts over the past several years.
“The tower and the spire itself have been kind of falling apart for the last three years,” said Elissa Glickman, chief executive of Glendale Arts, the nonprofit that manages the theater.
PHOTOS: Alex Theatre tower lights up the night sky
In addition to the neon, there are sequential chase lights that light up vertically along the tower. Those lights were previously incandescent bulbs, which burnt out quickly, she said. LED ones are used now and last longer.
“LED has a life span of five to 10 years, not to mention the energy-efficient component,” Glickman said.
Four years ago, the marquee and the Alex sign were redone. Last year, a $5-million face lift added expanded dressing rooms.
The renovations wrapped up ahead of the Alex’s 90th anniversary of when it first opened its doors on Sept. 4, 1925. The movie shown on opening day was a silent film called “Lightning.”
Next Friday, the birthday celebration will start at 7 p.m. and attendees will explore the theater after they make their way past the red-carpet entrance on a self-guided tour with theater staff on hand to answer questions, Glickman said.
“People can essentially walk through the Alex Theatre and onto the stage, the green room and the projection booth and experience the Alex in their own time and their own way,” she said.
The tower will be lit up at exactly 9:04 p.m. to symbolize the anniversary, Glickman said.
“We are fortunate enough that our birthday falls on a time that’s dark enough to relight the tower,” she said.
The evening’s festivities will include live music covering genres from the past 90 years. There will also be a costume contest where participants will dress up in outfits that best represent any decade since the Alex opened.
There will also be a silent auction and a reboot of a seat-naming fundraiser, where people can pay to have their names engraved on an armrest. Out of the 1,400 seats at the venue, only about 150 bear names, Glickman said.
Tickets for the anniversary event are $150. For more information, visit alextheatre.org.
The event also kicks off the 2015-16 season for the Alex, which begins on Sept. 12 with a concert featuring Argentine composer and singer Leo Dan.