Canoga Park : Arts Center Proposed at Site of Old Theater

A sun-baked, vacant lot is all that remains of the Madrid Theater on Sherman Way, where folks once watched the likes of Rudolph Valentino flitting silently across the silver screen.

But a Canoga Park group hopes to resurrect the site to its former glory. With the city’s assistance, it is working on plans to build a $2.6-million performing arts center.

“It will be like the Phoenix rising from the ashes,” said Jim Domine, conductor of the West Valley Symphony, which is involved in planning.

Domine spoke at a news conference Thursday to generate enthusiasm for the 500-seat Madrid Theater. Earlier in the day, the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency voted to endorse the plan, which has the support of Mayor Richard Riordan.

The plan hinges on approval of a $2.6-million federal grant, city officials said. That would come from a pool of $30 million earmarked for earthquake relief for the area.

“I know that some people might say that we are jumping the gun,” said City Councilwoman Laura Chick. “But I can’t keep this in the bag anymore. I’m too excited about it.”

The theater, built around 1927, originally offered vaudeville acts and silent movies, and later “talkies,” recalls Betty Allen, president of the Canoga-Owensmouth Historical Society. She remembers watching a movie there in the 1930s called “Peck’s Bad Boy” starring Jackie Cooper.

The facility eventually degenerated into the Pussycat Theater, which showed pornographic movies until the Northridge earthquake hit, when the back wall collapsed and the building was condemned.

The planned two-story facility could accommodate a variety of events, including plays, symphonies and movies, city officials said. Area leaders, business people and residents hope the center will help revitalize the Canoga Park business district.