Roger Corman Buys Former Pussycat Theater

Santa Monica lost its last adult movie house when the former Pussycat Theater was converted to offices last year, but the building that housed the Pussycat for 30 years is once again connected with the film industry.

Roger Corman, king of the B-movie producers, has purchased the 17,000-square-foot office building on 2nd Street between Broadway and Colorado Avenue for $6 million from Santa Monica-based development firm Calstar Arvada.

Those involved in the deal would not disclose the buyer, but real estate industry sources said it was Corman, who has produced or directed about 450 primarily low-budget movies and is credited with giving many top actors and directors their start in the film industry.

Calstar Arvada converted the former theater to offices last year, according to brokers Christopher Houge and Evan Meyer of Insignia/ESG, who represented the buyer in the recent sale. The seller was represented by Rick Buckley and Jake King, also of Insignia/ESG.

As the Pussycat Theater, the building was a holdout from an earlier era in Santa Monica’s past, before redevelopment turned the city’s faltering downtown into the popular Third Street Promenade and spurred development of nearby retail and office space.

Corman, who purchased the building through a limited-liability company, is not expected to occupy it. He could not be reached for comment.