Reel run comes to an end
Laguna South Coast Cinemas, which opened as the Lynn in 1922, fades to black.
The theater opened in downtown Laguna Beach in 1922, when movies were still in their silent era.
On Sunday, Laguna South Coast Cinemas’ long run came to an end with the showing of “The Gift” and “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”
Manager Bob Lively confirmed that the theater’s owner, Regency Theatres, plans to close the business, which occupies a prime piece of real estate across South Coast Highway from Main Beach.
Lively, who managed the theater for 10 years, said it had six part-time employees. He said news of the closing came as a shock.
Regency, which owned the theater for the last 15 years, was unable to secure a long-enough lease to make desired changes, President Lyndon Golin said in an email.
“We were trying to get a minimum of five years,” Golin said. “The theater needs to be updated with improvements and a conversion to digital projection,” along with new seats, drapes, carpet and exterior paint.
Chris Leonard, who Golin said is an attorney for the landlord, could not be reached for comment.
The Aufdenkamp family built the original theater, said Jane Janz, a board member of the Laguna Beach Historical Society. In fact, the family built three theaters in Laguna Beach.
Fred Aufdenkamp, his wife, Elloene, and their son, Lynn, arrived in Laguna Beach in 1914 and opened a bowling alley under a tent with kerosene lights, according to state records.
Janz said the Aufdenkamps opened their first movie theater around the same time. They opened their second one in 1922 and called it the Lynn Theater, after their son.
The Aufdenkamps bought more land next to the Lynn Theater and turned it around so that it would face Ocean Avenue.
Construction on the third theater began where Laguna South Coast Cinemas sits today.
The theater was built by Smith Construction Co., based in Laguna Beach. It opened on June 26, 1935, and was called the New Lynn Theater. Its first film was “Ginger,” starring Jane Withers.
The theater also included four murals by painter Edgar Payne. The murals, portions of which can still be seen, depict the history of Spanish exploration.
The new theater lacked a concession stand. Janz said that when Lynn Aufdenkamp was asked why, he answered, “Who wants to go to a movie and listen to someone eat popcorn?”
A Los Angeles Times article from the mid-1950s reported that city officials opened a cornerstone of the Chamber of Commerce that was dedicated in May 1925.
Among the items in the cornerstone was a Sunday edition of The Times. The officials also learned that the Lynn Theater that year had been showing films starring Pauline Frederick, Irene Rich and Buster Keaton.