Inglewood’s Fox Theater has a long and proud history. The first theater at 115 N. Market Street, the Granada, opened in 1924. Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style by architect Leonard Jones it was built by the General Construction Company of Glendale. Destroyed in a fire in 1945, the theater shell was purchased by the Fox West Coast Theater Company to build a new theater. They teamed veteran theater architect S. Charles Lee with Fox Theatres in-house designer Carl G. Moeller to create a movie palace showcasing Hollywood glamour and luxury and seating 1008 in unsurpassed comfort.

The Fox opened on March 31, 1949 after construction delays due to post-war materials rationing. Legendary actors Shirley Temple and Clifton Webb were at the opening premiere of their movie Mr. Belvedere Goes to College.

The Fox was the first theater in Inglewood to have air conditioning. It also featured automatic lobby doors, CinemaScope widescreen projections, assistance for the hearing impaired and a soundproof for mothers with crying children. Inglewood’s luxurious Fox was often used for Fox Picture’s full premieres and sneak previews. The theater remained in operation for over 40 years under diverse owners, but tastes and times changed. It finally closed in 1988.

The 1990s brought a major civic effort to rehabilitate downtown Inglewood and specifically Market Street. Historical buildings were surveyed and street improvements were made. The shuttered Fox Theater became central to redevelopment proposals by the local Community Redevelopment Agency.

To raise awareness about this cultural landmark, Inglewood residents recently founded the non-profit Inglewood Historic Preservation Alliance, aided by the Los Angeles Historic Theaters Foundation. The Fox Theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.