About The Fox Fullerton Theatre
For over eighty years, the Fox Theatre has been a dominant feature in the heart of the downtown Fullerton business district, located four miles north of Disneyland and 30 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. Until its close in 1987, the Fox remained the entertainment center for millions of North Orange County residents. The Fullerton Historic Theatre Foundation believes that the theatre can once again become a vital part of the community that will bring prestige, culture, visitors and revenue to the city.
Fox Complex
The Fox complex consists of the Theatre (21,025 sq. ft.), a two-story Italian loggia-style "Tea Room" (9,700 sq. ft. ) and the 1929 Firestone Building "motor court" (7,150 sq. ft.) at the actual intersection of Chapman and Harbor. The Theatre and Tea Room section is a City-designated Local Landmark, and the Motor Court is a City-designated Significant Property. The Fox complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Foundation and Its Vision
The Fullerton Historic Theatre Foundation, a community-based nonprofit organization, was formed in 2001 to meet the challenge of saving the Fox. The Foundation engaged the services of experts in fundraising, historic theatre restoration, and theatre operations to develop a financially feasible project that will allow the Theatre be restored and run as a self-sustaining cultural center, featuring independent/classic film, concerts, plays, and special events. The attached retail will be revitalized as historic, pedestrian-oriented, Santa Barbara-style shopping and dining areas.
Strong Business Potential
The Fox complex sits at one of the highest profile intersections in North Orange County, with 68,000 vehicles passing by daily. It is located in Fullerton's downtown shopping district, which is a thriving district of restaurants, banks and specialty retail shops that still retains its historic charm. Fullerton High School and Fullerton College are within a three minute walk, and several prominent nationally and regionally known businesses are located within one block of the Fox: McDonald's, Sprint, Bank of America, Kinko's, Starbucks and Wahoo's. The Fox complex has almost 17,000 square feet of leasable space, apart from the Theatre. There are no movie theatres downtown, and the closest independent, art film houses are over 10 miles away. The strong business potential will prevent the Fox project from needing outside operating subsidies in the future.
Fox Special Features
The Fox Theatre has always offered a unique entertainment experience - from its courtyard "lobby" to its lavish interior. The Theatre was home to numerous premieres with stars such as Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Dolores Del Rio, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Telly Savalas and Jayne Mansfield, among many others. The Fox was also the home of one of the early Mickey Mouse Clubs, in the pre-television era when the clubs met in local theatres throughout the country. The Theatre was a beloved center of the community, where people met for news, entertainment and socializing. The Fox, Tea Room, and Firestone buildings were all built by the Chapmans, a prominent southern California family famous for popularizing the early Valencia orange industry.
