The Alex Theatre in Glendale, California is the centerpiece of this communities art, culture, and community programming. The establishment frequently produces classical music acts, ballet performances, live theatre, stand-up comedy, and serves a location for on-site movie, television, and commercial production.
The grand Alex Theatre identification marquee.
The identification signage of the Alex Theatre clearly marks this space as a place for arts and culture in the Glendale neighborhood, however by evoking imagery through signage this sign also communicates the personality, character, wayfinding, and historical context of this space.
The Alex Theatre is centrally located in the Glendale suburb of Los Angeles.
The identification sign of the Alex Theatre symbolizes it’s personality in Los Angeles’s of theatrically produced content identity. Glendale and the surrounding communities of Burbank, Hollywood, and Studio City are home to all major television and movie production studios. Many workers of these studios call Glendale home, and the prominence of the Alex Signage symbolizes the personality of being a ‘home’ for theatrically produced content.
Another view of the Alex Theatre marquee
The character of the Alex Theatre signage symbolizes the proud heritage of the communities involvement with the film industries that support Glendale. The large scale of this identification sign in comparison with other identification signs in Glendale provide a building block of wayfinding in the community. The size and elaborate design of the Alex Theatre sign indicates this is a primary destination for Glendale residents. The character impression that the Alex Theatre displays is one that symbolizes that the Glendale community embrace performing arts and it is a backbone of the community.
The Alex Theatre identification sign promotes the historical importance that the film and theatrically performed arts industry plays in this community. The Alex Theatre was built more than eighty years ago, during the “golden age of film” a time when thousands of movies were produced at Hollywood film studios.
The Alex Theatre during the premier of “Ben-Hur” in 1959.
The font of the Alex Theatre was popular in the 1940’s and the decision to keep that font the same throughout all these years shows the historical importance the “golden age” era means to this community still.
As a symbol of proximity the Alex Theatre sign can be used in determining location (way finding). For example, the sign and it’s spire dominate the downtown Glendale skyline. If one is meeting another party in the downtown Glendale area for dinner or drinks and they don’t know where to meet at. They can use the Alex Theatre marquee as a central meeting place to discuss dining options before walking there. It should be noted that downtown Glendale is a very walkable city. The downtown area is a mere 5 blocks and one can walk it’s entirety in less than 10 minutes.
The theatre has gone through multiple renovations throughout it’s eighty year history, however the grand marquee has stayed the same. This symbolizes the prominence this establishment and it’s identification signage have with the residents of Glendale. The identification signage of the Alex Theatre displays the correct personality, character, and historical context of this space, community of Glendale, California, and it’s residents. The City of Glendale uses the Alex Theatre for more than a place for performing arts, they use is as a symbol of what the community strives to be, a participant in the theatrically performance production community of Los Angeles.
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