The theater closed in 1986; the retail building built around it was damaged in the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake and demolished in 1992.

The theater seated nearly 1,500 people and was located at one of the major intersections on the east side of Los Angeles, at the corner of Whittier and Atlantic Boulevards.

[4] It was designed in the ornate Churrigueresque style, and the entrance replicated the portal of Spain's University of Salamanca.

"[7] The theater stopped showing movies in 1986, and in 1987 the Vega Building was damaged in the Whittier Narrows earthquake.

In 1987 the pastors, Mike and Donna Neville were forced to move their church because, according to the owner, the building was condemned following the Whittier earthquake.

[7] In 1988, demolition commenced before officials led by then County Supervisor Ed Edelman halted the work with a stop-work order.

The Conservancy noted that the theatre was one of fewer than two dozen buildings in Los Angeles in the Spanish Churrigueresque style.

In particular, concerns were raised that the theatre's soaring interior and proscenium arch would be replaced with a dropped ceiling.

"[4] As of 2008, the proposed conversion of the theatre was still the subject of ongoing preservation efforts by the Los Angeles Conservancy.

"[3] On May 25, 2010, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the conversion of the theater into a 24-hour drug store.