A short history
The Alex opened in 1925 as the Alexander Theatre, built for vaudeville and silent film in a Greek-and-Egyptian revival style that was fashionable at the time. The tall central column and neon spire that dominate Brand Boulevard were added in the 1940s. For decades it ran as a first-run movie house and a Hollywood preview theater before closing and later being restored as a nonprofit-operated performing-arts center.
It is a designated historic landmark and one of the very few 1920s picture palaces in Los Angeles County still in regular use rather than sitting dark.
What actually plays there
- Live concerts and touring music acts.
- Resident performing-arts companies — orchestra, dance, and theater programming books the hall throughout the season.
- Classic-film screenings and film festival nights on the big screen.
- Comedy, speaker events, award shows, and private and community rentals.
Because the hall is rented by many different presenters rather than programmed by a single operator, there is no fixed weekly pattern. Check the venue calendar and buy through the presenter or the box office listed for that specific show.
Before you go
- Address: 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91203, in the middle of the downtown Brand corridor.
- Parking: city structures and street parking sit within a block or two; downtown Glendale fills up on weekend evenings, so arrive early.
- Dinner first: Brand Boulevard and the Americana are walkable from the door.
- Tickets and start times vary by presenter — confirm on the event listing, not a third-party aggregator.
Why a bail bond office writes about a theater
Our family has written bail in Glendale since 1926 — one year after the Alex opened its doors, a few blocks from where our office sits. We have watched the same building go from movie palace to shuttered to restored landmark while working the same street. Most of what we do involves people on a very bad night; this town is also the reason those same people build a life here.