Theatre Architects

Born: 1899 (Chicago, Illinois)

Died: 1990 (Los Angeles, California)

S. Charles Lee was born in Chicago, IL, in September 1899 as Simeon Charles Levi, son of Julius and Hattie Stiller Levi, German-Jewish immigrants. Lee graduated with Honors from Technical College, Chicago, IL, in 1920, and then from the Armour Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, in 1921.

Lee was a draftsman at prolific theatre architects Rapp and Rapp (Chicago, IL) in 1921 and was licensed by State of Illinois to practice architecture in 1922. Around the same time Lee moved to Los Angeles, CA, opening his own architectural practice there one year later.

Lee married Miriam (Midge) Zelda Aisenstein in 1927. He later married Hylda Moss, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1966.

In 1962 Lee founded the S. Charles Lee Foundation, and established the S. Charles Lee Chair, UCLA Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Los Angeles, CA, in 1986.

Included in the "International Exhibit of Contemporary Architects," staged by Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), London, UK, 1934; Lee received the Presidential Medal, Order of Vasco Nuñez Balboa, Panama’s highest order of merit in 1968. Lee was named the Panamanian Vice-Consul, Beverly Hills, CA, by President of Panama, 1963, and named Consul in Beverly Hills for Panama in 1974.

Lee’s papers are housed in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Library, Department of Special Collections, Young Research Library, Collection #1384. According to its UCLA finding aid, the collection contained "...drawings, renderings, blueprints, photographs, and surveys relating to Lee’s professional career including his work as a developer and the most prolific architect of art deco movie palaces in Los Angeles."

Information in part sourced from the Pacific Coast Architecture Database .

Theatres on this website in which this architect was involved:

Alex Theatre, Glendale, California, USA

(1940 additions)

Fox Theater Bakersfield, California, USA

(original design)

Los Angeles Theatre, California, USA

Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Tower Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA