S. Charles Lee

Simeon Charles Lee (né Levi; September 5, 1899 – January 27, 1990) was an American architect recognized as one of the most prolific and distinguished motion picture theater designers on the West Coast.

Life

Early life Simeon Charles Levi was born in Chicago in 1899 to American-born parents of German-Jewish ancestry, Julius and Hattie (Stiller) Levi. He grew up going to vaudeville theatres, nickelodeons, and early movie houses. A tinkerer interested in mechanical things, Lee built three motorcars as a teenager. His interest in mechanics led him to Lake Technical High School in Chicago, where he graduated in 1916.

Education While in high school in 1915, he worked after school in the office of Chicago architect Henry Newhouse, a family friend who specialized in theater design: small motion picture houses, nickelodeons and remodeling storefronts into theaters. Lee attended Chicago Technical College, graduating with honors in 1918. His first job was as architect for the South Park Board of the City of Chicago. During World War I he enlisted in the Navy. After his discharge in 1920, he entered the Armour Institute of Technology to study architecture, where he was exposed to the principles of the École des Beaux-Arts which are reflected in his later work. The Bruin Theater (1937) and Academy Theatre (1939) are among his most characteristic. The latter, located in Inglewood, California, is a prime example of Lee's successful response to the automobile. Follies (1930 remodel) Los Angeles (1931), NRHP #79000484 CP, LAHCM #225 Iris (1934 remodel) Bruin (1937), Vern (1939) Star, La Puente (1948) Fox Inglewood (1949)

Elsewhere in California

Bakersfield Opera House (1927 remodel) State, San Diego (1940) Mayfair, Ventura (1940) Tower, Klamath Falls, Oregon (1939) Mailing's (1930), NRHP #79000484 CP Leed's (1935), NRHP #85000704 CP Cheney Block (1940s remodel), NRHP #79000484 CP Temple Israel of Hollywood (1948)

Elsewhere in California La Puente Valley Woman's Club, La Puente (1923), NRHP #99000482 El Mirador Apartment, West Hollywood (1929)

Honors and awards Lee's work on the Los Angeles's Tower Theatre was featured in Architect & Engineer in 1928. Likewise, his work on Temple Israel of Hollywood was featured in Architectural Record in 1946.