Built in 1927 at the prominent corner of Whittier and Atlantic Boulevards in unincorporated East Los Angeles, the former Golden Gate Theatre is one of a handful of neighborhood movie palaces remaining in Southern California. It was the first building in East Los Angeles to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

The Spanish Churrigueresque-style theatre was designed by William and Clifford Balch, who also participated in the design of the El Rey Theatre on Wilshire Boulevard and the Fox Theatre in Pomona. The Vega Building, a historic retail building that once surrounded the theatre, suffered severe damage from the 1987 Whittier Earthquake and was demolished in the early 1990s. The theatre sat vacant until it was adapted for use as a CVS retail pharmacy in 2012.