Los Angeles Theatre Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Significant dates

Los Angeles Theatre
U.S. Historic district Contributing property


Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area Location in California Show map of California Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	615 S. Broadway Los Angeles, California
Architect	S. Charles Lee S. Tilden Norton
Architectural style	French Baroque
Part of	Broadway Theater and Commercial District (ID79000484)
Added to NRHP	May 9, 1979

The Los Angeles Theatre is a famous old movie theater in Downtown Los Angeles. It has 2,000 seats and is located on Broadway. This theater is part of the Broadway Theater District, which is known for its many historic theaters.

History of the Los Angeles Theatre
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History of the Los Angeles Theatre

The Los Angeles Theatre was built very quickly between late 1930 and early 1931. A man named H.L. Gumbiner, who showed movies, asked for it to be built. He also built the Tower Theatre nearby.

Design and Style

The theater was designed by S. Charles Lee and Samuel Tilden Norton. It has a beautiful French Baroque style inside. This means it looks like grand buildings from old France. The theater has a huge central staircase and fancy gold drapes. Many people think it is one of the most amazing buildings in the city. The inside of the theater is said to look like the famous Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles in France. There was even a crystal fountain at the top of the main staircase. The theater also had a restaurant and a ballroom on its lower level.

Building It Fast

Building the Los Angeles Theatre was a very fast project. In August 1930, there was only a big hole in the ground. But by January 1931, the theater was ready for its grand opening! The architects made this happen by having many decorations made somewhere else. These pieces were then brought to the theater and put together like a giant puzzle. This was different from how most theaters were built back then. Usually, decorations were made right inside the building by artists working on tall platforms.

Opening Night and Famous Guests

The famous actor Charlie Chaplin helped pay to finish the theater. He wanted it to be ready for the premiere of his movie City Lights in January 1931. This theater was the last big movie palace built on Broadway. After it opened, fewer new theaters were built there. This was because of the Great Depression, which made money tight for many people. Also, Hollywood Blvd. started to become a popular place for movies.

Changes Over Time

During World War II, many factory workers would go to shows at the theater before or after their work shifts. This kept the theater busy. But after the war, more people moved to the suburbs of Los Angeles. This meant fewer people came to downtown theaters. So, attendance at the Los Angeles Theatre slowly went down in the later 1900s. The theater closed its doors to the public in 1994. It has been empty for many years since then. However, people can still rent it for special events. The theater is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it is a very important historic building.

Filming Location

Today, the Los Angeles Theatre is often used for filming movies, TV shows, and commercials. You might have seen it in many films, such as Funny Lady (1975), New York, New York (1977), Gattaca (1997), Man on the Moon (1999), Charlie's Angels (2000), and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003). It was also in The Lords of Salem (2012) and the TV series Mad Men.

The theater has also been featured in many music videos. These include "Spiderwebs" by No Doubt, "Heartbreaker" by Mariah Carey (1999), "Jaded" by Aerosmith (2000), "Shake It" by Metro Station (2008), "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera (2011), "Safe and Sound" by Capital Cities" (2013), "Delicate" by Taylor Swift (2018), "Black Swan" by BTS (2020), "2U" by Kang Daniel (2020), "Ghost Story" by Carrie Underwood (2022), and "Middle of the Night" by Elley Duhé (2022). In 2004, a play called "Alma" was performed there.