Los Angeles Theatres

Greetings! Welcome to this architectural exploration.

There are several different ways to begin. There are survey pages for a dozen geographic areas that offer an overview as well as links to pages about the individual theatres. If you're looking for a specific theatre and have the name, there's a monster alphabetical list with several thousand names on it. part 1 - A to F | part 2 - G to O | part 3 - P to Z | Or see the "CONDENSED" version. Have a general address? See the big list-by-address: part 1 - A to K | part 2 - L to Y. Questions? Problems? Please contact me. Happy touring! -- Bill Counter

Navigation on a phone: Not seeing the index running down the side as a column to the right? Go to the bottom of any post and hit "view web version." You'll also then see links at the top of the page to the survey pages for a dozen different geographic areas.

Downtown L.A. Theatres

In addition to five survey pages covering downtown there's also a big downtown alphabetical theatre list with alternate names and a downtown theatre list by address.

On this list are some where we just have a facade or a vertical sign, a number that are retail conversions, and several like the Orpheum that are fully operational. See the Theatre District survey page for more information about these buildings. Or use the links above to pages about each of them for even more detail. Thanks to Hunter Kerhart Architectural Photography for the shot of the Mayan.

See the Hill Street and farther west survey page for an overview of these theatres. Or follow the links here to pages about the individual theatres for more specifics. The c.1923 postcard of the Metropolitan/Paramount is from the collection of Cezar Del Valle.

See the survey page about the Spring Street Theatres for an overview and the addresses. The one venue now on the street is the live venue Los Angeles Theatre Center, dating from 1985. The 1913 photo of the Empress theatre is from the Huntington Library collection.

The Main Street and farther east survey page will give you more detail. All that remains are the Merced Theatre Building, long since stripped out, the DT Independent/Kult as an event space, and the Regent, now a music venue. The 1981 photo of the California is from American Classic Images. Many of the theatres had multiple names over their lifetimes. It may help to use the more complete Downtown Alphabetical Theatre List with alternate names. If you're checking a specific location or wish to see what theatres were on certain blocks, try the Downtown Theatre List by Address.

Historic Hollywood Theatres

Hollywood wasn't just about the movies. In fact there were no movie theatres allowed until it became a part of Los Angeles in 1910. Sid Grauman put it on the map as a location for premieres and long runs with the opening of the Egyptian in 1922 and the Chinese in 1927. Starting in the mid 20s it was also a center for legitimate theatre and musical revues at four newly built playhouses.

Westside Theatres

The Westside started booming with retail and housing in the mid 20s and the theatres followed. Many theatres along Wilshire Blvd., in Beverly Hills, and in other neighborhoods became prime venues for everything from small foreign films to major roadshows. It's a huge territory. See the separate sections for Hollywood, Westwood + Brentwood and Santa Monica + Venice.

The Westside Theatres overview page gives you both a list by neighborhood as well as a survey arranged alphabetically. Also see the list of Westside Theatres: by street address and the Westside Theatres: alphabetical list page which includes alternate names. The photo of the Saban is by Hunter Kerhart.

Westwood and Brentwood

Westwood Village was the third significant theatre district to evolve in Los Angeles, after Downtown and Hollywood. With the construction of the UCLA campus beginning in the late 20s there was a chance to develop a unique shopping and entertainment district for faculty and students. By the 1970's the area had evolved so that Westwood had the largest concentration of first-run screens of any neighborhood in Los Angeles. Here's the list:

The Westwood and Brentwood Theatres overview page will give you a tour of the area. If you're looking for something that doesn't appear here you could check the Westside Theatres section for a wider geographic area. All of the Westwood and Brentwood theatres are also listed on the Westside Theatres: by street address page. There were many name changes. All the known alternate names are listed on the Westside theatres: alphabetical list page.

Santa Monica, Venice and along the Coast

Santa Monica had a vibrant theatrical life even in the days when it was a small town isolated from the rest of Los Angeles. And that's just the beginning. This section covers theatres in Ocean Park, Venice, Hermosa Beach, Wilmington San Pedro and other beach communities.

On Catalina: Avalon | El Encanto Playhouse | New Strand/Riviera | Strand |

See the Along the Coast survey page for more details. There's a separate page listing Coast Theatres by Address. Also see the Long Beach section.

North of Downtown + East L.A.

Here we're surveying a number of unique communities north of downtown including Atwater Village, Chinatown, Cypress Park, Eagle Rock, El Sereno, Glassell Park, Highland Park and Lincoln Heights. Along with the East L.A. territory comes Boyle Heights, Belvedere Gardens and Montebello.

The North of Downtown + East L.A. Survey page will give you a rundown on all the theatres in these areas as well as a more granular breakdown by neighborhood. If you're interested in the territory a bit farther east, check out the San Gabriel Valley, Pomona and Whittier survey page. Also see the Theatres By Address pages. And if you have a name that doesn't appear here, perhaps the theatre has gone under different names at various times. The main Alphabetical List has all the variants.

San Fernando Valley

Theatres were being built in the small towns of the Valley beginning in the 1920s but the real boom only began after World War II when the early theatres got more of a population base to draw from and modern ones were built in newly developed areas. See the separate Glendale Theatres section. Here's the list for the rest of the Valley:

Glendale Theatres

The Glendale Theatres page has descriptions of each of these theatres. The bottom of the San Fernando Valley survey page has an alternate name list that includes Glendale. It might also be helpful to consult the SFV: theatres by address page to see what was on a particular street in the Valley.

Pasadena and South Pasadena Theatres

The Pasadena Theatres overview page has a more detailed rundown on these theatres. In case you're having difficulty locating something, at the bottom of the San Gabriel Valley, Pomona and Whittier survey page you'll find a list of the alternate names. The Pasadena venues are also included in the San Gabriel Valley: theatres by address list.

San Gabriel Valley Theatres + Pomona and Whittier

See the San Gabriel Valley, Pomona and Whittier survey page for a breakdown by town, a description of all these theatres, and a list of alternate names they went by down at the bottom of the page. Also see the San Gabriel Valley: theatres by address list.

South, South Central and Southeast Theatres

Our South, South Central and Southeast survey page offers a rundown of each of these theatres. Also see the Theatres By Address pages. And if you have a name that doesn't appear here, perhaps the theatre has gone under different names at various times. The main Alphabetical List has all the variants.

[more] L.A. Movie Palaces

This page offers the listings sorted in a different fashion that may help you find a theatre in a particular community.

Searching by theatre name

If you don't find what you're looking for, head for the Main Alphabetical List, which also includes the various alternate names each venue has used. For a narrower focus you'll also find separate lists for Westside and Downtown. As well, there are lists by name on the various survey pages for more limited areas like Pasadena, North of Downtown, Long Beach, etc.

Searching by address

If you know an address or street head to either the Main Theatre List by Address, the San Fernando Valley List by Address, the San Gabriel Valley, Pomona and Whittier List by Address or the Long Beach List. If what you're looking for isn't there, you should find a link to take you to a more localized list by address for Downtown, Westside, Hollywood, etc. Also see the various survey pages for more limited areas.

1927 - Exotic destinations: Grauman's Chinese | Mayan Theatre |

1948 - 1951 - Skouras-ized older theatres: California - Huntington Park | El Portal | Fox Westwood Village | Mesa Theatre |

See you at the movies! -- Bill Counter

Los Angeles Theatres

Navigating Your Tour of Historic Los Angeles Theatres

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Navigating Your Tour of Historic Los Angeles Theatres

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