802 S. Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90014 | map |
The Tower Theatre pages: history | earlier exterior views | recent exterior views | lobby areas | lounges + basement support areas | earlier auditorium views | recent auditorium views | organ chambers | booth level | attic | roof | tower |
The renovated building on the day of the re-opening. Photo: Bill Counter - June 24, 2021
Views as the Apple renovation project was wrapping up:
>> For photos from 1927 through December 2020 see the earlier exterior views page.
January 2021 - A first look at what the street level wall treatment will be with terracotta tiles getting installed on 8th St. near the alley. Up on the canopy note new framing welded on for reconstruction of the damaged corner. Photo: Bill Counter
January 2021 - A repurposed rosette installed on the 8th St. canopy soffit. Photo: Bill Counter
January 2021 - More work on the wall including new arches. And a new version of the construction fence going up to hide this area. Photo: Bill Counter
January 2021 - A closer look at the new wall treatment. Photo: Bill Counter
January 2021 - Crates arriving from Hester Fabrication. In response to a query about what was being delivered, one of the workmen advised that it was "Stuff." Photo: Bill Counter
January 2021 - A new addition to the lighting program is the area of the now blank signboards on 8th St. Photo: Bill Counter
January 2021 - A wider look at the area where ghost signs from the theatre's newsreel era were recently still visible. Photo: Bill Counter
January 2021 - One face of the clock lit up. Yes, just one at the time of the photo. Photo: Bill Counter
January 2021 - Under the marquee looking at the unrecognizable front of the theatre. The terracotta tiles were yet to come. Photo: Bill Counter
January 2021 - Looking west along 8th. Photo: Bill Counter
January 2021 - The west corner of the 8th St. canopy with metal plates going in where there had once been a neon lit one-line readerboard. The wood construction fence, which had been up in many different configurations, got replaced with the chain link fencing seen here. Photo: Bill Counter
January 2021 - More terracotta tiles getting installed along 8th St. Photo: Bill Counter
February 2021 - 8th St. minus its sidewalk. Photo: Bill Counter
February 2021 - Checking in on progress at the entrance on Broadway. Photo: Bill Counter
March 2021 - Doors getting installed along 8th St. Note the newly lit fixtures on the canopy soffit. Photo: Bill Counter
March 9, 2021 - Two sections of the new marquee in place. The contractor for the job is Alpha Architectural Signs & Lighting. Photo: Bill Counter
March 9, 2021 - One of the vertical pieces of ornament. Photo: Bill Counter
March 9, 2021 - A better look into the entrance. Note the readerboard faces. Photo: Bill Counter
March 9, 2021 - The section for the south end of the marquee. Note the boxed area inside so it will fit over the tie rod supporting the marquee. Photo: Bill Counter
March 10, 2021 - The section on the south end of the marquee is in place as well as the panel above the center readerboard saying "Tower Theatre." Still to come were the north sections and more ornament. The front sections are wired with LEDs to backlight the panels for a three line readerboard with changeable letters. The end panels get a different treatment. Photo: Bill Counter
March 10, 2021 - A piece of ornament being lifted that will go up against the building's terracotta. Photo: Bill Counter
March 10, 2021 - Problems trying to fit it in. The piece was a bit over an inch too deep as some terracotta was in the way. Photo: Bill Counter
March 11, 2021 - Another try on the piece after the terracotta had been cut away. Success this time. Photo: Bill Counter
March 11, 2021 - A closer look at the two birds in the next at the bottom of the piece. Photo: Bill Counter
March 11, 2021 - With the north end sections installed, all the major components were in place. Photo: Bill Counter
March 11, 2021 - The full frontal view. Well, not quite. Still missing some ornament. Photo: Bill Counter
March 11, 2021 - The view with the ornamental section added above the center readerboard section. Photo: Bill Counter
March 11, 2021 - A closer look at that sedate center ornament, a replica of the 1927 original. The "Tower Theatre" letters (as well as the letters on the vertical) were exposed neon tubing in 1927. Photo: Bill Counter
March 12, 2021 - At the alley end of the 8th St. canopy. Checking out the fit of a piece for reconstruction of the damaged corner. Photo: Bill Counter
March 12, 2021 - The filligree trim across the top of the front readerboards had just been installed. Also new at the time of the photo was the ornament on the front of the corner post. The side ornament was yet to come. Photo: Bill Counter
March 12, 2021 - Here the three of the Alpha Architectural Signs & Lighting crew are hoisting the panel for the south end of the marquee into place. It's not a readerboard like on the front. The end panels get programmable, multi-colored displays -- kept under wraps until closer to the opening. Note that the ornament on this side of that front post had been added. Photo: Bill Counter
March 12, 2021 - Unwrapping the face for the south readerboard section on the front of the marquee. Photo: Bill Counter
March 12, 2021 - Getting the panel into place. Photo: Bill Counter
March 12, 2021 - Checking the LEDs in the south readerboard section. Photo: Bill Counter
March 12, 2021 - Installing the trim atop the end panel. Photo: Bill Counter
March 12, 2021 - A closer look at the new trim. Photo: Bill Counter
March 12, 2021 - Working on the wiring of the center readerboard section. Photo: Bill Counter
March 13, 2021 - The view from across the street with the faces on all three of the readerboard sections. Photo: Bill Counter
March 13, 2013 - Another sheet metal piece being added to the complex coffered pattern of the marquee soffit. Photo: Bill Counter
March 13, 2013 - Work continues on the entrance. One of the doors has been installed, here covered with paper. Photo: Bill Counter
March 13, 2021 - The Apple logo on the south end panel was revealed when the black plastic fell away. It was soon taped back in place. Thanks to Kirk A. Gaw for catching the moment. His photo was a post on the DTLA Town Square Facebook page.
March 18, 2021 - Thanks to Mark Fugina for getting this shot for a post on the DTLA Development Facebook page. It was the first night the marquee was on. And, as Mark noted, the first time he's seen more than one of the clock faces lit.
March 19, 2021 - A corner view with everything lit except the marquee end panel. Photo: Bill Counter
March 30, 2021 - The replica cast iron columns were installed for a fine look at the alley end of the 8th St. facade. This treatment with the solid terracotta tiles is repeated at the Broadway end of the building where originally the area below the bottom of the arches was largely open to the restaurant space on the corner. Photo: Bill Counter
March 30, 2021 - A closer look at a column. Photo: Bill Counter
April 2021 - Several more pieces in place for the reconstruction of the alley end of the 8th St. canopy. Photo: Bill Counter
April 2021 - The finials arrived for the top of the vertical members. What? You didn't know the marquee was missing something? Five had been installed at the time of the photo. The one up near the building on the north end has issues. The terracotta bracket for the bottom of the vertical is partially in its space. Maybe it gets a smushed version. Photo: Bill Counter
April 2021 - A closer look at the new addition on top. Photo: Bill Counter
April 2021 - The post-finial installation view from across the street. Note that the lamps had been installed around the perimeter of the soffit. The gentlemen underneath are working on the soffit electrical and sheet metal. Photo: Bill Counter
April 2021 - A soffit view from the south. The coves nearest us just have rosettes with sockets up close to the ceiling. But take a look farther down to the left of the guys. It looks like they've carefully restored not the 1927 look but the modified version with the "historic" adjustable sockets that were added later so they could use reflector floods to get more light on the boxoffice and poster cases. Photo: Bill Counter
April 2021 - The plaque is back! It's centered over the entrance. In 1927 it was also centered, but below the boxoffice windows. In 1965 it was moved over to the new side boxoffice. At the top note they're trying some letters. Well, at least they have a black background to get half of the 1927 milk-glass-letter look right. But these are flat letters -- not rounded in the white area. There ARE good reproduction milk-glass letters on the market (in plastic) but these are not them. Photo: Bill Counter
April 2021 - A closer look at the brass plaque. Photo: Bill Counter
April 2021 - Thanks to Brady Hunsberger for observing that the supposedly secret logo atop the vertical is actually visible at night. His photo was a post on the DTLA Development Facebook page where he commented: "I’m surprised they haven’t caught this and replaced the cover with something light won’t shine through." That flashy marquee on the right is the former Rialto Theatre, now an Urban Outfitters store.
April 2021 - The readerboard faces are off again. Gone to the shop for a re-do? Perhaps for a different type of letter than the flat ones that had been displayed as a test. In other news: strange to see the vertical turned off -- perhaps for the first time in months. Photo: Bill Counter
April 23, 2021 - A look along 8th St. toward Broadway. Thanks to Brady Hunsberger for his post on the DTLA Development Facebook page. He comments: "Half of the sidewalk is able to be used now. Seems they are working on some minor finishing touches. Shouldn’t be too much longer until opening!"
April 24, 2021 - A look along the nearly finished entrance on Broadway. Photo: Bill Counter
April 24, 2021 - After the last piece of scaffolding is removed we get a first view of the north end of the marquee. With the secret logo still hidden. Photo: Bill Counter
April 27, 2021 - Thanks to Michael Zyda for this lovely shot from the former May Co. building across the street. It was a post on Instagram that was spotted by Brady Hunsberger.
April 27, 2021 - A closer tower view from Michael Zyda. Thanks!
May 3, 2021 - The readerboard faces got reinstalled. Plus a view of the logo on the end panel peeking through the black material supposed to conceal it. Photo: Bill Counter
May 3, 2021 - A closer look at the south end of the marquee. Photo: Bill Counter
May 8, 2021 - The scaffolding comes down, the scaffolding goes back up. The section at the north end of the marquee had only been down for two weeks. It's back up again, plus some on top of the marquee. It's getting close to the time for the big reveal: removing the plywood covering the stained glass. Photo: Bill Counter
May 10, 2021 - The day of the big stained glass reveal. Photo: Bill Counter
May 13, 2021 - The fencing finally came down. Thanks to Shawn Smith for his photo, a post on the DTLA Development Facebook page. Derek Van Oss also caught a shot May 13 for the DTLA Town Square page.
May 2021 - A fine view of the new treatment on the corner of the building. Thanks to Yasmin Elming for sharing her photo.
May 18, 2021 - Checking out a second batch of marquee letters. Many thanks to Michael Ojeda for his photo. This one plus several wider Broadway views are included in a post on the DTLA Development Facebook page.
May 18, 2021 - The view down the 8th St. sidewalk. Photo: Michael Ojeda - DTLA Development
May 20, 2021 - Painting the north end of the marquee. Photo: Bao Le - DTLA Development
May 20, 2021 - A closer look at the masked off and still hush-hush logo. Photo: Bao Le - DTLA Development. Thanks!
May 24, 2021 - The 8th St. vista at night. Thanks to Paul Wright for his photo. This and the two views below were included in a May 25 post of eight photos on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.
May 24, 2021 - The view toward Broadway. Photo: Paul Wright
May 24, 2021 - On Broadway looking toward the Rialto. Photo: Paul Wright. Thanks, Paul!
June 8, 2021 - It looked like a funeral along 8th St. with the billboard spaces along the top of the facade newly covered with black material. They had put something exciting up there we were not supposed to see yet. Photo: Bill Counter
June 10, 2021 - The first copy going up on the marquee. Thanks to Cesar Lopez for his photo, one of two he posted on the DTLA Development Facebook page.
June 10, 2021 - A view later in the evening. Thanks to Shawn Smith for his photo, one of eight in a post on the DTLA Development page.
June 10, 2021 - The north end of the marquee. Photo: Shawn Smith - DTLA Development Facebook page
June 10, 2021 - The pre-opening decor revealed along 8th St. Photo: Shawn Smith - DTLA Development Facebook page
June 11, 2021 - A look at the logo atop the vertical without the brown bag hiding it. Photo: Bill Counter
June 11, 2021 - The 1927 vintage plaque above the entrance doors. It was on the boxoffice when the theatre first opened. Thanks to Brady Hunsberger for his photo, one of 8 in a post on the DTLA Development Facebook page.
June 11, 2021 - Thanks to Brady Hunsberger for this shot taken at the Orpheum.
June 12, 2021 - A corner view. Thanks to Colby Stearns for this photo and the one below. They were included in a post of 11 views on the SoCal Historic Architecture Facebook page.
June 12, 2021 - A marquee detail. Photo: Colby Stearns
June 19, 2021 - Ready to go and awaiting the June 24 opening. Photo: Bill Counter
June 21, 2021 - The second generation of billboards along 8th St. Photo: Bill Counter
June 21, 2021 - The paper was off the windows three days before opening. And the graffitti police were standing guard. Photo: Bill Counter
June 21, 2021 - A welcoming view with all the doors open from the Discover Apple Tower Theatre site. See a similar shot appearing with Apple's June 22 press release about the opening on their Newsroom site.
June 21, 2021 - An 8th St. panorama from the Discover Apple Tower Theatre site.
June 21, 2021 - 8th St. with the doors open. It's another photo from Apple's site Discover Apple Tower Theatre.
June 24, 2021 - 8th St. on opening day. Photo: Bill Counter
June 24, 2021 - A sax player welcoming Apple to the neighborhood. Photo: Bill Counter
June 24, 2021 - No wait to get in. This was the middle of the afternoon and the big crowd there when the doors had opened was already gone. Photo: Bill Counter
June 24, 2021 - A look in from the street. Photo: Bill Counter
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