Los Angeles Theatres: Tower Theatre: earlier exterior views [1927-2020]

Tower Theatre: earlier exterior views [1927-2020]

May 9, 1927 - A look at the scaffolding on the Broadway side of the building. The photo is from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection. On Calisphere see the 623 S. Charles Lee items from the UCLA collection that have been digitized.

August 2, 1927 - A Dwyer Studios photo from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection.

August 3, 1927 - An 8th St. view from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection. Note that the Cameo is being advertised, also an operation of the theatre's owner H.L. Gumbiner. There's also a color Broadway facade rendering and floor plans.

October 12, 1927 - "Gala Opening Tonight." It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. The opening attraction was "The Gingham Girl," a silent film. Vitaphone short subjects were also on the program.

1927 - The Tower with its first film still on the marquee. The shot appears in the July 1928 issue of Architect and Engineer. The issue, on Internet Archive, also has a lobby photo and floorplan and an auditorium view. There's also an article, "Modern Tendencies in Theatre Design," which includes a dome mural photo.

1927 - "The Country Doctor" on the marquee. It was an August release with Rudolph Schildkraut and Frank Coghlan, Jr. that opened October 21 at the Tower. Vitaphone shorts were also on the bill. It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1927 - A view of the new building as we look east on 8th Street. The Tower opened with the capability of playing Vitaphone, a sound-on-disc process. Soon they announced a deal for the sound-on-film Movietone process. On the marquee in this photo is Raoul Walsh's "What Price Glory," a film that opened November 2. It was a November 1926 release, now with an added Movietone track of music and sound effects. Also on the marquee: "Movietone - See It - Hear It." The film had initially played the Carthay Circle Theatre as a silent.

The Mott Studios photo is in the California State Library collection, one of nine shots in their set #001387119. A cropped version of the photo appears as part of an S. Charles Lee article on Internet Archive from the December 28, 1929 issue of Motion Picture News.

1927 - This detail from the previous Mott photo offers a closer look at the neon on the "TOWER THEATRE" letters above the readerboard. In the readerboard itself, those changeable milk glass letters were backlit with rows of incandescent lamps.

The Tower wasn't the first L.A. theatre to use neon. That honor may go to the Belasco, which had a neon vertical when it opened in November 1926. The Pantages at 7th and Hill may have been the next. It got a new vertical on the 7th St. side of the building in February 1927 but it's not yet known whether it was incandescent or neon. The Mayan had a neon roof sign when it opened in August 1927. Dydia DeLyser and Paul Greenstein, in their 2021 book "Neon: A Light History," note that neon signs came to Los Angeles in 1925.

1927 - A closer "What Price Glory" view on 8th. "Movietone - See It - Hear it." It's a Mott Studios photo in the California State Library collection. There's also a version of this one in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1927 - Another look at the Broadway facade during the run of "What Price Glory." Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library

1927 - A detail of the ornament above the entrance. The band of tall windows center right are in the screening room area. It's a Mott Studios photo from the California State Library.

1927 - The Broadway side of the clock tower. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library

1927 - The perimeter of the clock faces were ringed with green neon. In this detail from the previous Mott Studios photo the tubing is most easily seen at the top of the face on the right. The clock faces were backlit with mogul base incandescent incandescent lamps in reflector units. Head to the tower page for views from inside.

Almost all neon from this period was clear tubing that glowed either red, when pumped with neon gas, or blue, when pumped with argon and a drop or two of mercury. The mercury vaporizes when the tube is lit, increasing the brightness. In "Neon: A Light History" Dydia DeLyser and Paul Greenstein note that until the use of argon became prevalent, a pale blue light was achieved with neon and mercury in the tube. They devote page 36 to the installation at the Tower, done by Neale, Inc. and note the green color for the clock. While much less common than the red or blue at this point (and dimmer), a green light was achieved with a yellow colored tube pumped with neon gas.

1927 - A Mott Studios view of the vertical from the collection of the California State Library. That's the Hamburger / May Company department store across Broadway.

1927 - A look at the bottom of the vertical and its neon tubing, which glowed red when lit. Presumably there were incandescent lamps behind the "THEATRE" letters. This is a detail from another Mott Studios photo from the California State Library collection. See the full photo.

1927 - A fine look at the alley end of the building on 8th St., with a newsstand on the corner. Note that at this point there was no canopy along this side of the building. The unfinished spaces above the exit doors were to have been for signage. It's a Mott Studios photo from the California State Library collection. Also see another 8th St. terracotta detail they have in the set of nine photos.

c.1928 - A glorious postcard looking up Broadway in Cezar's Del Valle's collection. We get the Rialto marquee on the right. Beyond you can see the Tower marquee advertising "Featuring Vitaphone." Cezar is a Brooklyn-based theatre historian. For other interesting material see his website Theatre Talks and visit him on Facebook.

1928 - The theatre running the February release "The Little Snob" with May McAvoy. The marquee is also advertising "Five Big Attractions" and "Vitaphone Orchestra." It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1928 - A C.C. Pierce view looking south on Broadway. We get the Tower, Rialto and, a bit farther down the block, the "New" Orpheum. The photo is in the collection of the Huntington Digital Library. The USC Digital Library also has a copy of the photo.

1928 - A detail from the Huntington Library photo. They were running "Glorious Betsy," the Vitaphone feature that had opened the Warner Hollywood in April 1928. Over on the right, the Rialto had the Harold Lloyd feature "Speedy." Gregory Hruska notes that "Betsy" played the Tower the week of June 3.

c.1929 - Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for sharing this rare postcard from her collection. From the marquee end panel it appears that they were running something with Delores Costello. But evidently not "Glorious Betsy" -- at least the copy on the front of the marquee looks different than in other views from that engagement. In the distance on the right the new vertical for the President Theatre (now the Globe) can be seen, putting this after May 1928.

1929 - A Christmas season view north toward 8th from the Dick Whittington Studio in the USC Digital Library collection. On the right we get a bit of the Rialto marquee followed by the Tower and the Globe Theatre, at the time called the President.

Over on the left in the distance there's Loew's State and the Broadway entrance of the Metropolitan Theatre, later renamed the Paramount. The photo is part of a 7 photo set surveying downtown Christmas decorations that year. Thanks to Stephen Russo for finding the photos on the USC site.

1931 - The Tower in double feature mode with "Charley's Aunt" starring Charlie Ruggles plus "The Lion and the Lamb" with Walter Byron and Carmel Myers. It's a Dick Whittington Studio photo in the USC Digital Library collection taken for some sort of traffic study for the May Co. See another similar view in the set.

At the Rialto it was the December 1930 release "Going Wild" with Joe E. Brown. The Orpheum's marquee noted it was the "Last 2 Days" for "Cimarron" starring Richard Dix and Irene Dunne. Along with the film you got a "Gigantic Stage Show."

1931 - A detail from the Dick Whittington photo showing the new canopy all along the 8th St. side of the building. At the far end it was a newsstand with their copy on the readerboard touting "Your Home Town Paper" and "Papers of the World." The "Pig 'n Whistle Soda Fountain Luncheonette" had most of the other slots. The signage under the canopy promoted their pastry department and fountain. This side of the Pig it was the Candy Kettle and, on the corner, a Jumbo Orange.

1931 - The Tower running the April release "Bachelor Apartment" with Irene Dunne along with "Millie," a February release with Helen Twelvetrees. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

1931 - Another "Bachelor Apartment" photo giving us more of a look down Broadway. It's another Los Angeles Public Library photo. The Rialto was running "City Lights," a moveover from the Los Angeles. Down at the Orpheum it was the May release "White Shoulders" with Mary Astor, Jack Holt and Ricardo Cortez.

c.1938 - A look west on 8th in a Herman Schultheis photo from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Note the "Simon's Luncheonette" in the storefront area beyond the newsstand.

c.1938 - A great view east on 8th east on 8th St. from Hill with a glimpse of the Olympic (15 cents admission) on the left. Down at 8th & Broadway we see the Tower Theatre. That's the May Co. on the right. It's a Herman Schultheis photo from the Los Angeles Public Library.

from 1938: "The Life of Emile Zola" - Los Angeles Public Library | "Zola" - another copy - LAPL |
| south on Broadway from 7th - LAPL |

1939 - A look east on 8th from Hill St. It's a Dick Whittington Studio photo in the USC Digital Library collection. Also in the USC collection from the same period see a view from Dick Whittington looking west on 8th from Spring St.

1939 - Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing this July photo from his collection on Flickr. Check out the Angel City Press book Eric wrote with Tom Zimmerman: "Spectacular Illumination: Neon Los Angeles 1925-1965." Also see Eric's 2016 book "Signs of Life: Los Angeles is the City of Neon."

The marquees got blacked out because the shot was being used in a real estate ad for space in the Singer Building, 808 S. Broadway. The 2nd feature at the Tower was the April 1939 release "Return of the Cisco Kid." At the Rialto they were giving away a free Chevrolet every Tuesday night.

from 1940: south on Broadway - a night Christmas parade - Los Angeles Public Library

1941 - The Tower was running "Nothing But the Truth" with Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard and Edward Arnold. The co-feature was "You Belong To Me" starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. Both were October releases. It's a December shot by Herbert B. Cross of the Dick Whitington studios that's in the USC Digital Library collection. The client was the owner of the building at 939 S. Broadway.

1943 - A shot from Acme Photo that went on the wire November 2 described as a "Hollywood theatre." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting this on Worthpoint for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group. The theatre's second feature was "So Proudly We Hail" with Veronica Lake. To the right of that poster note the vertical "TOWER" letters, with the "O" askew. The copy on the back:

"LIGHTS GO ON AGAIN - Los Angeles - 'Let there be light,' says little Merle McKeehan, 4, as he sits happily in the arms of his mother, Mrs. June McKeehan, and points to the brilliance of Hollywood theatre marquee, as town lights up in celebration of relaxed dimout restrictions."

1944 - A look south toward the Rialto and the Orpheum. At the Tower it's "Cry Havoc!'" with Margaret Sullavan, Joan Blondell and Ann Sothern. The bottom half of the bill is "Pinup Girl" with Betty Grable and John Harvey. Thanks to Sean Ault for finding this one on eBay. Ron Whitfield also had a version posted on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.

1945 - A view looking north on Broadway from the Metro Library and Archive on Flickr. It's part of the Metro Downtown Los Angeles set. The Tower, on the far right, is running "Having Wonderful Crime" with George Murphy and Pat O'Brien, an April release. Note the storefront over at the Merritt Building on the left as Mayflower Donuts. Down Broadway on the right you can see the Globe Theatre, here named the Newsreel.

1945 - Patton on Broadway in June for his welcome home parade. The Tower is still using milk glass letters. In 1946 the marquee would get modernized when the theatre was renamed the Music Hall. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for posting the photo on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.

1946 - The Tower when it was called the Music Hall. Note the Rialto just down the block and the Orpheum vertical beyond. It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1947 - Thanks to Brooklyn-based theatre historian Cezar Del Valle for finding this great look at the theatre in its Music Hall days. The photo from the May 31, 1947 issue of Showmen's Trade Review is in a 2016 post on Cezar's Theatre Talks blog.

The caption: "What did you say was playing? Whoever asked that question (unless he was blind) should be whisked off to the padded cell. For it is readily apparent, judging from the photo above, that nearly every available inch of the facade of the downtown Music Hall in Los Angeles was utilized for this large and striking front on United Artists' 'The Macomber Affair.' The fluorescent letters of the 20x40--foot banner shone brightly at night as well as in daytime, according to Cliff Giesseman, general manager of the four Music Hall theaters. Additional banners were suspended beneath the marquee. Bet Gregory Peck never dreamed, back in his 1939 New York World's Fair days, that his name would appear so many times on one theatre front!"

1947 - A rare view of the Music Hall vertical at night. It's a photo posted by Gary Alinder on the blog MacroChef as part of the set Faces & Places: More of My Father’s Color Photos of Southern California in the 1940s. The photo, on 35mm Kodachrome, is by Ed Alinder. The Orpheum is running "The Long Night," a noirish May release with Henry Fonda and Barbara Bel Geddes along with "Banjo," a story about a nine year old Georgia girl and her dog.

1950 - The Music Hall was running "Love Happy," an October 1949 film with the Marx Brothers, Ilona Massey and Vera-Ellen. The co-feature was "Tyrant of the Sea," a February 1950 release with Rhys Williams and Don Randell. It's a shot from a short clip from Ultra Film appearing on the Getty Images website that Ken McIntyre located for a post on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. A moment later we get the Olympic running Hitchcock's "The Paradine Case," a 1947 release with Gregory Peck and Ann Todd plus a Sonja Henie second feature.

1951 - Another name change. Here it's become the Newsreel Theatre, a policy that was moved over in 1950 from the Globe Theatre, half a block to the north. This photo is in the USC Digital Library collection. At the Rialto it was "Desert Fox," an October release starring James Mason.

1951 - An entrance detail taken from the USC photo above. Note how little street frontage the Tower was using. Here it's hemmed in by Coney's on one side and a jewelry store on the other. The entire building is only 50' wide.

1951 - A telephoto look north showing the signage for the United Artists, the Orpheum, Rialto, Newsreel/Tower and the Globe. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this one for a post for the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. It's a photo taken for the L.A. Examiner that's in the USC Digital Library collection. Scott Collette included it with nine other downtown 1951 Examiner shots in a post on his Forgotten Los Angeles Facebook page. Scott's set is also on Instagram.

1952 - A parade view looking east on 8th. It's a Herald Examiner photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. The Library also has another similar view. The parade was for Adlai Stevenson. Note the Newsreel signage in the frames atop the 8th St. facade.

1953 - A look at the Tower in its Newsreel days from the collection of the Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society. The Rialto down the street is running "The Moon is Blue" with William Holden and David Niven. The photo is from the Jack Finn collection.

1950s - One of only two photos to surface so far showing the Tower's vertical lit during its Newsreel era. We're looking north, perhaps from the Eastern Columbia Building. Thanks to James J. Chun for finding this great shot for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page. Thanks also to Greg Black for some color correction.

1956 - A terrific view from the Richard Wojcik collection looking north. You can see the vertical for the Tower, still called the Newsreel Theatre, in the middle of the photo. In the foreground we see the Orpheum running "The Man Who Knew Too Much."

1956 - Another great photo from the Richard Wojcik collection. We're looking south from 7th St. with the Newsreel down a block on the left. Thanks, Richard!

c.1957 - This William Reagh photo is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. "The Naked Eye" was a 1956 documentary about the history of photography.

1958 - A photo of the Dodgers welcome parade from the USC Digital Library collection. The Examiner photo is by Michael Paegel. USC has 41 views in this parade set.

1958 - Another Dodgers parade view from a bit farther west on 8th. On the marquee: "Castro Cuba Rebels" and "Leningrad Today." We're on top of the Olympic Theatre marquee -- see a bit of its top metalwork and neon at the far left. The Examiner photo by Michael Paegel is in the USC Digital Library collection.

early 1960s - A photo from Marc Wanamaker's Bison Archives that appears in the great 2008 Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres in Los Angeles" by Suzanne Tarbell Cooper, Amy Ronnebeck Hall and Mr. Wanamaker. The page with the photo appears in a preview of the book on Google Books. Thanks, Marc! The theatre got a remodel in 1965 and again assumed the Tower name.

1963 - A fine view looking north with the Newsreel vertical lit. The streetcar lines are down but the rails haven't been paved over yet. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting this one on eBay.

c.1966 - Showing off the new lettering on the vertical and atop the marquee following the 1965 remodel. It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Note that the top of the tower is still intact. It was damaged in the February 9, 1971 Sylmar earthquake.

c.1970 - An undated Herald Examiner photo looking north from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1971 - Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing this November shot from his collection.

1974 - A fine view of the theatre running "Hell Up In Harlem" (a December 1973 release) along with "Thunderfist" (released in the U.S. in January 1974) and "The Chinese Professionals," aka "The One Armed Boxer" (a U.S. release in 1973). Many thanks to Sean Ault for spotting the photo on eBay.

1974 - "Saturday Matinee Lets Out," a 1974 look south on Broadway by Daniel D. Teoli, Jr. The photo appears on Internet Archive. Many thanks to Kim Cooper for posting it on the Esotouric's Secret Los Angeles Facebook page. "The Black Godfather" was an August release.

1977 - It's a William Reagh photo from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. "The Mack" was initially a 1973 release. "The Bod Squad" got a US release in October 1976.

1977 - A photo by Tom Sitton that's in the LA County Natural History Museum collection. Both "The Deep" and Grand Theft Auto" were June releases. Thanks to Mike Hume/Historic Theatre Photography for finding it on the National Park Service website. It appears with a 42 page photo gallery that accompanied the 1978 application to get the Broadway Theatre and Commercial District listed on the National Register.

1978 - What a great triple bill. "Death Sport" and "Sweater Girls" were April releases. At the bottom of the bill was "Godfather of Hong Kong." It's a William Reagh photo in the California State Library collection. It's also in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1978 - Thanks to Tom Zimmerman for his photo of an old Tower "Newsreel Theatre" sign in the alley east of Broadway. It's in the California State Library collection. The photo made an appearance on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page where Bill Gabel noted that the sign is on the back of the Rialto Theatre, just down the block from the Tower. The Tower hadn't been a newsreel house since 1965.

1978 - Bruce Li in "Soul Brothers of Kung Fu," An October release. "Horror Hospital" was from 1975. Thanks to the Adsausage Archives for sharing the photo. It was added as a comment to a thread about the theatre on the Images and Memories of Los Angeles Facebook page.

1980 - Thanks to the now-vanished American Classic Images website for this view north across 8th St.

1982 - A great entrance view from American Classic Images.

1982 - Looking south with a view of the Rialto and the Orpheum. Thanks to American Classic Images for the great shot.

1984 - "Conan The Destroyer" and "Beat Street" packing them in. And Tuesday was bargain day! Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing his photo. It appeared as part of an L.A. Conservancy Facebook post announcing their 2022 Preservation Award winners. The Tower closed as a film house in 1988.

c.1988 - Thanks to Chris Carlo/Bob Chaney for this photo they took.

c.1989 - Thanks to Anne Conser and Robert Berger of Berger Conser Architectural Photography for this photo from their great 1999 book "The Last Remaining Seats: Movie Palaces of Tinseltown." It's available on Amazon. Robert Berger's website has a portfolio of sixteen photos from "The Last Remaining Seats."

c.1990 - A look down at the theatre, optimistically saying "OPENING OON." Across 8th that's a pre-rehab version of the Chapman Building. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for posting the shot on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.

2007 - No mistaking what theatre you were at with this brass plate below the boxoffice window. The plaque was below the original boxoffice at the center of the entrance and got moved over to the new boxoffice south of the entrance doors as part of the 1965 remodeling. Thanks to Nick Bradshaw for the photo. See his Dead Cinemas, Downtown set on Flickr for 50 great views of various downtown movie palaces.

2007 - The west and south sides of the tower. That's the Chapman Building, now apartments, beyond. Photo: Bill Counter

2007 - Ads for the Tower as a Newsreel Theatre in the 50's still visible on the side of the building. Photo: Bill Counter

2007 - A closer view of a "Newsreel Theatre" sign. Photo: Bill Counter

2007 - The sign on the rear corner of the building. No longer open all night. Photo: Bill Counter

c.2008 - A look down onto the top of the tower. It's a photo by David Blumenkrantz, one of 52 terrific Broadway shots he shared in a post on the Facebook page Lost Angeles. More of his Broadway photos can be seen on the site The One Of Us Project.

The building to the left of the Tower is the Hulett C. Merritt Building on the NW corner of 8th and Broadway. It's a 1915 design by the San Francisco based firm Reid Brothers. Reid Brothers, along with Weeks and Day (another San Francisco firm), also designed the State Theatre. In this photo we see the brick-red south side of that building on the right side of the photo.

c.2008 - Not one of the theatre's most glamorous times. Thanks to Jerrell Ordonio for finding this shot online and adding it as a comment to a 2021 post on the DTLA Development Facebook page.

2009 - The clock face on the 8th St. (north) side. Photo: Don Solosan - LAHTF

2009 - A happy couple in repose above one of the 8th St. faux windows. Photo: Don Solosan - LAHTF

2009 - Thanks to Mark Peacock for this noirish view. See his Vintage Theatres photo set on Flickr for lots more great work. Also visit his website, MarkPeacockPhotography.com.

2010 - September 4 was the evening for explorations by the Ghost Hunters of Urban Los Angeles. The photo is included in their Los Angeles Historic Theatres Facebook album. There are also views of the Palace and Los Angeles Theatres in the album. The strip of neon at the bottom of the readerboards had been added for a film shoot around 2008. Note the purple glow on the west edge of the 8th St. canopy.

2010 - A view of the north side of the corner. The 8th St. canopy, covered with purple plastic during the 1965 renovations, had originally been a single line readerboard. Thanks to the Ghost Hunters for the photo.

2010 - A corner view not long after the building had been pressure washed and work had been done to upgrade the look of the storefronts. Photo: Bill Counter

2010 - The 8th St. facade from the east. Photo: Bill Counter

2010 - One of the faux windows in the center of the facade on 8th. Photo: Bill Counter

2011 - The upper part of the Broadway facade. Thanks to Steve Shriver for his photo on Flickr. It's part of his delightful "Belasco Theatre & Downtown Walkabout" set.

2011 - A closer view of the west and south faces. Photo: Steve Shriver on Flickr

2011 - The urn above the stained glass window. It's a Steve Shriver photo on Flickr.

2012 - A lovely corner view of 8th & Broadway. South of the Tower are the Southern California Music Co. Building (1922, Meyer & Holler), the Rialto Theatre (1917), and the Wurlitzer Building (1924, Walker & Eisen). Thanks to architectural photographer Hunter Kerhart for his photo. Visit his website: HunterKerhart.com

2012 - The vista north from the Orpheum toward the Rialto and the Tower. Photo: Bill Counter

2012 - Looking south on Broadway at the Garland Building/Globe Theatre, the Tower Theatre, the Rialto and the Orpheum. We're on the 6th floor of the Bullock's Building at 7th & Broadway. The upper floors are now parking. That's bit of the State Theatre building on the right. Photo: Bill Counter

2012 - South on Broadway toward 9th St. Photo: Bill Counter

2012 - A crowd waiting for an early show in October. The show in question was Ed Kelsey's presentation on the Tower's history, part of the LAHTF "all-about" tour of the building. Photo: Escott O. Norton. See his full Tower Theatre Tour! set on Facebook.

2012 - The line down the block for the LAHTF "all-about" tour. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - LAHTF Facebook page

2012 - The marquee soffit. At the time of the photo the metal cladding from the 1965 remodel had been recently removed revealing these earlier fixtures and stencil work. Photo: Bill Counter

2012 - The south and east sides of the clock. Photo: Escott O. Norton - LAHTF

2012 - The terracotta urn on the southwest corner of the tower. Photo: Escott O. Norton - LAHTF

2012 - A detail of the fine terracotta work near one of the windows up on the south side of the tower. Photo: Escott O. Norton - LAHTF

2012 - Another terracotta detail on the south side of the tower. Photo: Escott O. Norton - LAHTF

2012 - The 8th St. side of the tower. Photo: Escott O. Norton - LAHTF

2012 - A dizzying vista up the north side of the vertical sign. Photo: Escott O. Norton - LAHTF

2012 - The top of the north side of the vertical. Photo: Escott O. Norton - LAHTF

2012 - Along 8th St. toward the alley. Photo: Escott O. Norton - LAHTF

2012 - A detail of the Broadway end of the canopy along the 8th St. side of the building. Photo: Bill Counter

2012 - Some of the decorative work on the edge of the 8th St. canopy. This was originally used as a readerboard with a single row of milk glass letters. Photo: Bill Counter

2012 - The facade from Spring St. Photo: Bill Counter

2012 - Looking down the alley. S. Charles Lee's extraordinary skill made the Broadway facade look as expansive as possible. When we get to the alley, we get a better sense of how narrow (50') the lot actually is. The door at center way up in the air was to load in the organ pipes and associated gear. It goes to a passageway above the stage that connects to the organ chambers above the side boxes. Photo: Bill Counter

2012 - A closer look at the back wall. The patched area to the right of the sign is where a protruding enclosure covered the back end of the original Vitaphone horn as there wasn't enough room behind the screen. That's the story, anyway. Photo: Bill Counter

2014 - Looking up toward the east face of the clock. It's a Gary Leonard photo that appeared on the Tower Facebook page.

2014 - A drone's-eye look down at the Tower from Ian Wood's "Downtown Los Angeles," his four and a half minute adventure on Vimeo. Ian spent several months shooting downtown theatres and other historic buildings from a drone that resembled "a mutant chicken." Don't miss it!

The footage also appears with stories by Brigham Yen and LA Observed's Kevin Roderick. The building over on the right is the Hamburger Department Store / May Co. building, later known as the Broadway Trade Center.

2014 - The storefronts along 8th back in use after a long period of being vacant. The photo appeared with "Tiny Retail Shops Fill Historic Tower...," a DTLA Rising story by Brigham Yen.

2014 - A night view of the storefronts in December. This upscale revival didn't last long. Soon it was back to tenants offering discount jewelry, cell phone repairs, a locksmith, and so on. Photo: Brigham Yen

2015 - The Globe, Tower, Rialto (a bit) and Orpheum theatres after the January 31 "Night on Broadway." Thanks to Glenn Primm for his photo, one that originally appeared on the Bringing Back Broadway Facebook page.

2015 - The window above the entrance. Thanks to Gary Leonard and the Broadway Theatre Group for the photo. It made an appearance on the Tower Facebook page.

2015 - Several of the faux windows on the west end of the 8th St. facade. Thanks to Gary Leonard and the Broadway Theatre Group for the photo on the Tower Facebook page.

2015 - A side view of one of the 8th St. couples. It's a Gary Leonard photo for Broadway Theatre Group that appeared on a Facebook page for the theatre. They commented: "On top of each window are two nude figures reclining, a discreetly draped masculine director with a camera and a megaphone and a scantily clad starlet with beads and a mirror."

2016 - Thanks to the Anthony Caldwell Studio for this view along 8th St. It appeared on the Night on Broadway Facebook page.

2017 - The 8th St. side of the building. Thanks to Mike Hume for this photo taken the day of the theatre's final show in October. Visit Mike's terrific page about the Tower on his ever-expanding Historic Theatre Photography site.

2017 - A Broadway view before the Tower's last show. Thanks to Mike Hume for the photo.

The Apple era begins:

November 2017 - Plans are afoot. A gathering of construction guys outside the theatre. Thanks to Nick Leathers for his photo on the Facebook page DTLA Development. The last show at the theatre had been in October.

January 2018 - The bronze "Tower Theatre" plaque has gone missing from the front of the boxoffice. Photo: Bill Counter

July 2018 - Empty storefronts. The tenants all got their notice to vacate by the end of June. Photo: Bill Counter

July 2018 - The view west along 8th St. after the storefronts were cleared out. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2018 - Scaffolding starts going up on the 8th St. side of the building. And then it would come down again. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2018 - A detail of the corner of the canopy. Note the sockets still in place. Once upon a time there were changeable milk glass letters all the way to Broadway. Later a white plastic background was installed with black aluminum letters used. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2018 - Looking toward Broadway. Thanks to Hunter Kerhart for his photo. Keep up with his most recent explorations: on Facebook | HunterKerhart.com | on Flickr

August 2018 - A plaster panel between two of the 8th St. storefronts. The whole side of the building will to opened up to provide a wide entrance directly into the auditorium. Any historic materials will be removed from the area and put in storage. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2018 - A cast iron column on 8th St. near the alley. This is the last one on the building. Some of these little terracotta arches will be restored. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2018 - Scaffolding heading into the building. Thanks to Steve Gerdes for his drive-by photo.

August 2018 - Scaffolding up on the Broadway facade. Note the new plywood securing the entrance. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2018 - A meeting to discuss what to do as far as the marquee restoration. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2018 - A soffit detail. Note the different styles of rosettes around the light sockets. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2018 - Part of the board-up process included removal of the 1965 vintage boxoffice. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2018 - A little bit of a fire problem in a fan room on the SW corner of the roof. The building didn't sustain any damage. Thanks to Pavel Kipan for his photo, added as a comment to a post on the Esotouric's Secret Los Angeles Facebook page.

August 2018 - A view from the Chapman Building taken by on the 29th by Stephanie Chan. Thanks to Doug Dunn for sending along to Kim Cooper for another post about the incident on the Esotouric's Secret Los Angeles Facebook page. The tower used to extend upward a bit more prior to some removal following earthquake damage.

August 2018 - Demolition happening in the basement with many loads of concrete and hollow time coming out for disposal. Photo: Bill Counter

There was a long hiatus after some intense preliminary work. The project finally got its main permit June 5, 2019. There was also a change of contractors.

June 2019 - Here exterior work has started up again with two of the readerboard sections removed. The plan that had been announced was to re-create a 1927 look for the marquee and rehab the vertical but retain its 60s appearance. Photo: Bill Counter

June 2019 - A look up to the underside of the slab after the marquee soffit had been removed. Photo: Bill Counter

June 2019 - The last of the readerboard sections has been removed. Note the stained glass window area covered with plywood. Photo: Bill Counter

June 2019 - A view to the south after the removal of the readerboards. Photo: Bill Counter

July 2019 - The angled section of framing on the south end of the marquee getting removed. The corners had been chopped off in a late 30s redo. Photo: Bill Counter

July 2019 - Scaffolding up again on the front of the building. Photo: Bill Counter

July 2019 - A new construction fence in place along 8th. The plan is to remove all the storefronts for easier access to the auditorium. The black box at the left is screened scaffolding that provides stair access to the roof. Photo: Bill Counter.

July 2019 - Digging in front of the south storefront for utility upgrades. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2019 - A look down on the project from the Hamburger / May Co. building across the street. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2019 - A clock view. In their first plan presentation Apple noted that they would put a decorative top back on it. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2019 - Demo on the corner storefront. Photo: Bill Counter

October 2019 - Trying out a lighting scheme for the 8th St. facade. Note the ghost signs at the top painted with a protective coating. The graffitti was removed later in the month. It's a Mike Hume photo that appeared as a post on the LAHTF Facebook page. Visit his Historic Theatre Photography site for tech info and hundreds of great photos of the theatres he's explored. And don't miss his page on the Tower Theatre.

October 2019 - Test lighting behind the clock faces. Thanks to Mike Hume for the photo on the LAHTF Facebook page.

The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation is active in promoting awareness of the historic theatres of Los Angeles and works toward their preservation. They frequently offer tours and sponsor other events related to historic preservation. www.lahtf.org | on Facebook

October 2019 - A new construction fence set back closer to the building omitted fencing near the alley, allowing us this view of the last bay. Photo: Bill Counter

October 2019 - The 8th & Broadway corner, once a lunch counter called Comet's. Photo: Bill Counter

October 2019 - Some of the 60s vintage plastic panels on the 8th St. marquee were removed allowing a view of the neon used to light this single-line readerboard. Above the neon are the sockets for the original incandescent lamps. Photo: Bill Counter

February 2020 - The scaffolding goes up again on Broadway, this time above the top of the tower. The plans are to restore the clock and replace the missing top of the tower. Photo: Bill Counter

February 2020 - A peek in across the stripped out entrance. Photo: Bill Counter

February 2020 - Scaffolding going up on the 8th St. side of the building. Note the scaffolding in the alley to reach the door high up. It goes to a corridor above the proscenium that connects the two organ chambers. Photo: Bill Counter

February 2020 - Assembling the scaffolding along 8th St. Photo: Bill Counter

February 2020 - The 20s vintage lamp sockets along the bottom edge of the 8th St. canopy. They won't be reactivated. The street-facing edge of the canopy had been a single-line readerboard until the mid-1960s but it won't light up again either. Photo: Bill Counter

February 2020 - A look in the house left alley exit as a new floor is being poured. Also see a deeper view into the scaffolded auditorium. Photo: Bill Counter

February 2020 - The shroud up around the new scaffolding. Photo: Bill Counter

February 2020 - On the right it's a new support for the south end of the marquee. The one in this location, and at the opposite end, had been chopped off when the original rectangular marquee was turned into a trapezoid in the 30s. Apple will be replicating the original look. Photo: Bill Counter

February 2020 - The shrouded tower from the south. Photo: Bill Counter

March 2020 - Letters coming down from the south side of the vertical sign. Here a very wiggly "W" was being lowered by rope. Photo: Bill Counter

March 2020 - Another look at the "W." Photo: Bill Counter

March 2020 - The letter being taken inside for storage. Photo: Bill Counter

March 2020 - Cleaned up metalwork along the 8th St. marquee. Photo: Bill Counter

April 2020 - More scaffolding going up to facilitate work on the north side of the vertical. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - The big reveal happening along 8th St. with the scaffolding getting removed. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - A film director and his muse. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - A detail of one of the shells below the figures. The shell itself isn't going to light up but Mike Hume notes that the little black boxes on either side are LED uplighters. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - The top of one of the big arches. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - Another detail looking west. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - The ornament at the bottom of one of the big arches. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - Part of the changeable sign area. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - A detail of the ornament in the sign area. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - A detail below the changeable sign area. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - Ornament at the top of the south end of the Broadway facade. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - More of the 8th St. scaffolding has been removed. West of Broadway that's the Hamburger Department Store from 1908, later becoming the May Co. It's been under a very slow renovation due to financing issues. Photo: Bill Counter - August 14

August 2020 - Sections of the new tower cap are being installed. Here we're looking west on 8th St. from the alley between Broadway and Spring. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - Checking out work on the cap on August 14 from a half block west on 8th, in front of the Olympic Theatre. On the right we get a bit of the Southern California Music Building, later called the Singer Building. It's a Meyer & Holler design/build project from 1923. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - A closer look from in front of the Olympic. Note the clock face behind the mesh. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - Work on the cap as seen from the roof of the Chapman Building on the 14th. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - The cap was cast in sections. Note the lines between the sections. On the right are parts yet to be installed. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 -A closer look at sections of the cap as well as various pieces of ornament that will be attached later. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - A test patch to explore painting the metal trim along the 8th St. canopy Apple Beige instead of cleaning and lacquering it. The area used to be a readerboard the length of the building with a single row of milk glass letters. Note the double row of neon tubing still remaining. Originally it was lit with incandescents. The sockets are still visible in the top of the channel where they've painted. Photo: Bill Counter

August 2020 - The vista southwest toward the Hamburger Building. Thanks to Dion Noravian for his photo.

August 2020 - A detail from Dion's photo.

August 2020 - A fine view of the Tower's roof and a look across into the Singer Building. On the theatre roof note the two new steel frames for HVAC units. It's a photo taken on the 18th by Dion Noravian. Thanks, Dion!

September 2020 - Another paint test on the 8th St. canopy. Note that the channel is bare. They've removed all the neon tubing that once illuminated this readerboard. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - A view from the north on the 16th with the vertical sign newly re-lit for a test. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - The sign from the south with scaffolding and shrouding still in place on the Broadway side of the building. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - A closer look at the top of the south side of the vertical. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - On the right note a bit of the newly reinstalled stained glass window. It had been removed for restoration work. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - A closer look at the top of the window. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - A bit more light behind the glass the following night, the 17th. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - The north side of the vertical revealed -- all except for the logo at the top. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - The Apple logo still hidden. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - A detail of the "R." Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - The sign is programmable. Letters can fill from the side, or bottom, or do whatever they desire. Here it's at 50% brightness. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - More of the Broadway facade is revealed. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - A Broadway detail. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - The big reveal for the top of the tower. Thanks to Kirk A. Gaw for his photo on a September 25 post on the DTLA Development Facebook page.

September 2020 - The corner view. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - A closer look at the clock faces. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - Thanks Dion Noravian for this great shot. On the left they're working on installation of new HVAC units. This photo and the one below were added as comments to the September 25 post about the theatre on the DTLA Development Facebook page.

September 2020 - The tower the evening of its unveiling. Thanks to Dion Noravian for sharing his photo.

September 2020 - A view from south of the building on Broadway. That's the Chapman Building behind the tower. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - Looking west on 8th St. The building in the background is 825 Hill, an apartment building. Photo: Bill Counter

September 2020 - The vista from in front of the Olympic Theatre, mid-block between Broadway and Hill. On the right it's the Hamburger Department Store building from 1908, later known as the May Co. Photo: Bill Counter

October 2020 - The last of the scaffolding comes down. Photo: Bill Counter

October 2020 - Ready for a new marquee. Photo: Bill Counter

October 2020 - Framing was added for the corners of the marquee to bring it back to a 1927 shape. Photo: Bill Counter

October 2020 - A detail of the new work on the south end of the facade. Photo: Bill Counter

October 2020 - The new steel for the north corner. Photo: Bill Counter

October 2020 - The terra cotta arches were removed from this area of the 8th St. facade back near the alley. The outlines can still be seen. The cast iron columns had been removed earlier. Photo: Bill Counter. See a 2018 detail of some of the ornamental work that had been in this area.

October 2020 - Morning sun coming through the tower. Thanks to Terrence Graham for his photo, a post on the DTLA Development Faceboook page.

November 2020 - The plywood was installed over the stained glass in case of post-election turmoil but not needed. Note the addition of new steel along the front of the framework for the marquee as well as corrugated decking. Photo: Bill Counter

November 2020 - And end view of the new steel on the front of the frame. Photo: Bill Counter

November 2020 - Two workers in an unconscious homage to the lunch spot once in the corner storefront. Behind them note studs for a new wall. Above, note the framing and electrical for the canopy's new soffit. Photo: Bill Counter

December 2020 - A lighting test on the eastern half of the 8th St. facade. The black area at the left is shrouded scaffolding up the theatre's back wall. Photo: Bill Counter

December 2020 - A coat of black paint on the temporary plywood covering the stained glass. Photo: Bill Counter

December 2020 - More work on the marquee soffit. Photo: Bill Counter

December 2020 - A coat of primer on the 8th St. canopy. Photo: Bill Counter

December 2020 - The new wall along 8th St. taking shape with the openings framed in. Across the auditorium they're reinstalling sections of decorative plaster. Photo: Bill Counter

December 2020 - The lights are on! Photo: Bill Counter

December 2020 - A new coat of paint on the alley end of the building. Photo: Bill Counter

December 25, 2020 - The lights were on for a Christmas celebration. Photo: Bill Counter

December 25, 2020 - A corner view for Christmas Day. Photo: Bill Counter.

>> Head to the recent exterior views page for photos from January 2021 and later.

1 comment:

slackercrusterMay 20, 2018 at 10:11 AM
Thanks for preserving history...outstanding website!
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