401 W. 7th St. Los Angeles, CA 90014 | map |
The Warner Downtown pages: history | vintage exterior views | recent exterior views | the interior
The Warner Downtown pages: history | vintage exterior views | recent exterior views | the interior
2004 - A look west on 7th St. from Broadway. Thanks to Paul Wright for sharing his photo as a post for the Downtown Los Angeles Photo Group on Facebook.
c.2005 - A closer view toward Hill St. The photo by G. DeVerteuil appeared
on a now-vanished Downtown LA Walking Tour page from USC.
2007 - The marquee now has a diamond where the WB crest once was. Photo: Bill Counter
2007 - The top of the 7th St. facade. Photo: Bill Counter
2008 - Another "Warner Bros." cornice view along 7th. Thanks
to Michelle Gerdes for this photo and the many others that appear
on these pages. For more fine work by this intrepid theatre explorer,
check out her various theatre photo sets on Flickr.
2008 - The terrazzo at the office building entrance on 7th St. Photo: Michelle Gerdes
2008 - Looking north on Hill St. Before the theatre became a jewelry mart the "Diamonds" vertical signs used to say Pantages, then Warners, then Warrens. Photo: Michelle Gerdes
2008 - The added stairs in the middle of the entrance area. They went down to a now-defunct Burger King in what had been the theatre's basement area. Photo: Michelle Gerdes
c.2010 - A nice closeup showing the elaborate terracotta. The photo once appeared on the Cinema Treasures page about the theatre, which they list as the Warrens. It was a post by their former contributor Hollywood 90038.
2012 - The grand stair to the balcony. It's now an outside entrance to offices in the former balcony level lobby. Photo: Michelle Gerdes
2013 - A tree detail. Thanks to Hunter Kerhart for sharing his photo. Keep up with his recent explorations: hunterkerhart.com | on Flickr
2014 - One of the muses of vaudeville still gracing the facade. Photo: Bill Counter
2014 - Christmas at the entrance to the Jewelry Mart. The doors to the main floor are at the left. Straight ahead is the doorway up to the balcony. Photo: Bill Counter
2014 - Looking
in from Hill along the north side of the theatre. That building behind
is the Los Angeles Athletic Club, dating from 1912. Photo: Bill Counter
2014 - Another look at the house right side of the building. Take a
look back at the stagehouse and note the floor of offices on top. The
two windows down a floor lower on the north wall are at the level above
the grid. Photo: Bill Counter
2015 - The marquee and a peek west on 7th. Photo: Hunter Kerhart
2015 - Up to the cornice. Photo: Hunter Kerhart
2015 - The Hill St. facade. Photo: Hunter Kerhart
2015 - South on Hill St. toward 7th. Photo: Hunter Kerhart
2015 - The stagehouse and north side of the building from behind. This was taken from the parking garage of the L.A. Athletic Club on Olive St. Photo: Hunter Kerhart. Thanks!
2016 - The two pillars on the corner once flanked the boxoffice. Photo: Bill Counter
2016 - A closer look at the entrance. The boxoffice was once at the far right. The original wall with the entrance doors (in line with the column in the center of the photo) has been removed. Photo: Bill Counter
The doors left of center (with the 655 number above) now get you onto the main floor. The doors at right (with the Mezzanine Offices lettering above) take you to what was the balcony lobby. The covered-over stairs down are not original.
2016 - The view above the area formerly the boxoffice. The boxoffice was between the two columns. The area below the lights once displayed signage for coming attractions, to be viewed by patrons as they left the theatre. Photo: Bill Counter
2018 - A bit of scraping and painting going on. Photo: Bill Counter
2018 - A closer look at the remaining neon at the WB crest. Photo: Bill Counter
2019 - The cleaned up entrance to the Burger King. They had been trying to rent the 10,000 square foot space. Photo: Bill Counter
2023 - We get some fine views of the top of the building near the beginning of The Artery's "Dronescape: 7th and Broadway." Thanks to Jeff Hamblin for spotting the eighteen minute piece on YouTube.
2023 - A view of the top after a bit of repainting to cover graffitti at the base of the dome. Photo: Hunter Kerhart
2024 - The building as seen from the roof deck of the Los Angeles Athletic club. Photo: Bill Counter
2024 - A closer look at the back of the dome. Thanks to Rusty Frank for her photo, included in a Facebook post of 30 views of a September Art Deco Society event at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
2025 - A look toward the dome after Davy and Moody Gabe came up the fire escape at the north end of the building. It's a shot from "Climbing the Warner Bros. Theatre Dome," 23 minutes of fun from Davy on YouTube. Thanks to Esotouric's Secret Los Angeles for sharing this on Facebook. And thanks to Lisa Kouza Braddock for spotting the post.
2025 - A closer dome view. We're looking south along the office wing of the building that runs parallel to Hill St. Image: Davy on YouTube
2025 - A terracotta detail. Image: Davy on YouTube
2025 - Tying a rope around some of the ornament for the ascent. Image: Davy on YouTube
2025 - A view north from the dome. Hill St. is on the right. Image: Davy on YouTube
2025 - A shot looking more toward the former Bullocks store at 7th and Hill. Image: Davy on YouTube
2025 - The surface of the top of the dome. Image: Davy on YouTube
2025 - Looking west along the roof of the 7th St. wing of the building toward the equipment room for the office building elevators. On the right it's the roof over the auditorium. The row of windows at the end of the auditorium roof is to a floor of offices above the stagehouse. Note the two smoke vents. Image: Davy on YouTube
2025 - Another look at the auditorium roof. This time over on the lower right we get a bit more of the lower roof back above the booth area. Image: Davy on YouTube
2025 - "Made it, Ma! Top of the world!" Thanks for the tour, Davy. See his 23 minute epic "Climbing the Warner Bros. Theatre Dome" on YouTube. See our interior views page for shots from Davy and Moody Gabe's exploits in the balcony, projection booth and attic.
2025 - A Google Earth view of the building with Hill St at the bottom of the image and the L.A. Athletic Club at the top.
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There was a time in the late 1940's and early '50's when, on the corner of 7th and Hill, several floors above the theatre entrance, there was a Trans-Lux Flashcast (no doubt in conjunction with its then-owned radio station, KFWB) that showed the latest news headlines, a companion to another such zipper mounted from 1946 to 1950 (at which point Warners' sold the station) on the Taft Building on the corner of Hollywood and Vine. Can anyone in the know say for sure how long that Flashcast was in operation at this theatre, and when was it taken down?
ReplyDeleteIf there's any evidence of it in the many still photos of the theatre taken in the 40s and 50s, that would be on the page of vintage exterior views, not on this page.
DeleteThat news ticker was actually at 6th and Hill, on the Metropolitan/Paramount Theatre.
Delete