Los Angeles Theatres: Los Angeles Theatre: ladies room and nursery

The entrance to the ladies room and nursery on the south wall of the main basement lounge. Thanks to Mike Hume for his photo taken during the January 2018 "Night on Broadway" event. Visit his Historic Theatre Photography website for hundreds of great images of the theatres he's explored. Don't miss his page on the Los Angeles Theatre.

Take a left in that entry vestibule and you're in the nursery. A right gets you into the ladies cosmetics room.

A view from the entrance vestibule into the cosmetics room. The room benefits from the terrific new carpet installation but only had a solid color carpet when the theatre opened in 1931. Photo: Bill Counter - 2016

A wider look at the carpet. The center design is a scaled down version of the one that's in the grand lobby. Thanks to Angelo Costa for his 2016 photo, appearing in his Los Angeles Theatre set on the Angelo Costa Photography website. The carpet design was a joint project of Daelen Cory and Paul L'Esperance of L' Esperance Design, Sandra Costa of Sandra Costa Design Group and SDE Carpet Technology.

A detail of the carpet pattern. Photo: Angelo Costa - 2016

Looking a bit more off to the right toward the doorway to the toilet and sink areas. Photo: Angelo Costa - 2016

The appearance of the room with its previous carpet installation. Photo: Ȑoobik Boodaghians - 2013

The cosmetics room in 2007. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for his photo on Flickr. For a real treat go browsing the nearly 500 photos in his Los Angeles Theatres album.

The rug we see in Eric's photo was the last surviving piece of the original 1931 carpet. The new carpet that was installed throughout the theatre in 2016 was created using this fragment and various historical photos.

A closer view of the room's chandelier. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for her 2009 photo. It's one of 72 great views of the theatre in her Los Angeles Theatre set on Flickr.

Taylor Swift paid a visit to the cosmetics room and other areas of the theatre for images to promote her 2025 album "The Life of a Showgirl." Thanks to Sonya Kolowrat and Lisa Kouza Braddock for spotting the news. There's more coverage on the Harper's Bazaar site.

Ornament over the doorway leading into the "hall of toilets." Thanks to Auroraa for her 2007 photo on Flickr.

The view into the hall of toilets from the cosmetics room. Photo: Bill Counter - 2013

The sink area is on the right when entering the toilet hall. The plain door at the right gets you back out to the main lounge area, near the former restaurant space at the west end of the lounge. Photo: Bill Counter - 2013

A view deeper into the sink area. The hand dryers sticking out of the walls have foot pedals to operate them. The door is the exit out to the main lounge. Photo: Floyd B. Bariscale - 2009. Check out his Big Orange Landmarks blog, his Los Angeles Theatre article and the 93 item photo set on Flickr.

One of the electric hand dryers. Photo: Bill Counter - 2013

The sink area and the plaster ceiling styled to look like wood beams. Photo: Bill Counter - 2013

A detail of the ceiling above the sinks. Photo: Bill Counter - 2013

From the sink area, looking back out into the toilet hall on the left. Yes, those are the original 1931 yellow sinks. Photo: Bill Counter - 2013

Toilet rooms on the left side of the hall. It's a c.1992 photo by Berger Conser Architectural Photography that appears on the Los Angeles Theatre website's photo gallery page devoted to the ladies room. Anne Conser and Robert Berger are the authors of the great book "The Last Remaining Seats: Movie Palaces of Tinseltown," available on Amazon. The Robert Berger Photography website has a portfolio of 16 photos from the book.

Looking down to the end of the hall. Thanks to Michael Hudson-Medina for the photo, a 2011 post on the Bringing Back Broadway Facebook page.

Plaster ornament on the south wall of the toilet hall. Photo: Bill Counter - 2013

An individual toilet room. The rooms are done in a variety of different colors of marble. Photo: Bill Counter - 2013

Sadly, the original toilets had to be replaced as they started cracking. Several of the best were reinstalled in the men's room, but they didn't have a long life there either and had to be removed. The 1931 toilets were colored and as you walked down the row of rooms you'd see fixtures alternately in yellow, black, maroon and lavender.

Another bit of the plasterwork. Photo: Bill Counter - 2013

A waste disposal bin built into the wall of a toilet room. Photo: Bill Counter - 2013

From the far west end of the toilet hall, looking back east toward the cosmetics room. Those lighter looking columns down at the end on the left are arches leading to the sink area. The main lounge area is off to our left in this view. Photo: Bill Counter - 2013

Vintage ladies room views:

The entrance to the ladies lounge and nursery on the south wall of the main basement lounge. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library - set # 001387264 - 1931

Looking into the cosmetics room from the entrance vestibule. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library - set # 001387263 - 1931

At the center it's the doorway back out to the basement lounge. On the right, a view of a mirrored alcove. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library - set # 001387266 - 1931

Another look at the cosmetics room. The famous "hall of toilets" is through that arch at the right. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library - set # 001387266 - 1931

The room with a different furniture arrangement. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library - set # 001387262 - 1931

A view from the cosmetics room looking west into the hall of toilets. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library - set # 001387264 - 1931

A look from the toilet hall toward the sink area. There's an exit from this room back out into the lounge. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library - set # 001387262 - 1931

The vista down the marble hall of toilet rooms. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library - set # 001387263 - 1931

In the nursery:

Looking in from the entrance vestibule. Thanks to Don Solosan for his 2009 photo taken for the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation.

The LAHTF 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 | group Facebook page | official Facebook page

The clown seen on the north wall mural in the entrance vestibule. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2009

The nursery's east wall. The tented ceiling is, of course, made of plaster. Thanks to Gary Fimbres for his 2018 photo, one in a set of three on the SoCal Historic Architecture Facebook page.

The chandelier, adorned with faces of animals. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2009

A closer look at the east wall. Photo: Don Solosan - 2009

A detail of the plaster surface of the ceiling in the nursery. Thanks to Sandi Hemmerlein for her photo. It's one of many fine views appearing in "A Night at the Los Angeles Theatre," her Avoiding Regret photo essay about visiting the theatre for the 2013 LAHTF/Cinespia "Romeo + Juliet"
screening at the theatre.

Getting closer to the elephant in the southeast corner. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2009

The south wall, the one you face upon entering. Photo: Don Solosan - 2009

A south wall detail. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2009

The southwest corner. The doorway leads to a white marble kids' bathroom. Photo: Bill Counter - 2013

The west wall. Photo: Floyd B. Bariscale - 2009

A west wall detail. Photo: Floyd B. Bariscale - 2009

The northwest corner. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2009

Looking north, back out toward the entrance vestibule. Photo: Gary Fimbres - 2018

A closer look at the north wall. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2009

The entrance vestibule north wall mural. The doorway at the left gets you out to the main basement lounge or over to the ladies cosmetics room. Photo: Gary Fimbres - 2018