Hollywood's Historic Buildings
Theaters and other architectural gems lined Hollywood's famous boulevards during its Golden Age and now hold restored star appeal
- By Laura Kiniry
- Smithsonian.com, March 01, 2010
Two dozen valet parking attendents line up at the RKO Pantages Theater, ready to park the cars of celebrities arriving to the 30th Annual Academy Awards ceremony (Ralph Crane / Time Life Pictures / Getty Images)
6233 Hollywood Boulevard
The Day of the Locust Director John Schlesinger once said of Hollywood, “[it] is an extraordinary kind of temporary place.” Fame may be fleeting, but when it comes to Hollywood architecture “preservation” is now the watchword. Thanks to the efforts of private companies and such preservation groups as Hollywood Heritage and the Los Angeles Conservancy, dozens of historic buildings in the area have been rescued.
Even though it opened in 1930 less than a year after the stock market crash, this grand movie palace spared no expense. Vaulted champagne-colored arches soar over the lavish Art Deco lobby, anchored by a grand staircase. An ornate three-dimensional ceiling crowns the 2,812-seat auditorium. Initially the new theater featured a mixed bill, alternating movies with live vaudeville acts. For a decade in the 1950s, it was the home of the Academy Awards presentations and other galas. In 1977, the Pantages was renovated to stage touring productions of Broadway plays, the first being Bubbling Brown Sugar. The theater underwent a $10 million overhaul in preparation for the opening of The Lion King, making it a sought-after venue for major theater productions.
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Comments (10)
I remember those days well, especially the Palladiam - it wwas alwys such a thrill to walk into that ballroom. Also shopping on Hollywood Blvd. I had a suit made for !00.00 dollars and hated to geg rid of that one. There was a great tailor on the the Blvd.
Posted by Iona Holderness on March 4,2010 | 06:46 PM
It wouldn't BE Hollywood if it weren't in California
Posted by Clifton Grantham on March 4,2010 | 06:32 PM
For the record, the corner pictured in the Capitol records entry is Vine and Argyle. There is no Hollywood Avenue. Hollywood Boulevard is a block South, where you can see the neon lights of the Broadway Hollywood.
Posted by Joyce Hagen on March 4,2010 | 06:05 PM
Thank you for helping to preserve Classic Hollywood. I worked in the Capitol Record Tower in the sixties. Alan Livingston was President of Capitol, and Ed Nash was President of the Capitol Record Club. They made me Vice President of Marketing and Creative Services of the Capitol Record Club. We had to move the Club to Thousand Oaks because our 420 employees simply wouldn't fit in the tower, but I always kept an office there, and attended many policy meetings in the conference room on the thirteenth floor.
Posted by Harry A LeMay on March 4,2010 | 04:04 PM
ALWAY SAVE THE PAST. GREAT TO SEE HISTORICAL BUILLDINGS. I HAVE A HOME OVER 200 YEARS. BUILT IN 1740
Posted by A. GREGORY on March 4,2010 | 12:48 PM
Thank you so much for a wonderful tour,something I always wanted to do in person, but................
Posted by Betsy Cossuth on March 4,2010 | 11:55 AM
I'm linking to this article for our blog WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC. Our blog is about rockabilly, the early rock and roll era, which Wes Bryan was part of as a singer, then a singer-songwriter, then a songwriter for American Music, and as a music producer. By linking to your article and the pictures, our readers can get a better sense of Hollywood as it was when Wes and so many that he worked with were walking their new songs into small record labels.
We're at http://www.wesbryan.blogspot.com
Christine Trzyna
Posted by Christine Trzyna on March 1,2010 | 04:40 PM
The problem with Hollywood is that it's located in California.
Posted by Doc Miller on February 27,2010 | 11:25 AM
Used exstensivly in Capital Record Club Advertising in the 60's a monument in LA...May it live forever!!!
Posted by Rich Parks on February 24,2010 | 02:27 PM
Fascinating article. Loved reading about the historical places. So well researched. Want to see them in person next time we visit Hollywood.
Posted by Bonnie Yorkowitz on February 23,2010 | 02:11 PM