For a Roadside Peek at historic theatre west, stop here and take
a peek at theatres that once were L.A.'s finest. From the 1890's to the
1950's, the area on South Broadway between 3rd and 9th Streets was the
entertainment mecca of Los Angeles. The largest Historic Theatre District
in the U.S., Broadway was the place that all the stars of yesteryear met
for opening premier galas.
A look at Broadway
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Look up along Broadway’s Theatre District and the old entertainment street begins to come into view. Between Third and Ninth streets, elaborate facades and surviving theatre signs recall a time when downtown Los Angeles offered one grand auditorium after another. A night at the pictures could begin with a little window-shopping and a look at the marquees before choosing a show.
Broadway’s fortunes changed as entertainment spread to Hollywood and the suburbs. Some theatres continued serving audiences with Spanish-language films and live performances, while others became churches, shops, or indoor markets. Those later uses were part of the street’s history too, helping keep buildings occupied after their original movie business faded.
UPDATE: Broadway’s surviving theatres have followed different paths. Some welcome concertgoers and special screenings, others host events or new commercial uses, and several auditoriums remain closed. Take a look above the storefronts as you walk. The old theatre district is still there, though you may have to look past today’s street-level activity to find it. 10-26
Globe Theatre
Los Angeles, CA Photo courtesy Georg Balandran
The Globe Theatre has lived several lives behind its Broadway frontage. Restaurant and retail uses once obscured its theatrical past, making it easy to pass without realizing an auditorium waited beyond the storefronts.
Opened in 1913 as the Morosco Theatre, the playhouse at 744 S. Broadway later became a movie theatre, followed by retail and nightclub uses. Few Broadway buildings have made so many turns between stage, screen, shopping, and dancing.
UPDATE: Following a closure in late 2023, the Globe returned with a renovation in 2025. Its current calendar lists concerts and dance events, bringing entertainment back to the old playhouse. More than a century after opening, it’s still giving people a reason to head downtown for a night out. 10-26
Roxie Tower (Closed)
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The stepped tower of Roxie Theatre adds a little Art Deco character to Broadway. Located at 518 S. Broadway, its geometric decoration stands apart from the more elaborate ornament on neighboring movie palaces. Even with the theatre closed, the upper facade gives pedestrians a reason to look above the storefronts. The old tower still announces a theatre, though there’s no longer a ticket waiting at the entrance.
Built in 1931 and designed by John M. Cooper, the Roxie was the last theatre constructed on Broadway. Its approximately 1,600 seats welcomed audiences during the early sound-film era. Although designed primarily for movies, it also included a small working stage. A terrazzo sunburst at the entrance carried the Art Deco treatment down to the sidewalk, giving arriving customers something to admire beneath their feet.
Roxie Tower
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
UPDATE: The lobby was converted to retail use in the late 1980s, removing the ticket booth and changing the experience at street level. Behind the shops, the auditorium survives but remains closed, with deterioration from water damage and years of disuse. It’s a quiet ending for a place built to gather a crowd. This view brings the Roxie back into the Broadway lineup, its distinctive tower recalling the days when another show was waiting inside. 10-26
Los Angeles Theatre
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The towering sign for Los
Angeles Theatre announces a movie palace that knew how to make an entrance. Along South Broadway, the ornate exterior gives only a hint of the grand staircase, chandeliers, and lavish decoration waiting inside. This was the kind of place where an evening at the movies began well before the picture appeared on the screen. Even from the sidewalk, there’s plenty to stop and admire before looking up to take in the rest of the building.
Designed by S. Charles Lee for theatre owner H. L. Gumbiner, the palace at 615 S. Broadway opened on January 30, 1931, with Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights. Chaplin helped finance its completion so the building would be ready for the premiere. That gave the Los Angeles an opening attraction worthy of its surroundings, pairing one of the silent screen’s most recognizable stars with Broadway’s newest showplace.
Designed by S. Charles Lee, the theatre opened on January 30, 1931, with Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights. Chaplin helped finance its completion so the building would be ready for the premiere.
Los Angeles Theatre
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Inside, the French Baroque decoration turned a movie outing into something considerably grander. A sweeping staircase invited customers farther into the building, while elaborate plasterwork and glittering fixtures gave them plenty to study along the way. With roughly 2,000 seats, the auditorium carried that sense of occasion into the show itself. Imagine arriving here when the theatre was new, dressed for an evening downtown and joining the crowd beneath the marquee.
The Los Angeles arrived near the end of Broadway’s great movie-palace building boom. Theatre owners had spent years competing with architecture as well as attractions, offering surroundings that could make an ordinary ticket feel like admission to a palace. Here, the lobby was part of the entertainment. You could leave talking about the picture, but there was a good chance the building would enter the conversation too.
The towering sign for Los Angeles Theatre announces a movie palace that knew how to make an entrance. Along South Broadway, the ornate exterior hints at the grand staircase and lavish decoration waiting inside. Going to the movies here was an occasion before the picture even started.
Los Angeles Theatre sign Los Angeles, CA Photo courtesy Chris & Ginger
As moviegoing spread to Hollywood and the suburbs, Broadway’s theatres faced a different future. The Los Angeles continued showing films for decades, outlasting the era that produced its lavish design. Its survival left downtown with a remarkable reminder of how much spectacle once accompanied a trip to the movies.
Built in 1931, the Los Angeles and its gold glittered lettering is the
most lavish of the Broadway theatres. If you do take a trip to downtown
Broadway, stop by here and take a glimpse at the magnificent architecture.
Los Angeles Theatre
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
UPDATE: The Museum of Neon
Art has been allocated money to rehab a few signs on Broadway, including
this one. Many thanks to Chris Nichols for info.
UPDATE: Regular movie operations ended in 1994, but the Los Angeles Theatre found another role hosting filming, special events, and occasional screenings. Those opportunities to step inside bring visitors back beneath the chandeliers and into an auditorium built for a crowd. The schedule has changed, but the old palace still knows how to put on a show. Look up on your next trip down Broadway—this is one theatre whose entrance deserves a little attention of its own. 10-26
A look at Broadway
Globe Theatre
Roxie Tower (Closed)
Roxie Tower
Los Angeles Theatre
