Broadway Theatre District

The Broadway Movie Palaces

Broadway between 2nd St. and Pershing Square
AAA Map: Central and Western Area, Metropolitan LA
Map Reference: G 25-26
Freeway Exit: Temple St., Hollywood Freeway.

Grand Facade: LA Theatre

Broadway used to be THE place to see movies in Los Angeles. From the Silent Era to the 1930s, great movie palaces were built to showcase the cinematic art form.

This is the grand facade of the Los Angeles Theatre, a movie theatre which is now closed most of the time and used only occasionally by the LA Conservancy. It is in the process of being restored, but the process runs in fits and starts because of the lack of funds available to finish the job.

Palace Theatre

Note the ironic titles on the marquee of the Palace Theatre. Some theatres along Broadway are still in use, although they are decaying badly. Some others are being used for other purposes, including stores, swap meets...

Million $ Theatre

...and even churches. But the vast majority of the movie theatres on Broadway are boarded up and left to rot. It's a sad, sad story. The area is, however, taking on new life as a center of Mexican and Central American immigrant culture. Every year, the Fiesta Broadway turns the street into a non-stop block party with live music, folklorico dancing and food. And there are some definite success stories in the realm of preservation,

Bradbury Bldg. facade

The most spectacular of these success stories is the Bradbury Building. This unique office building is over 100 years old, and was the only architectural commission of the architect whose name this building bears. According to legend, he enlisted the aid of the Other Side in designing it...he was an avid spiritualist and used a planchette (like a Ouija Board) to get his help from the spirits of long-dead architects.

Bradbury, inside

The exterior, and most vividly the interior of the Bradbury Building has been in several movies, including Blade Runner. The Million Dollar Theatre (at least the outside of it) also appeared in that groundbreaking 1982 film.

Other points of interest in the area: Museum of Contemporary Art aka MOCA, Museum of Neon Art, Grand Central Market, Angel's Flight, Wholesale Jewelry and Clothing Districts, (many of these outlets are open for public shopping too) City Hall, Chinatown, Olvera Street, Union Station.

Admission: Free.

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