Broadway is both a historical commercial district and home to numerous theaters and movie palaces. Walking down the street though, it would be hard to tell the rich history that inhabits it. Thankfully, nonprofits like the Los Angeles Conservancy have a mission to “recognize, preserve, and revitalize the historic, architectural, and cultural resources of Los Angeles County,” through advocacy and education. They offer both guided, self-guided and virtual tours of various parts of LA of significance to the community, making learning about the city accessible to many. I was able to learn about the history of Broadway and even enter three historical theaters by taking their guided walking tour.
Though not guaranteed for every tour, I was lucky enough that the United Theatre was available for my group to enter. This theater was my favorite of the ones we saw. It was built in 1927 in a Spanish Gothic architectural style, as Mary Pickford, who was one of the people behind the theater’s origin, went to Spain for her honeymoon and liked the architecture there. From the outside, the building is very cathedral-esque, but gargoyles holding film cameras denote that it is a building for entertainment, not worship (though it does become one anyway after being bought by a televangelist). The inside of the lobby felt larger than life, and I was absolutely blown away by the interior of the theater. The lobby’s ceilings were painted in such a way that resembled tapestry or stained glass windows, and there was intricate brass detailing all over the walls, making every inch of the space decorated and interesting to look at. Being inside the theater felt like being in a galaxy, surrounded by murals depicting film legends at the time and a ceiling that sparkled blue, reflecting the color of the walls surrounding the stage. The theater closed in 1989, but after being bought, sold and bought again, it has come full circle and is a theater once more, and people can go to enjoy live performances at the United Theatre.
If you use an iPhone or perhaps a MacBook, it’s possible you’d have been to this next theater to purchase or repair something, as the Tower Theatre, the theater you are guaranteed to enter on the tour, is now an Apple Store. The theater opened in 1927, built in a French Baroque architectural style to emulate the French Baroque style of the Los Angeles Theatre, a pinnacle of the movie theater experience. However, the Tower Theatre closed in 1988, acquiring years of damage from neglect until 2018, when Apple bought the building. After three years, the building was restored and though it’s now used as an Apple Store, it still retains its historic character. In contrast to being in a galaxy like the United Theatre, being in the Tower Theatre is like being in the morning sky. On the ceiling, there is a mural of a bright blue sky and bountiful clouds, and the theater’s elaborately coffered walls are white and brightly lit. The Apple store has seats installed upstairs to see the theater from above, available for anyone to access, making the Tower Theatre a great spot to visit and sit while admiring the impressive restoration and contemplating what it might’ve looked like in its heyday.
I’ve so far only talked about two theaters: The Tower Theatre, which you are guaranteed to see on the tour, and the United Theatre, my favorite of the ones we entered. Though I won’t go into detail about it here, we were also able to enter the Orpheum Theatre. However, an exciting opportunity taking place at this theatre is an event called “Last Remaining Seats,” where classic movies are shown at historic theaters. The first two movies of the event, “The Freshman” and “Roman Holiday,” will be shown at the Orpheum Theatre, while the rest of the movies will be shown at the United Theatre and the Million Dollar Theatre. So even if you don’t get to see the Orpheum Theatre, United Theatre or Million Dollar Theatre on a tour, you can still experience them authentically by seeing a classic movie in their seats, like others possibly might have before their closings.
Of course, walking along Broadway, I didn’t only hear about the theaters I talked about above; my group’s knowledgeable tour guide, Tom McQuaide, a volunteer at the conservancy, had so much more valuable and interesting information about Broadway to offer—the vast amount of theaters and the hands they all passed through before eventually closing are things I barely even scratch the surface of.
Curious about how he learned about Broadway in such depth and detail, I asked McQuaide where he learned all the historical, architectural and cultural information about Broadway that he was so well versed in. He said he has a dual interest in both architecture and film (he used to teach film and TV production), and he learned about Broadway through books, other tour guides and along the way while guiding other people on his tours. McQuaide said that he often learns new things about Broadway and its theaters from the very people he guides down the street. Maybe you can be the next person on Mr. McQuaide’s tour to share something new!
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Featured Image Photographed by Julia Gu/BruinLife
