Aloha TC peeps...what a fantastic Saturday! The John-O coordinated Los Angeles Broadway Theatre tour was a blast. I finally had the chance to enter some buildings that are usually closed to the public, as well as revisiting sites I've previously toured.
Laura, our L.A. Conservancy tour-guide, was great. Laura answered all our questions with a passion that was infectious and because of this positive experience I'm confidant I'll be taking more walking tours of the downtown LA district in the near future (For further information contact the L.A. Conservancy directly via their website.)
Below is a selection of pics I took that give a sense of the sheer architectural grandeur this premier Historic Theatre District offers.
TikiG, John-O and Melekalikimaka meet in downtown L.A. to begin our tour.
Waiting for the rest of our touring party to arrive - on the sidewalk in front of the Million Dollar Theatre (3rd Street and Broadway).
The facade of the Million Dollar Theatre. Opened in 1918 and designed by Albert C. Martin, one of the most important architects in Los Angeles at the time.
Our tour guide Laura talks about the Million Dollar Theatre. I learned the Million Dollar was created for theatre impresario Sid Grauman.
Great window shopping fodder found at the Pharmacy adjacent to the Million Dollar Theatre.
The exterior of the Bradbury Building (304 S. Broadway - across Broadway from the Million Dollar Theatre.)
Our group stands within the lobby of the Bradbury Building. Opened in 1893, the building's construction cost had reached $500,000.00. Many movies, television shows, music videos etc. are filmed here.
Interior view of the Bradbury Building. George Wyman, the architect, initially declined the invitation to design the building until one evening George and his wife supposedly contacted George's dead brother Mark via a planchette board...Mark telling his brother George to take the job and "become famous." The rest, they say, is history.
Detail of one of the elevators inside the Bradbury Building. This building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977.
Walking south along Broadway offers many photographic opportunities.
Art Deco style building found on Broadway (Sorry - I don't remember the name of the building!)
The facade of the Roxie Theatre located at 518 S. Broadway. Built in 1931, it was the last theatre constructed on Broadway before Hollywood usurped its position as Los Angeles' principal theatre district.
Laura talks about the Arcade Building behind her.
The heart of downtown Los Angeles...the intersection of Broadway and 7th Street.
The facade of the Los Angeles Theatre at 615 S. Broadway. The last of Broadway's great movie palaces was constructed for independant film exhibitor H. L. Gumbiner, designed by the legendary S. Charles Lee and constructed in 1931 at a cost of over one-million dollars.
The facade of the Orpheum (also known as The Palace Theatre.) Built in 1911 as the third home of the Orpheum vaudeville circuit in Los Angeles, it is now the oldest remaining original Orpheum theatre in the country.
The ceiling detail inside the lobby of Lowe's State Theatre at 703 S. Broadway. Built in 1921, Loew's State was for many years Broadway's most profitable theatre accomodating crowds with entrances on both Broadway and Seventh Street.
The exterior of Pantages Downtown Theatre located at 410 W. Seventh Street. The Pantages Downtown opened in 1920 as a vaudeville house. Today the theatre houses a jewelry mart, although many of the original theatre features are intact.
At the conclusion of our tour, a few of us visited Clifton's Cafeteria for lunch. We sat at a table on the third level, which is earmarked to become a tiki-bar.
After saying our goodbyes to our Broadway tour group, Mel and myself visited the Museum of Neon Art (MONA) at 136 W. 4th Street. An indoor display area houses many original examples of mid-century neon signage as well as new pieces created by local artesians.
One of my personal favorites was this FUN LAND sign that features a blinking bullseye. No other info available. Salvaged from the Long Beach Pike perhaps?
This is a cool display that shows the different qualities of gasses used in neon sign design.
The last must-do of my afternoon in downtown L.A. - a trip up and down the famous Angels Flight railway.
Later in the afternoon Mel and I visited Tiki Ti in Hollywood for cocktails and socializing before attending the Tiki Farm event at Wacko later in the evening (of course those events are detailed on other TC threads.)
All-in-all yesterday was a full, fun-packed day... the type of day that doesn't come around too often, y'know?
Thanks John-O for organizing this event. Thanks to the TC ohana that made it out to participate. Thanks to Mel for going with. I look forward to the next John-O historical tour of our great So. Cal. landscape. Cheers! G
