Hollywood Pacific Theatre

Former movie theater in Hollywood, California

United States historic place

Hollywood Pacific Theatre

U.S. Historic district
Contributing property

Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 572

Hollywood Pacific Theatre in 2010

Location of building in Los Angeles County

Location| 6433 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, California
Coordinates| 34°06′07″N 118°19′50″W﻿ / ﻿34.1020°N 118.3306°W﻿ / 34.1020; -118.3306
Built| 1927
Architect| G. Albert Lansburgh
Architectural style| Spanish renaissance, Beaux-Arts
Part of| Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District (ID85000704)
LAHCM No.| 572
Significant dates
Designated CP| April 4, 1985
Designated LAHCM| February 9, 1993

Hollywood Pacific Theatre, also known as Warner Theatre, Warner Bros. Theatre, Warner Hollywood Theatre, Warner Cinerama, Warner Pacific, and Pacific 1-2-3, is a historic office, retail, and entertainment space located at 6433 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.[1] It is best known for its movie theater, which was owned by Warner Bros. from 1928 to 1953, Stanley Warner Theatres (later RKO-Stanley Warner Theatres) from 1953 to 1968, and Pacific Theatres from 1968 to 1994.[2][3]

## History

[edit]

Warner Theatre, 1928

### Beginnings

[edit]

Originally known as the Warner Bros. Theatre or Warner Hollywood Theatre, the latter used to avoid confusion with another Warner Theatre in downtown Los Angeles,[4] this building was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh, an architect renowned for his theater designs, having previously designed the Palace, Orpheum, El Capitan, and more. The total cost of this building, which features Spanish Renaissance architecture,[1] was $2 million, $750,000 more than initially budgeted.[5]

The building's centerpiece, its movie theater, was Hollywood's first movie theater designed specifically for sound.[5] It opened on April 26, 1928, seating more than 2700[6] and showing Glorious Betsy, starring Conrad Nagel and Dolores Costello.[3] This opening marked Warner Brothers's entry into the theater operation business in California, with this theater built to complete directly with the nearby Chinese and Egyptian Theatres.[5] The theater entrance and lobby featured Churrigueresque detailing.[1]

In addition to the theater, the building featured a nursery, emergency hospital, lounge, retail and office space, and a 3000 sq. ft. radio studio. Radio station KFWB occupied the studio, and two radio masts were added to the building soon after it opened, with the station's letters displayed on the masts.[3][7]

### Change in ownership

[edit]

In 1949, the United States Supreme Court issued the Paramount Decision, prohibiting major film studios from owning movie theaters. To comply, Warner Brothers spun off Stanley Warner Theatres in 1953, at which point this building transferred ownership to that company. Stanley Warner Theatres later merged with RKO Theatres Corp to become RKO Stanley Warner.[2]

### Renovation for widescreen

[edit]

In an era when theaters tried to compete with television by introducing widescreen, this venue was one of the few in Hollywood large enough to convert to Cinerama.[8] After renovations, the theater reopened as Warner Cinerama on April 29, 1953. The new screen was 28 feet by 76 feet with a 146 degree arc, and seating was reduced to approximately 1,500 to accommodate the larger screen.

The first film shown at the Warner Cinerama was This is Cinerama, which grossed $3,845,200 in its first 115 weeks, a Los Angeles record. The film closed 133 weeks after it opened and on November 15, 1955, Cinerama Holiday opened, playing for 81 weeks and grossing $2,212,600. That film was followed by Seven Wonders of the World, which played for 69 weeks and grossed $1,659,361. Other cinerama films that played in this cinerama include South Seas Adventure (71 weeks), Search for Paradise (38 weeks), The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (28 weeks), and the premiere run of How the West Was Won (93 weeks). This is Cinerama, Cinerama Holiday, and Seven Wonders of the World also had multi-week return engagements during this time period.[9][10]

In 1961, the theater was equipped to show 70 mm film, and in 1968, Stanley Warner sold the theater to Pacific Theatres, who renamed it Hollywood Pacific Theatre. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, two Stanley Kubrick films had long runs at the theater: 2001: A Space Odyssey, which had its west coast premiere here and played for 80 weeks, and A Clockwork Orange.[3]

In January 1978, the theater closed so that its balcony section could be converted into two additional 550-seat screens. The theater reopened in April 1978, having changed its name to Pacific 1-2-3.[2]

### Influence on Carol Burnett's star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

[edit]

Carol Burnett's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6439 Hollywood Blvd. in front of the Hollywood Pacific Theatre

In the 1950s, a young Carol Burnett was working as an usherette when the theater was showing Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train. Having already seen the film, she advised two patrons arriving during the last 10 minutes of a showing to wait until the beginning of the next showing to avoid spoiling the ending. The manager observed Burnett, let the couple in, and then fired her, stripping the epaulettes from her uniform. Decades later, after achieving TV stardom, when she was offered a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she said she wanted it "Right in front of where the old Warner Brothers Theater was, at Hollywood and Wilcox."[11] Her star was placed at 6439 Hollywood Blvd., outside the entrance to the theater.[12]

### Designation as a Historical Landmark

[edit]

In 1984, the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with Warner Theater listed as a contributing property in the district.[1] In 1993, the building was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.[13]

### End of use for exhibiting films

[edit]

On August 15, 1994, the theater closed as a full-time cinema. This was mostly due to structural damage caused by the 1994 Northridge earthquake and water damage that occurred during construction of the B Line.[2][3][6] To date, the theater's balcony sections remain closed due to safety issues.

From 2000 to 2006, the building was used by the University of Southern California Entertainment Technology Center to experiment in digital projection. Dubbed the ETC Digital Cinema Lab in Hollywood, the building was host to numerous meetings, discussions, tests, and demos, the sum of which are often credited with providing the catalyst that made digital cinema a reality.[14]

The building was occupied by Ecclesia Hollywood Church from early 2008 to July 2013,[2] and has been vacant ever since, with owner Robertson Properties Group stating that restoring the building is not financially viable due to the amount of work that needs to be done.[15]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form - Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District". United States Department of the Interior \- National Park Service. April 4, 1985.
2. ^ a b c d e Lambros, Matt (July 18, 2017). "Warner (Pacific) Theatre – Hollywood, CA". afterthefinalcurtain.net.
3. ^ a b c d e "Hollywood Pacific Theatre". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
4. ^ "Early Los Angeles Historical Buildings (1925 +)". Water and Power Associates. p. 2. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
5. ^ a b c "Warner Theatre Hollywood: The Gem of Gems". Theatre History Society of America. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
6. ^ a b "Warner Pacific Theatre". Los Angeles Conservancy. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
7. ^ Hume, Mike. "Warner Hollywood". historictheatrephotos.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
8. ^ Lord, Rosemary (2003). Hollywood Then and Now. San Diego: Thunder Bay Press. p. 121\. ISBN 1-59223-104-7.
9. ^ Coate, Michael. "This is Cinerama in Los Angeles". fromscripttodvd.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
10. ^ "'80 Days' Around L.A. 100 Weeks, $2,217,000". Variety. November 26, 1958. p. 22. Retrieved June 9, 2019 - via Archive.org.
11. ^ Burnett, Carol (1986). One More Time (first ed.). New York: Random House. pp. 194–195. ISBN 0-394-55254-7.
12. ^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame – Locations". seeing-stars.com. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
13. ^ "Historical Cultural Monuments List" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
14. ^ "Digital Cinema Lab (DCL)". Entertainment Technology Center. December 11, 2012.
15. ^ Barragan, Bianca (August 4, 2017). "Checking in on the Warner Hollywood Theatre, a once-grand movie palace". Curbed Los Angeles.

## External links

[edit]

* Cinema Tour Photos of the Theatre

* v
* t
* e

Movie theaters in Los Angeles

Open|

* El Capitan
* Fox Bruin
* Fox Westwood Village
* Grauman's Chinese
* Grauman's Egyptian
* Los Angeles
* Million Dollar
* New Beverly
* Nuart
* Tiki Adult
* Vista
* Warner Grand

Specialty|

* American Legion Post 43
* Samuel Goldwyn
* Velaslavasay Panorama
* Vine

Defunct|

* Arcade
* California
* Cameo
* Carthay Circle
* Cinefamily
* Cinerama Dome
* Downtown Independent
* Fairfax
* Fox Hollywood
* Golden Gate
* Granada
* Holly Cinema
* Hollywood
* Hollywood Pacific
* Iris
* Lincoln
* Majestic
* Paramount
* Picfair
* Rialto
* Ritz
* Roxie
* Tower
* Vogue

Repurposed|

* Belasco
* Coronet
* El Portal
* El Rey
* Fonda
* Mayan
* Montalbán
* Nimoy
* Pantages
* Regent
* State
* United Artists

Theater chains|

| Open|

* Landmark Theatres
* Laemmle Theatres

|

Defunct|

* ArcLight Cinemas
* Magic Johnson Theatres
* Mann Theatres
* Pacific Theatres

* v
* t
* e

Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments

* Downtown Los Angeles
* East and Northeast Sides
* Harbor Area
* Hollywood
* San Fernando Valley
* Silver Lake, Angelino Heights and Echo Park
* South Los Angeles
* Westside
* Wilshire and Westlake Areas

* v
* t
* e

Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District

Contributing
properties|

| Buildings|

* 1632 Vine
* 6679 Hollywood
* 6806 Hollywood
* 7001 Hollywood
* 7055 Hollywood
* Arthur Murray
* Attie
* Baine
* Bank of America
* Cherokee
* ‎Christie
* Congregational Church
* Consumer Drug
* Creque
* Dyas
* Equitable
* Gilberts Books
* Guaranty
* Hallmark
* Hillview
* Hollywood Brown Derby
* Hollywood Professional
* Hollywood Toys
* Hotel Roosevelt
* J. J. Newberry
* Janes Residence
* Johnny's Steak House
* Julian Medical
* Knickerbocker
* Lee Drug
* Leed's
* Masonic Temple
* Max Factor Salon
* Millers Stationers
* Montmartre
* Musso & Frank
* Orient
* Outpost
* Palmer
* Pickwick Books
* Pig 'n Whistle
* Plaza Hotel
* Regal Shoes
* Security Pacific
* Security Trust‎
* Security Trust‎ and Savings
* Seven Seas
* S.H. Kress
* Shane
* Taft
* Wax Museum

|

Theaters|

* Chinese
* Egyptian
* El Capitan/Paramount
* Holly Cinema
* Hollywood
* Palace
* Pantages
* Warner

Removed from
contributing|

* Garden Court Apartments

Non-
contributing|

* Alexanders
* Artisan Patio
* Gitelson
* Laemmle
* Old Post Office
* Palmer II
* Sardi's
* Vine Theatre
* Vogue Theatre
* Woolworth

Mentioned
but not listed|

* Fox Theater
* Hollywood Walk of Fame
* Iris Theatre

Featured
architects|

* Norman W. Alpaugh
* John C. Austin
* Clifford Balch
* John M. Cooper
* Aleck Curlett
* Oliver Perry Dennis
* Walter E. Erkes
* Lyman Farwell
* Fisher, Lake & Traver
* Henry L. Gogerty
* Arthur Rolland Kelly
* John Paul Krempel
* G. Albert Lansburgh
* S. Charles Lee
* Frank L. Meline
* Meyer & Holler
* Henry A. Minton
* Morgan, Walls & Clements
* Stiles Clements
* Norton & Wallis
* Samuel Tilden Norton
* John and Donald Parkinson
* B. Marcus Priteca
* Edward Sibbert
* Walker & Eisen
* Percy A. Eisen
* Albert R. Walker
* Carl Jules Weyl

Related topics|

* Hollywood and Vine
* Hollywood Boulevard
* Hollywood film industry
* Hollywood, Los Angeles

* v
* t
* e

Greater Hollywood

Districts and
neighborhoods|

* Colegrove
* East Hollywood
* Hollywood
* Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District
* Hollywood Theatre Row
* Yucca Corridor
* Hollywood Hills
* Beachwood Canyon
* Cahuenga Pass
* Hollywood Dell
* Hollywood Heights
* Laurel Canyon
* Nichols Canyon
* Outpost Estates
* Whitley Heights
* Yamashiro Historic District
* Little Armenia
* Melrose District
* Melrose Hill
* Spaulding Square
* Thai Town
* Virgil Village

Businesses|

| Bars and
restaurants|

* Avalon
* Boardner's
* Cat & Fiddle
* Catalina Bar & Grill
* Frolic Room
* Gwen
* House of Pies
* Kali
* Mel's Drive-In
* Miceli's
* Musso & Frank
* Osteria Mozza
* Phenakite
* Providence
* Roscoe's Chicken 'N Waffles
* Sunset Grill

|

Cemeteries|

* Forest Lawn
* Hollywood Forever
* Mount Sinai

Hotels|

* Chateau Marmont
* Hollywood Melrose
* Hollywood Roosevelt

Museums|

* Fire Department
* Guinness World Records
* Hollywood
* Hollywood Bowl
* Hollywood Heritage
* Japan House
* Madame Tussauds
* Museum of Death
* Ripley's Believe It or Not!
* Sculpture Garden
* Vogue Multicultural
* Wax

Shopping|

* Artisan's Patio
* Amoeba Music
* Janes Square
* Larry Edmunds
* Ovation

Studios|

| Motion
picture|

* CBS Columbia
* Jim Henson
* KCET
* Paramount
* Raleigh
* Red
* Sunset Bronson
* Sunset Gower
* Sunset Las Palmas

|

Music|

* Boulevard
* Capitol
* Cherokee
* Conway
* Delicious Vinyl
* EastWest
* Electro-Vox
* Henson
* The Mansion
* Record Plant
* Sound Factory
* Sunset Sound
* United Western

Theaters|

| Live|

* Dolby
* El Centro
* Fonda
* Ford
* Fountain
* Hollywood Bowl
* Hollywood Palladium
* Hotel Café
* Jumbo's
* Magic Castle
* Pack
* Pantages
* Ricardo Montalbán
* Upright Citizens Brigade

|

Motion
picture|

* Arclight
* Chinese
* Cinerama Dome
* Egyptian
* El Capitan
* Fox
* Hollywood Pacific
* Ritz Theatre
* Tiki Adult
* Vogue
* Vine
* Vista

Other points
of interest|

| Buildings|

| NRHP|

* List of contributing properties in the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District

* Office
* Bricker
* Capitol Records
* Crossroads of the World
* Guaranty
* Heinsbergen Decorating Company
* Hollywood & Western
* Security Trust and Savings

* Residences
* Andalusia
* Bonita
* C.E. Toberman
* Carlotta
* El Cabrillo
* Halifax
* Highland-Camrose
* Hollyhock
* Hollywood Tower
* Jardinette
* John Sowden
* Montecito
* Samuel Freeman
* St. Andrews
* Stahl
* Storer
* Whitley

* Other
* Cahuenga Branch
* Hollywood Masonic Temple
* John C. Fremont Branch
* Post Office

|

Other|

* Office
* DGA Headquarters
* Athletic Club
* Yucca Vine Tower

* Religious
* Blessed Sacrament
* First Presbyterian
* Mosaic
* Self Realization
* St. Mary of the Angels
* Temple Israel
* United Methodist

* Residences
* Argyle
* Château Élysée
* Chemosphere
* Garber
* Lookout Mountain
* Ojai
* Ravenswood
* Shulman
* Wattles

* Retail
* Alexanders
* Gitelson
* Woolworth

Hospitals|

* Children's Hospital
* Hollywood Presbyterian
* Kaiser Sunset

Parks|

* Barnsdall
* Griffith
* Bronson Caves
* Cahuenga Peak
* Hollywood Sign
* Mount Lee
* Lake Hollywood
* Runyon Canyon
* Wattles

Schools|

| Entertainment|

* Academy of Dramatic Arts
* AFI Conservatory
* Emerson Hollywood
* Gnomon
* Los Angeles Film School
* Los Angeles Recording School
* Musical and Dramatic Academy
* Musicians Institute
* Stella Adler

|

Other|

* Braille Institute
* Helen Bernstein
* Hollywood High
* Immaculate Heart
* Los Angeles City College
* Rose and Alex Pilibos
* West Coast University

Scientology|

* Celebrity Centre
* L. Ron Hubbard Exhibition
* Pacific Area Command Base
* Psychiatry: An Industry of Death

Walks
of fame|

* Adult Walk of Fame
* Chinese Theater hand and footprints
* Hollywood Walk of Fame
* Hollywood's RockWall

Other|

* American Legion Post 43
* Contemporary Exhibitions
* Hollywood Cross
* Pickford Center
* Public Art
* William Stromberg Clock

Transportation|

| Metro|

* B Line
* K Line Northern Extension
* Vermont Transit Corridor

|

Streets|

| East-west|

* Fountain
* Franklin
* Hollywood
* Melrose
* Mulholland
* Santa Monica
* Sunset

|

North-south|

* Cahuenga
* Gower
* Highland
* La Brea
* Normandie
* Vermont
* Vine
* Western
* Wilcox

Intersections|

* Gower Gulch
* Hollywood and Vine
* Squares
* Armenian Genocide Memorial
* Berry Gordy
* Bob Hope
* Carmen Miranda
* Ian Campbell
* Morris Kight
* Raymond Chandler
* Theo Wilson

Other|

* California State Route 2
* Hollywood Bowl Shuttles
* Hollywood Freeway

Neighboring cities
and communities|

* Beverly Hills
* Fairfax
* Hancock Park
* Los Feliz
* North Hollywood
* Silver Lake
* Studio City
* Universal City
* West Hollywood

Regions
Crescenta Valley
Downtown
Eastside
Harbor Area
Greater Hollywood
Northeast LA
Northwest LA
San Fernando Valley
South LA
Westside
Central Los Angeles & Wilshire area
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