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Mike Hume’s Historic Theatre Photography

Name: “Labyrinth” In Concert
Start: 2025-03-21T20:00:00-07:00
End: 2025-03-21T22:00:00-07:00
Location: The United Theater on Broadway

This website celebrates and promotes historic and culturally significant theatres from across the world.

Our intent is to document these buildings of public storytelling and performance primarily through photography, capturing significant details from both sides of the curtain.

Our aim is to educate and engage current and future generations on the importance of theatre, live performance, film, and the arts; emphasizing the importance of preserving the significant buildings our society has created for the purpose of public storytelling. To this end, our scope includes movie theatres of significant cultural and historic merit.

We are always on the lookout for additional historic and/or culturally significant theatres to feature on our website and social media channels. Please get in touch for collaborations or photoshoots!

You can also check out the story behind Historic Theatre Photos and its author Mike Hume, or Mike’s extensive theatre research projects.

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Featured Theatre Photos

American Midwest (outside Chicago)

Akron Civic Theatre

The Akron Civic opened as Loew’s Akron in April 1929, part of the theatre chain built by exhibitor Marcus Loew. It is one of the few remaining Atmospheric theatres designed by renowned theatre architect John Eberson to survive.

Allen Theatre, Cleveland

The Allen Theatre opened in April 1921 as a silent movie theatre with a seating capacity of more than 3,000. Renovated in the mid 1990s, the theatre underwent radical changes in 2010 reducing the seating capacity to 500 and creating the feel of an intimate playhouse.

This page is under construction, please check back soon.

Barrymore Theatre

The 1,000-seat Barrymore Theatre originally opened in late December 1929 as the Eastwood Theater, reported to be Wisconsin’s first theatre constructed for talking pictures. The Atmospheric auditorium interior was largely removed in the 1940s. The theatre is now a popular live entertainment venue.

Canton Palace Theatre

The Palace Theatre was built by local businessman Harry H. Ink, who had made his fortune from a sore throat remedy called Tonsiline. Noted theatre architect John Eberson designed the theatre which was reported to have cost over $1 million, and featured the city’s first air conditioning.

Connor Palace Theatre, Cleveland

The Connor Palace first opened in late 1922 as a vaudeville and movie theatre for the Keith-Albee theatre chain. Originally seating 3,100, the theatre was designed by noted Chicago-based architects Rapp and Rapp in a French Renaissance style. The theatre was renovated in the late 1980s.

This page is under construction, please check back soon.

Folly Theater, Kansas City

The Folly Theater opened as a vaudeville and burlesque theatre in 1900 and is immortalized by being the first theater where Gypsy Rose Lee performed burlesque, as well as being referred to as the burlesque theatre in the song “Kansas City” from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!”.

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Fox Theatre, St. Louis

The Fox Theatre opened in 1929 as a showcase for the films of the Fox Film Corporation. It was one of a group of five spectacular Fox theatres built by Fox in the late 1920s and is one of only three to survive.

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Hanna Theatre, Cleveland

The Hanna Theatre opened in March 1921 as part of the Hanna Building in downtown Cleveland, built by industrialist and publisher Daniel Rhodes Hanna. The 1,400-seat theatre was the only known theatre design of architect Charles A. Platt. Following restoration and a reconfiguration the theatre now seats 550.

KeyBank State Theatre, Cleveland

First opened in early 1921, the State Theatre originally sat 3,400. The vaudeville and movie theatre was designed in the Italian Renaissance style by architect Thomas W. Lamb, and was intended to be the flagship of the Ohio branch of the Loew’s Theatres chain.

This page is under construction, please check back soon.

Midland Theatre, Kansas City

The Midland Theatre opened in 1927 as the 4,100-seat Loew’s Midland Theatre, a movie palace built with a full stage and described as a “combination stageshow and picture house”. Following a major renovation in the mid-2000s the Midland Theatre has been at the center of live entertainment in downtown Kansas City.

Mimi Ohio Theatre, Cleveland

The theatre opened in early 1921 as Loew’s Ohio, a home for the presentation of legitimate drama. The 1,300-seat theatre was designed in the Italian Renaissance style by noted theatre architect Thomas W. Lamb. The theatre was renovated in the early 1980s.

This page is under construction, please check back soon.

Missouri Theater, St. Joseph

The 1,400-seat theatre opened at the end of June 1927 with Rough House Rosie (1927) starring Clara Bow. The movie followed a welcome by Publix Theaters, a dramatic short feature, and a demonstration of the Wurlitzer organ by organist Howard Peterson.

Pabst Theater, Milwaukee

The 1,300-seat Pabst Theater opened in late 1895 and is the fourth oldest continuously operating theatre in the United States. It has hosted greats such as pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff, actor Laurence Olivier, and ballerina Anna Pavlova.

This page is under construction, please check back soon.

Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts, Sheboygan

The 1,600-seat Sheboygan Theatre opened in early 1928 with Finders Keepers (1928) starring Laura LaPlante, and five “big time” acts of vaudeville, having been built at a cost of $600,000 by the Universal Pictures chain for the Milwaukee Theatre Circuit.

Uptown Theater, Kansas City

The Uptown Theatre opened in early 1928, designed by noted theatre architect John Eberson in his signature Atmospheric theatre style with an Italian garden theme. After having lain dormant for several years, the theatre is now a popular live entertainment venue.

American Southwest

Fox Tucson Theatre

The Fox Tucson Theatre opened in early 1930 as a dual vaudeville/movie house, featuring a $20,000 Wurlitzer theatre organ and a stage large enough to present vaudeville acts. The theatre closed in 1974 and lay dormant for many years before a restoration project commenced in the late 1990s. The Fox is now a flourishing performing arts center in the heart of the downtown Tucson.

Mayan Theatre, Denver

The Mayan Theatre opened as a single screen movie theatre in late 1930, and is one of only a few Mesoamerican themed theatres throughout the United States. After a period of neglect the theatre was brought back into use in the early 1980s.

Oriental Theater, Denver

The 1,200-seat Oriental Theater opened in late 1927 as a neighborhood movie theatre, reported to have been built at a cost of $200,000. The opening night movie was The Joy Girl starring Oliver Borden, following a newsreel and a short comedy.

Orpheum Theatre, Phoenix

The Orpheum Theatre opened in January 1929, at the time the only theatre between Los Angeles and Denver large enough to handle the traveling vaudeville shows which toured the United States on the Orpheum Circuit, changing theatres generally every week.

Tucson Scottish Rite

The cornerstone for the Tucson Scottish Rite was laid on 8th December 1915, with the cathedral being dedicated on 15th May 1916. The main meeting room houses a stage with full-height stagehouse, fitted-out with a counterweight flying system and numerous painted backdrops furnished by Sosman & Landis of Chicago in 1915.

California (outside Los Angeles and San Francisco)

Avalon Theatre, Catalina Island

The Avalon Theatre is one of the two main components of the Catalina Casino Building, built by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. and opened in May 1929. The 1,200-seat theatre was designed for movies however has a full stage, orchestra pit, and dressing rooms allowing for stage productions. The theatre still retains its Page theatre pipe organ in almost original condition.

Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara

The Arlington Theatre is the largest movie theatre in Santa Barbara and was built in 1931 for Fox West Coast Theatres. Although the theatre has undergone several renovations it retains its atmospheric Spanish Colonial / Mission Revival style. The theatre is home to a 4-manual, 27-rank Robert-Morton organ, one of only five “Wonder Morton” theatre organs to have been built.

Balboa Theatre, San Diego

Opened in 1924 as a vaudeville theatre and movie palace, the Balboa was designed in several Spanish styles popularized by San Diego’s 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition. Following an extended period of closure starting in the 1980s, the Balboa underwent an extensive renovation and reopened in 2008.

Copley Symphony Hall, San Diego

Copley Symphony Hall opened in November 1929 as the Fox Theatre, a luxurious movie palace catering to 3,000 patrons and the third-largest single screen on the US West Coast. After a period of closure during the late 1970s and early 1980s, the theatre was gifted in 1984 to the San Diego Symphony and renamed Copley Symphony Hall.

Fox Theater Bakersfield

The Fox Theatre in Bakersfield opened on Christmas Day in 1930, as an atmospheric theatre with a Mediterranean village theme. In 1953 the auditorium was given a Skouras-style makeover, and today it remains one of the best preserved examples of this mid-century movie theatre style.

Granada Theatre, Santa Barbara

The Granada Theatre opened in Spring 1924, and one year later famously survived the devastating Santa Barbara Earthquake of Summer 1925. After decades serving as a movie theatre, the Granada underwent a major renovation in the early 2000s and is now a destination for large-scale touring productions while also being home to multiple Santa Barbara-resident companies.

Hanford Fox Theatre

The Fox Theatre in Hanford was built at a time when movies, and in particular “talkies”, were a relatively new phenomenon, but vaudeville entertainment was still a big draw in theatres up and down the country.

Observatory North Park, San Diego

Opened as the West Coast North Park in early 1929 by Fox West Coast Theatres, it was promoted by Fox as the first theatre in San Diego to be designed from the ground up for the exhibiting of sound, synchronized, and talking pictures. The theatre is now a popular and vibrant live entertainment and music venue.

Plaza Theatre, Palm Springs

The Plaza Theatre opened in late 1936 with the world premiere of Camille starring Greta Garbo. Built by Julia Carnell, the theatre was designed by architect firm Schenck & Williams in an Atmospheric style with a Spanish village theme.

San Diego Civic Theatre

The San Diego Civic Theatre opened in early 1965, designed by modernist architect Lloyd Ruocco – one of San Diego’s most influential architects. The Civic is San Diego county’s largest performing arts venue and is home to Broadway in San Diego, San Diego Opera, and the California Ballet.

Spreckels Theatre, San Diego

The Spreckels Theatre was hailed at its opening as the first modern commercial playhouse west of the Mississippi, and has been in continuous operation – save for a couple of refurbishments – since its opening in August 1912. The theatre was commissioned by sugar magnate John D. Spreckels to commemorate the opening of the Panama Canal and the upcoming Pan American Exposition held in San Diego in 1915.

Visalia Fox Theatre

The Visalia Fox Theatre was built by William Fox of Fox West Coast Theatres and opened in February 1930. It is one of California’s few remaining atmospheric theatres. The “blue sky” auditorium ceiling still features its original twinkling stars, and would have originally been enhanced with moving clouds adding to the atmospheric spectacle.

Canada

Cameco Capitol Arts Centre, Port Hope

Originally opened as the Capitol Theatre in 1930, the theatre is now a performing arts center called the Cameco Capitol Arts Centre.

This page is under construction, please check back soon.

Grand Theatre, London

The Grand Theatre opened in 1901 as the Grand Opera House, built by owner/manager Ambrose J. Small. Today the Grand Theatre is a regional professional theatre company, housed in a modern building retaining historic features of its original auditorium.

This page is under construction, please check back soon.

Chicago

Auditorium Theatre

Completed in 1889, the Auditorium Theatre is part of a larger building complex in downtown Chicago called the Auditorium Building. The architects, Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, with young draughtsman Frank Lloyd Wright, incorporated several modern features into the theatre such as air cooling and 3,500 electric lamps.

Avalon Regal Theater

The Avalon Theater opened in 1927, designed in the Atmospheric style with a Moorish theme by renowned theatre architect John Eberson. It was a first-run theatre for many years, then a church, then was renovated and reopened as the New Regal Theater in 1987, however closed in 2003.

Chicago Theatre

The Chicago Theatre opened in 1921 as the flagship of the Balaban & Katz theatre chain, built primarily as a movie palace but with stage facilities included. It was designed by noted architectural firm Rapp & Rapp in their signature French Baroque style. The massive movie palace takes up half a city block, rises over seven stories, and seats 3,553.

CIBC Theatre

Opened as the Majestic Theatre in 1906 as part of the multi-use Majestic Building, the theatre occupying lower floors and the Majestic Hotel occupying upper levels. Since 1991 the theatre has been owned by the Nederlander Organization; it is currently operated by Broadway in Chicago.

Copernicus Center

The Copernicus Center opened as a large neighborhood movie palace called the Gateway Theater in mid-1930. It is now the home of the Polish Cultural Center in Chicago and a premiere event venue hosting concerts, dance, workshops, culturally diverse activities, and community engagement.

Patio Theater

The 1,500-seat Patio Theater opened on Chicago’s Northside in early 1927 with the movie The Blonde Saint (1926) starring Lewis Stone and Doris Kenyon, in addition to some stage acts plus a newsreel.

Riviera Theatre

The Riviera Theatre was designed by Chicago-based architecture firm Rapp and Rapp as a vaudeville and silent movie theatre, and opened in late 1918. In the 1980s it became a nightclub, and is now a popular live entertainment and music venue on Chicago’s Northside.

Studebaker Theater

The Studebaker Theater is located within the Chicago Fine Arts Building and originally opened as Studebaker Hall in 1898. The theatre underwent a major remodel in late 1917 and reopened as the Studebaker Theater. Used exclusively as a movie theatre from December 1982, it closed in November 2000, underwent restoration during 2014-15, and reopened as a live entertainment and events venue in October 2015.

Florida

Polk Theatre, Lakeland

The Polk Theatre originally opened in late 1928 as a 1,800-seat combination vaudeville/movie theatre built to serve a rural town of just 15,000. In 1982 the theatre was saved from the wrecking ball and now serves as a local performing arts center and movie theatre.

Tampa Theatre

The Tampa Theatre was designed by noted theatre architect John Eberson, in an Atmospheric style with a Mediterranean courtyard theme. The design featured old world statuary, flowers and shrubbery, stuffed birds, and gargoyles; all set under an artificial nighttime sky featuring twinkling stars. 100 years after its opening it is arguably the best-preserved Atmospheric theatre in the United States.

Los Angeles: Downtown

Broadway Historic Theatre District

The Broadway Theater & Commercial District in Downtown Los Angeles is the first and largest historic theatre district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With 12 movie theatres/palaces located along a seven-block stretch of Broadway, it is the only large concentration of movie palaces left in the United States.

Ahmanson Theatre

The Ahmanson, a large-scale traditional Broadway-style proscenium theatre, opened in April 1967. It was originally intended to be called the Center Theater, however in December 1965 the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors announced that it would be named for philanthropist Howard Ahmanson (chairman of the board of Home Savings and Loan Association) in recognition of the gift from the Ahmanson Foundation.

The Belasco

The Belasco Theatre opened in late 1926 under the management of Edward Belasco and partners – Edward was the brother of famous New York theatre producer David Belasco. The same management team operated the Mayan Theatre, which was built next door immediately after the Belasco was completed.

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion – an opera house – opened to much acclaim in December 1964 as the first venue of the Los Angeles Music Center. Originally called the Memorial Pavilion, in December 1965 the City of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors announced that it would be renamed in honor of Dorothy Chandler, the major driving force behind the creation of the Music Center and one of its largest individual donors. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is the largest venue of the Music Center complex with a seating capacity of 3,156.

Globe Theatre

The Globe Theatre was built in 1913 as the Morosco Theater, designed for full-scale legitimate dramatic productions at a time when most theatres were being built for vaudeville. The theatre was built as part of a larger office tower called the Garland Building, designed by Morgan, Walls & Morgan.

Los Angeles Music Center

The Los Angeles Music Center is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States, and the U.S. West Coast equivalent of New York’s Lincoln Center. It is home to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (an Opera House), the Ahmanson Theatre (Broadway-style proscenium arch theatre), the Mark Taper Forum (180-degree thrust stage), and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Los Angeles Theatre

Widely acknowledged as Los Angeles’ most lavish theatre, construction of this 2,000-seat movie palace took only six months and was completed in 1931. Owing to the Great Depression it was the last opulent movie palace to be built in Los Angeles. The stunning French Baroque interior heralds a particularly grand entrance lobby, inspired by the Palace of Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors in France.

Mark Taper Forum

The Mark Taper Forum opened in April 1967 and is the smallest of the Los Angeles Music Center’s venues. It was named for S. Mark Taper, a prominent real estate developer, banker, and philanthropist, and the largest single donor to the Music Center project. With a seating capacity of 738 in a 180-degree semicircular amphitheatre arrangement around its thrust stage, the Taper is particularly successful at creating an intimate relationship between actor and audience.

The Mayan

The Mayan Theatre in downtown Los Angeles is a stunning example of the 1920s fascination with revival-style theatre architecture, in this case Mayan Revival. The Mayan opened its doors in 1927 as a legitimate theatre; it is now used as a music/nightclub and live events venue. Between times it has showcased movies, blue movies, and has been the scene of many movie location shoots.

Million Dollar Theatre

The Million Dollar was Sid Grauman’s first major movie theatre when it opened in February 1918. It was informally known as the million dollar theatre during construction, given rumors of its opulent interior and price tag. Grauman’s Million Dollar Theatre was hailed as the first movie theatre to break with classic design conventions and use fantasy themes throughout.

Orpheum Theatre

The Orpheum Theatre, named for the Greek mythological figure Orpheus, opened in 1926 as the fourth and final Los Angeles venue for the Orpheum circuit, and the second Orpheum Theatre to be built on Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles. The theatre is home to a 1928 Mighty Wurlitzer organ which is still in service today. Architect G. Albert Lansburgh designed the theatre and it remains one of his most elaborate examples.

Palace Theatre

The Palace theatre was built as a vaudeville house and opened in June 1911 as the Orpheum Theatre. Designed by G. Albert Lansburgh (assisted by Robert Brown Young) in a French Renaissance style, it is the oldest remaining theatre from the original Orpheum vaudeville circuit and played host to stars such as Al Jolson, Harry Houdini, Sarah Bernhardt, and the Marx brothers.

Regent Theater

The Regent Theater is a small 600-seat theatre on downtown L.A.’s Main St. Originally opened as the National Theater, the first theatre built on this site around 1910 had a capacity of just 350. It was rebuilt and opened in February 1914, retaining the National name but with a boosted capacity of 600. The theatre was renamed The Regent around 1917.

State Theatre

The State Theatre opened as Loew’s State in November 1921 and was their west coast showcase movie theatre, later becoming the downtown Los Angeles home for first-run MGM movies. It is the largest theatre within the Broadway Theatre District by audience capacity (originally reported variously as 2,404 and 2,450; now 2,119).

Tower Theatre

The Tower Theatre was the first theatre designed by architect S. Charles Lee, who would go on to become one of the most prolific theatre architects of his time on the U.S. West Coast. Lee’s design was notable for fitting a 900-seat auditorium plus retail units onto a 150x50ft lot. In mid-2021 the Tower Theatre opened as an Apple Store after a lengthy refurbishment.

The United Theater on Broadway

The United Artists Theatre opened in December 1927 as the flagship for United Artists’ U.S. West Coast operations. Starting in 2012 the surrounding office building was converted into the Ace Hotel DTLA, and the historic theatre was renovated and re-opened in early 2014 as a live entertainment and special events venue.

Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall was added to the Los Angeles Music Center complex in 2003, a direct result of Lillian B. Disney donating $50 million for a new performance space, in honor of her late husband Walt Disney and his dedication to the Arts and the City of Los Angeles. The Walt Disney Concert Hall is home to the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and the LA Philharmonic who transferred their home here from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion upon the concert hall’s opening.

Los Angeles: Greater Metropolitan Area

Academy Museum

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is devoted to the history, science, and cultural impact of the film industry. Opened in September 2021, the museum contains the signature 966-seat Geffen Theater and the 288-seat Ted Mann Theater.

Alex Theatre, Glendale

The Alex Theatre opened in September 1925 as a movie theatre and vaudeville house called the Alexander Theatre. It was built by theatre magnate Claude L. Langley who named the theatre for his son Claude Alexander. Following various modernizations over its life, in 1993 the Alex was restored back to its 1925 glory.

Fox Theatre, Fullerton

The Fox Fullerton opened in May 1925 as a vaudeville and silent movie house, quickly establishing itself as the destination movie theatre of Orange County. The Italian Renaissance-inspired interior originally featured murals by Anthony Heinsbergen’s decorating company.

Greek Theatre

The Greek Theatre is an outdoor theatre located in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park. Modeled after a Greek temple, it was designed by Los Angeles based architect Samuel T. Norton and associated architects. More than 90 years after its opening, the Greek Theatre remains a popular outdoor live entertainment venue in the center of Los Angeles.

Long Beach Scottish Rite

The Scottish Rite Cathedral in the City of Long Beach was dedicated in September 1926, and like similar cathedrals of its time, contains a performance space fitted-out with scenic backdrops and the other accoutrements necessary for degree teachings. The theatre is now used for weddings, theatrical performances, and other events.

Pasadena Civic Auditorium

The Pasadena Civic Auditorium opened in February 1932, designed by the team of George Bergstrom, J. Cyril Bennett and Fitch Haskell. The huge auditorium seats 2,997. During the 1930s and 1940s the Pasadena Civic hosted numerous community events and radio broadcasts, helping to spread Pasadena’s name throughout California and across the U.S.

Pasadena Playhouse

The Pasadena Playhouse building dates from 1925, however the Pasadena Community Playhouse Association was founded by theatre impresario Gilmore Brown in 1918. Originally sharing performance space with a burlesque show at the Savoy Theatre, by 1925 Brown and the citizens of Pasadena had raised enough money to purchase land and build the current theatre.

Pasadena Scottish Rite

The Scottish Rite building in Pasadena dates from 1925 and houses a well-equipped theatre called the Cobb Auditorium. The space underwent major renovations in the 1960s but retained its early 20th Century stage machinery, including a large number of Sosman & Landis scenic backdrops, some of which date back to the 1890s.

Regency’s Village Theatre, Westwood

First opened in August 1931, the Fox Westwood Theatre is one of only a few movie theatres in Los Angeles which can lay claim to having been a first-run movie theatre for its entire life. Today, it is a popular choice for movie premieres and cinephiles alike.

Rialto Theatre, South Pasadena

The Rialto opened in October 1925 and was designed to showcase both movies and vaudeville. It was one of the last theatres designed by noted architect Lewis A. Smith (Smith also designed the ever-popular Vista Theatre on Sunset Blvd), and is executed in a mix of styles including Egyptian and Spanish Baroque, however is mainly Moorish Fantasy.

Royce Hall, UCLA

Royce Hall is one of the four original buildings on UCLA’s campus in Westwood, and its twin-towered façade has come to represent the defining image of UCLA. Designed by local architectural firm Allison and Allison, it was completed in 1929 as the main hall, grand classroom, and principal meeting place for the university. It is now a performing arts venue with capacity of over 1,800.

Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills

The Saban opened as the Fox Wilshire Theater in September 1930, and is one of Los Angeles’ most notable Art Deco buildings. Theatre architect S. Charles Lee designed the Saban to be fully capable as a theatre for vaudeville in addition to its main focus as a major film presentation house.

San Gabriel Mission Playhouse

The San Gabriel Mission Playhouse sits beside the historic San Gabriel Mission in Los Angeles County California. The theatre was constructed between 1923 and 1927 for “The Mission Play”, a 3-hour pageant-style production conceived to illustrate the establishment of the California missions. The theatre currently seats 1,387 on two levels and its architecture reflects Spanish, Native-American and Californian culture. The theatre houses a fully-restored Wurlitzer Organ.

Shrine Auditorium

The Shrine Auditorium opened in 1926 as the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners, and was known locally in Los Angeles as the Shrine Civic Auditorium. At its opening the massive auditorium was reported to seat 6,442. Nearly 100 years later it is still one of the largest indoor theatres in the United States with a seating capacity of 6,300.

Vista Theatre, Los Feliz

The Vista, a single-screen neighborhood movie theatre, opened on 9th October 1923. Originally called Bard’s Hollywood Theatre, opening night consisted of some vaudeville acts and a screening of “Tips” starring Baby Peggy, who made an in-person appearance in for the sell-out crowd of 900.

Warner Grand, San Pedro

The Warner Grand opened in January 1931 as a first-run movie theatre in San Pedro for Warner Brothers. The theatre was planned to cost half a million dollars and to seat 2,000 patrons, leading Jack Warner to proclaim it as “The Castle of Your Dreams!”. The January 1931 opening was a huge event, compared by Frank Fay and featuring an appearance by Jack Warner himself.

Warner Theatre, Huntington Park

The Warner Huntington Park is the sister theatre to the Warner Grand in San Pedro and the Warner Beverly Hills (demolished). Renowned theatre architect B. Marcus Priteca designed the theatres, all of a similar size, under a single contract with Warner Bros. The Warner Huntington Park closed in the mid-1990s however reopened in late 2018, adaptively reused as a Blink Fitness gym.

Wilshire Ebell Theatre

The Wilshire Ebell Theatre is part of a larger complex, completed in 1927, as the clubhouse for The Ebell of Los Angeles, a prominent Los Angeles women’s club formed in 1894. The theatre is relatively intimate in size, seating just under 1,300, and is well known for its excellent acoustics. It has hosted musical performances and lectures by top artists and world leaders.

The Wiltern, Koreatown

The Wiltern opened in 1931 and is a stunning example of Art Deco architecture. The office/retail building was designed by Morgan, Walls & Clements and the theatre was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh. In 1979/80 the theatre came within days of being demolished; its saving was a major turning point for historic preservation in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles: Hollywood

Hollywood Boulevard Entertainment District

The Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 to recognize the historical significance of over 100 entertainment, commercial, and retail buildings located in Hollywood’s commercial core.

Avalon Hollywood

Originally opened as the Hollywood Playhouse in 1927, the theatre was the last of four major legitimate theatres to open in Hollywood in relatively quick succession. During the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, the building was the U.S. West Coast’s best-known television theatre, broadcasting shows such as “The Bob Hope Show”, “The Hollywood Palace”, and “The Jerry Lewis Show”. It is now a popular live entertainment venue called Avalon Hollywood.

TCL Chinese Theatre

The 1927 TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood was Sid Grauman’s second Hollywood movie palace following the opening of the Egyptian Theatre in 1922, just down the street on Hollywood Boulevard. The Chinese Theatre has likely hosted the largest number of movie premieres of any venue in the world, having been a favorite since its hosting of Cecil B. DeMille’s “The King of Kings” in May 1927.

Dolby Theatre

Hollywood’s 3,400-seat Dolby Theatre, formerly known as the Kodak Theatre, was designed as a permanent home for the annual Academy Awards ceremony (the Oscars), and having opening in November 2001 has hosted the Oscars every year since. The theatre is located in the heart of Hollywood.

Earl Carroll Theatre

The Earl Carroll Theatre opened in late 1938 as a dinner theatre, or supper club, located in Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard. From the 1950s onwards the theatre became a rock ’n’ roll nightclub, a legitimate theatre, and then a television studio, ultimately becoming home to Nickelodeon on Sunset before being given over to a housing development in the mid 2010s.

Egyptian Theatre

Built in the early 1920s, the Egyptian Theatre was was the site of the first Hollywood movie premiere. The theatre was designed by Meyer & Holler in a Revival-Egyptian style due to public fascination with Egyptian archaeology. This proved to be extremely fortuitous given Howard Carter’s discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun just one month after the theatre opened.

El Capitan Theatre

The El Capitan Theatre opened as a legitimate playhouse in mid-1926, dubbed “Hollywood’s First Home of Spoken Drama”. The theatre became the Paramount in 1942 when it changed to a movies-only policy and underwent an Art Moderne makeover. The theatre was restored to its 1926 glory and original name in the early 1990s, and is now a first-run Disney movie theatre.

Fonda Theatre

The Fonda opened in late 1926 as the Music Box Theatre, offering light-hearted musical comedy reviews. It was one of a flurry of theatres to open in Hollywood during 1926 and 1927. An open-air terrace was included above the lobby which catered for dancing and socializing, as well as illicit drinking.

Pantages Theatre

The Pantages is the most opulent Art Deco theatre in Los Angeles; no expense was spared on its sumptuous interior. The theatre is owned and operated by the Nederlander Organization and was extensively refurbished in the year 2000. The Pantages brings Broadway hits to Los Angeles and Southern California audiences.

Ricardo Montalbán Theatre

The Montalbán opened in January 1927 as the Wilkes Vine Street Theatre, a legitimate Broadway-style theatre in Hollywood. The early 1930s saw it have a run as a movie theatre for a few years, before becoming the CBS Radio Playhouse – and home of the Al Jolson Show.

Warner Hollywood

Opened in 1928 as the Warner Bros. Hollywood Theatre and seating just short of 2,800, this was the largest theatre of its day in Hollywood. The theatre’s footprint was cleverly maximized by orienting the oval-shaped auditorium and stage at 45 degrees to the building’s rectangular footprint.

New York

Brooklyn Paramount

The 4,100-seat Brooklyn Paramount opened in late November 1928 as a first-run movie theatre for the Paramount Theatres chain. In the early 1960s the theatre was bought by Long Island University for use as a sports venue and latterly a gym. In 2024 the theatre reopened as a live events venue under the management of Live Nation.

This page is under construction, please check back soon.

Hudson Theatre

The Hudson is Broadway’s oldest surviving theatre, having opened on 19th October 1903 just weeks before the opening of the extant New Amsterdam and Lyceum theatres, which opened late October 1903 and early November 1903 respectively (although the New Victory Theatre opened – as the Theatre Republic – in September 1900 it is not a Broadway theatre). After a period of private use, the Hudson was reopened in February 2017 as the 41st theatre on Broadway in New York.

New Victory Theater

The New Victory Theater is one of New York’s oldest surviving theatres having first opened 125 years ago in 1900. It has operated exclusively as a children’s theatre following a major renovation in 1995. Despite its Broadway-adjacent location it is not considered a Broadway theatre due to its seating capacity of 499.

Radio City Music Hall

Radio City Music Hall, dubbed “the Showplace of the Nation”, opened in December 1932. The vast Art Deco music hall is part of the Rockefeller Center complex. Radio City seats 5,960 and to this day remains one of the largest indoor theatres in the United States, both by seating capacity and stage size.

St. George Theatre

The St. George Theatre is a performing arts venue, movie palace, and office complex in Staten Island, New York City. The 2,800-seat theatre was built for Staten Island theatre operator Solomon Brill and opened in late 1929.

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The Town Hall

The 1,495-seat Town Hall on 43rd Street in New York City opened in January 1921, designed by architect firm McKim, Mead & White for the League for Political Education, which had been established in 1894 to advocate for women’s suffrage. The Town Hall is now a popular concert and events venue.

Pacific Northwest

5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle

The 5th Avenue Theatre opened in 1926 and was designed in an elaborate Chinese wooden temple design by architect Robert C. Reamer. The theatre originally sat 3,000 however seating capacity is now 2,300. The theatre underwent an extensive renovation in 1979.

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Moore Theatre, Seattle

The Moore Theatre opened in late 1907, built for real estate developer James A. Moore. The theatre originally sat 2,436, with the upper balcony being racially segregated from the rest of the theatre. It once had separate entrances, and to this day has a separate staircase connecting it to just inside the front door.

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Paramount Theatre, Seattle

The Paramount Theatre originally opened as the Seattle Theatre in early March 1928. The 3,000-seat theatre was designed by Chicago architect firm Rapp & Rapp, with the adjoining office and apartment building being designed by B. Marcus Priteca, himself an accomplished theatre designer.

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San Francisco Bay Area

Alameda Theatre

The Alameda Theatre opened in August 1932, and 90 years later is a stunning extant example of 1930s Art Deco American movie theatre architecture. The theatre was used as a gym in the 1980s however has since been restored and returned to its intended use as a first-run movie theatre.

Castro Theatre, San Francisco

The Castro Theatre opened in mid-1922, built by the Nasser brothers and designed by architect Timothy Pflueger. It was designed for movies, and hence featured minimal stage facilities despite vaudeville still being popular at the time of the theatre’s opening. 100 years after it opened, the theatre is still owned by the Nasser family.

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Grand Lake Theatre, Oakland

The Grand Lake Theatre opened in March 1926 as a combination vaudeville and silent movie theatre. It has been dedicated to movies most of its life however the theatre’s vaudeville history remains preserved behind the projection screen. The theatre still operates today as a first-run movie theatre.

Texas

Austin Scottish Rite

The Scottish Rite Theater is the oldest theatre in Austin, originally erected in 1871 as a German opera house. The theatre is notable for being home to a large number of 100+ year-old painted backdrops by Sosman & Landis, and a fully operable 19th century “Brown’s Special Counterweighted” flying system.

Aztec Theatre, San Antonio

The Aztec Theatre opened in June 1926 as a Mesoamerican-themed atmospheric movie theatre, generally considered the most elaborate example of its kind throughout the entire United States. Despite triplexing in the 1970s and an extended period of closure in the 1990s/2000s, the theatre has been restored to its 1920s glory and is currently an active live entertainment venue.

Brauntex Theatre, New Braunfels

The Brauntex opened its doors in January 1942 as “the modern theater in the beauty spot of Texas”. Although there were many other movie theatres in town, when the state-of-the-art Brauntex opened, it was the best. It became even more popular after a major fire destroyed the Palace, one of New Braunfel’s popular downtown movie theatres.

Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, San Antonio

Originally opened as Turner Hall, the space now occupied by the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre has been associated with the arts since 1879. The current theatre, the second to have been built on the site, was built by developer Thomas Brady and opened in 1914.

Gaslight-Baker Theatre, Lockhart

The Gaslight-Baker Theatre is a historic theatre located in Lockhart, TX. The theatre opened as the Baker Theatre in 1920, built and operated by Colonel A.D. Baker until his death in 1936. The theatre survives as a community theatre owned an operated by Lockhart Community Theater.

Majestic Theatre, San Antonio

The Majestic was designed by theatre architect John Eberson, famous for his Atmospheric Theatres throughout the United States. The Majestic was completed in 1929 for the Interstate Theaters Company under the management of Karl Hoblitzelle, and was built on the site of the Royal Theater (1909). It is the fifth theatre in San Antonio to bear the name “Majestic”.

Paramount Theatre, Abilene

The Paramount was designed in an Atmospheric style and opened in 1930 as a 1,500-seat theatre serving the town of Abilene’s then 23,000 residents. Although closed in the late 1970s, the Paramount was saved by preservation-minded citizens, reopened in the late 1980s, and has grown to become a cultural beacon in downtown Abilene.

Paramount Theatre, Austin

The Paramount Theatre opened in October 1915 as the Majestic Theatre, designed as a vaudeville house. It was one of the early theatre designs by noted Chicago theatre architect John Eberson, who would go on to become most associated with his concept of Atmospheric theatres throughout the United States.

Stateside at the Paramount, Austin

Stateside at the Paramount was opened as the State Theatre in December 1935. It was built by Interstate Theatres and designed by theatre architect W. Scott Dunne, who designed theatres throughout Texas and Oklahoma including the Plaza Theatre (El Paso, TX) and Texas Theatres in Palestine, Sweetwater, Seguin, and Dallas.

Texas Theatre, San Angelo

The Texas Theatre in San Angelo opened in late 1929 as a 2,000-seat vaudeville and movie theatre in a town with a population of just 25,000. The theatre was designed in an Atmospheric style by architect W. Scott Dunne. Closed in 1983, the theatre is currently seeking a new tenant.

Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, San Antonio

The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts was completed in 2014. It is built on the site of, and incorporates parts of, the 1926 San Antonio Municipal Auditorium. The Tobin Center has two main performance spaces, an additional outdoor Riverwalk performance plaza, and several flexible interior event spaces.

United Kingdom: London

Aldwych Theatre

The Aldwych Theatre opened in 1905, designed as a pair with the Waldorf Theatre (now Novello Theatre) at the opposite end of the block. Both theatres were designed by W.G.R. Sprague. The Aldwych was the Royal Shakespeare Company’s base in London for many years after 1960.

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Dominion Theatre

Initially built as a super cinema at the end of the 1920s, the Dominion Theatre is now a staple theatre of London’s West End. It is familiar to many as home to the annual Royal Variety Performance for many years.

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His Majesty’s Theatre

His Majesty’s Theatre, as it currently stands, opened in 1897. It is the fourth theatre to have been built on the site, the Queen’s Theatre having opened there in 1705. The theatre is one of only a few theatres throughout the world whose name has changed in line with the gender of the reigning British monarch.

London Palladium

The London Palladium opened in December 1910 and is known throughout the world as the home of Variety. Out of all the theatres in the UK and London which have hosted the annual Royal Variety Performance, the London Palladium has hosted the annual variety extravaganza the most number of times, by far.

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Normansfield Theatre

The Normansfield Theatre was built as part of Normansfield Hospital, a self-sufficient hospital complex built by Dr. John Langdon Down in the late 1870s. Pioneering research into what’s now know as Down Syndrome took place at the hospital. The theatre is now held in care by the Landon Down Centre Trust.

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Richmond Theatre

Richmond Theatre was designed by renowned UK theatre architect Frank Matcham and opened as the Theatre Royal and Opera House in 1899. It remains the best preserved example of Matcham’s work in London and is Grade II* listed by Historic England. It is the third theatre to have been built on the site, the first theatre having opened in 1718.

Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall, in the South Kensington area of London, was opened in March 1871 by Queen Victoria. The nearly 5,300-seat concert hall has played host to the world’s leading artists from many different genres, and has been home to the BBC Proms every year since 1941.

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Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

The current theatre building dates from 1812, however it is the fourth theatre building to have occupied the site, making this the oldest theatre site in London still in use today. The Drury Lane stage is the largest of any West End theatre and it has hosted many multi-year engagements, including a record-breaking 10-year run of “Miss Saigon”. The theatre is currently owned by noted composer Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s LW Theatres group.

United Kingdom: outside London

Adelina Patti Theatre, Craig-y-Nos

The Patti Theatre opened in August 1891, built as a private home theatre for opera diva Adelina Patti at Craig-y-Nos Castle in Powys, Wales. Madame Patti intended her opera house to be a miniature version of La Scala in Milan. Today, it remains largely as built in 1891 and is one of only a handful of Grade I listed theatres in England and Wales.

Blackpool Grand Theatre

The Blackpool Grand Theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in July 1894.

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Blackpool Opera House

The Blackpool Opera House opened in 1939, designed in the Art Deco style by architect Charles McKeith, and replacing the earlier Opera House which had opened in 1899.

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Bristol Hippodrome

The Bristol Hippodrome was designed by Frank Matcham, a prolific theatre designer in the UK. At its opening the theatre featured a huge water tank at the front of the stage which could be filled with 100,000 gallons (450,000 litres) of water, as well as an opening central dome in the auditorium to allow for ventilation.

Bristol Old Vic

The Bristol Old Vic’s Theatre Royal is the United Kingdom’s oldest continuously operating theatre, having opened its doors in May 1766. At the time of opening it did not possess the royal patent required for the public performance of plays, so productions were disguised as concerts and the theatre’s entrance was not directly accessible from the street to minimize unwanted attention.

Britannia Panopticon, Glasgow

The Britannia Panopticon is the United Kingdom’s oldest extant music hall, located within the Britannia Building in the Trongate area of Glasgow’s East End. In accordance with traditions of the time the music hall was built one level above the street, with a public house at street level to serve patrons before and after performances.

Buxton Opera House

The 900-seat Buxton Opera House opened in 1903 and was designed by renowned UK theatre architect Frank Matcham. In part due to its location in a rural area of the country, it survives as one of the best preserved examples of Matcham’s theatre designs.

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Citizens Theatre, Glasgow

The Citizens Theatre first opened as Her Majesty’s Theatre and Royal Opera House in December 1878, and was the first theatre in Glasgow to be built on the south side of the River Clyde. It is notable for having retained much of its elaborate nineteenth century stage machinery, the only original example of its kind throughout provincial theatres across the UK.

Edinburgh Playhouse

The Edinburgh Playhouse was built as a super cinema and opened in 1929. For many years it was the largest theatre, by seating capacity, in the UK.

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Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

The Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham opened in October 1891 as the New Theatre and Opera House, seating 1,500 and designed by renowned UK theatre architect Frank Matcham. The theatre was renamed the Everyman Theatre in 1960.

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Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

The Festival Theatre opened in June 1994 as a reincarnation of the Empire Theatre, which existed in several forms since 1892 on what is Edinburgh’s longest continuous theatre site, used for theatrical performance since 1830. The current auditorium dates from 1928 while the stagehouse and Front of House areas are modern facilities.

Gaiety Theatre, Isle of Man

The Gaiety Theatre was constructed on the site of a largely unsuccessful entertainment pavilion, and incorporates parts of the pavilion structure (most notably the roof) into the current building. Renowned UK theatre architect Frank Matcham was engaged to build the new theatre, and the Gaiety is now considered one of his finest surviving theatres.

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Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond

The Georgian Theatre Royal was built by actor-manager Samuel Butler and opened in Richmond, North Yorkshire, in 1788. It is one of the oldest working theatres in the United Kingdom.

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Grand Opera House, Belfast

The Grand Opera House opened in December 1895 presenting variety, music hall (vaudeville) and circus acts. The theatre was designed by prolific UK theatre architect Frank Matcham. The theatre was used as a cinema for a period however now hosts musicals, drama, ballet, opera, and comedy performances as well as educational events and tours.

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Grand Opera House, York

The Grand Opera House in York opened in 1902, designed by architect John P. Briggs. The theatre was built by adapting an old corn exchange (opened in 1868) and an adjacent warehouse.

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His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen

The 1,400-seat His Majesty’s Theatre opened in December 1906, designed by renowned UK theatre architect Frank Matcham.

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King’s Theatre, Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s King’s Theatre, opened in December 1906, was originally built to rival to the city’s Royal Lyceum Theatre, however found a different audience and in 1928 merged with the UK theatre chain managed by impresarios Howard & Wyndham. The King’s is locally known as The Grand Old Lady of Leven Street.

King’s Theatre, Glasgow

The King’s Theatre was built for Howard & Wyndham Ltd as a sister theatre to the Theatre Royal in Glasgow, and was designed by renowned UK theatre architect Frank Matcham. The theatre opened in 1904 and since then has been Glasgow’s home of legitimate theatre and popular pantomime.

Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

The Lyceum Theatre is the only surviving theatre outside of London designed by noted theatre architect William G.R. Sprague. Despite having been threatened with demolition in the 1970s and falling into a state of disrepair by the 1980s, the Lyceum was fully refurbished and reopened in December 1990.

Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow

One of Glasgow’s oldest theatres, the Pavilion Theatre of Varieties opened on 29 February 1904 as a music hall. The theatre was designed by UK theatre architect Bertie Crewe and is well-known in the City as being the peoples’ theatre of Glasgow.

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Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre is an intimate 658-seat playhouse completed in 1883. It was the first in Britain to be fitted with an iron safety/fire curtain and the first in Scotland to use electricity for house lighting. The Lyceum is named after the 1834 Lyceum Theatre in London’s West End.

Spanish Hall, Blackpool Winter Gardens

Originally opened as the Spanish Congress Hall in late May 1931, the hall was part of several new additions to the Blackpool Winter Gardens in the early 1930s. At its opening the hall was said to seat 2,000 under a roof that “gives the effect of perpetual sunshine”.

Sunderland Empire

The Empire Palace opened in July 1907, built by the partnership of Edward Moss, Oswald Stoll, and Richard Thornton. The theatre was designed by architect brothers William and Thomas Milburn who would go on to become the favored architects of the Stoll Moss group.

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Theatre Royal, Bristol

Theatre Royal, Glasgow

The Theatre Royal is Glasgow’s oldest surviving theatre, having first opened in 1867. Following a fire in 1879 the theatre was rebuilt to the designs of noted theatre architect C.J. Phipps and is now the largest surviving example of his work. The Theatre Royal was used as a television studio from the late 1950s before being sold to Scottish Opera and renovated for theatrical use in 1974.

Theatre Royal, Newcastle upon Tyne

The Theatre Royal opened in early 1837, designed by local architects John and Benjamin Green. Thirty years later the interior was redesigned by C.J. Phipps. Following a fire in 1899, the interior was redesigned by Frank Matcham. While the exterior retains its 1837 appearance, the interior has been restored to Matcham’s 1901 design.

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Theatre Royal, Nottingham

The Theatre Royal opened in September 1865, designed by noted UK theatre architect C.J. Phipps. The theatre underwent a major renovation that was completed in 1977. Since then, the theatre has been – and continues to be – at the heart of theatre in Nottingham, over 150 years later.

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Theatre Royal, Richmond

The Georgian Theatre Royal was built by actor-manager Samuel Butler and opened in Richmond, North Yorkshire, in 1788. It is one of the oldest working theatres in the United Kingdom.

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Theatre Royal, York

The theatre first opened as the New Theatre in 1744, although did not gain a Royal Patent for the presentation of the spoken word until 1769 at which time at which time it became known as the Theatre Royal.

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Tower Ballroom, Blackpool

The Blackpool Tower Ballroom opened in 1899, designed by renowned theatre architect Frank Matcham.

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Tower Circus, Blackpool

The Blackpool Tower Circus opened in May 1894, designed by renowned theatre architect Frank Matcham.

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Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle upon Tyne

The Tyne Theatre & Opera House opened in 1867, designed by architect William Parnell. It is one of only nine Grade I listed theatres in England. The theatre was used as a cinema for many years before reverting to theatrical use in the late 1970s, and is now overseen by registered charity the Tyne Theatre & Opera House Preservation Trust.

Washington DC

Ford’s Theatre

Ford’s Theatre opened in August 1863 under the direction of Baltimore-based theatre entrepreneur John T. Ford. The theatre is best known as the site of the assassination of US President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. The theatre is now part of the Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site and is open to the public daily in addition to being a working theatre.

The Kennedy Center

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally called the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C.

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National Theatre

The National Theatre is located just a few blocks east of the White House and is the second oldest continually operating theatre in the United States, having opened in December 1835. The original brick stagehouse and stone foundations still survive, however the auditorium has undergone multiple rebuilds and renovations during its 180-year history.

Warner Theatre

The Warner opened as the Earle Theatre in December 1924, presenting vaudeville and first-run silent movies. The theatre was built as part of a multi-use building that included a popular rooftop theatre/garden and a restaurant and ballroom in the basement, in addition to office space.

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