Theatre Architects

The architectural partnership between Sumner P. Hunt and Silas Reese Burns was active mostly in California from 1910 to 1930. After Hunt retired in 1930, Burns continued to practice for 8 years.

In the Los Angeles area, Hunt and Burns were known for the Ebell of Los Angeles clubhouse and theatre, the Automobile Club of Southern California Headquarters in Exposition Park, the Southwest Museum in Mount Washington, and the clubhouse of the Los Angeles Country Club.

Sumner P. Hunt was born in Brooklyn (New York) on 8th May 1865 and was an architect based in Los Angeles from 1888 to 1930. In 1891, when Hunt established his own practice, he was hired to design the Bradbury Building in downtown Los Angeles. Lewis Bradbury terminated Hunt’s services at the design phase, and in February 1892 took possession of Hunt’s plans for the building. It is unknown what alterations were made, if any, to the building as completed in 1893. Hunt passed away in November 1938 aged 73.

Silas Reese Burns was born on 8th April 1855 in Morgantown (West Virginia) and graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1875. Burns was active for many years in partnership with many architects, and collaborated on prolific buildings such as the Hotel Maryland in Pasadena (California), the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, branches of the Los Angeles Public Library, the Wilshire Country Club, the Ebell Club of Pomona, and Balch Hall on the campus of Scripps College in Claremont (California). Burns passed away in August 1930 aged 85.

Theatres on this website in which this architect firm was involved:

Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA