Highland Theatre

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Highland Theatre
Highland Theatre
Address5604 N. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles
Coordinates 34°06′33″N118°11′37″W / 34.1091°N 118.1937°W / 34.1091; -118.1937
Type Stage and movie theater
Capacity 1450 at opening
465 from the early 1980s on
Construction
Built1924
OpenedMarch 2, 1925
Renovatedearly 1980s
ClosedFebruary 29, 2024
Architect Lewis Arthur Smith
DesignatedOctober 2, 1991 [1]
Reference no.549

Highland Theatre was a three-story movie and live theater located at 5604 N. Figueroa Street in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It closed in 2024, six days short of its 100th anniversary. [2]

Contents

History

Highland Theatre was designed by Lewis Arthur Smith, [2] an architect known for many theaters throughout southern California, most notably the Vista, El Portal, Rialto, and Ventura. [3] Highland Theatre was built in 1924, sat 1450, and opened with a screening of Lady of the Night on March 2, 1925. [2] [4] The theater also featured vaudeville during its early years. [5]

By June 1938, Highland Theatre was operated by Fox West Coast Theatres and in the early 1970s, a new owner used the theater to screen adult films. In 1975, the theater was bought by the Akarakian family, who brought back mainstream programming and added children's and Spanish language films as well. In the 1980s, the theater was converted from a single screen to a triplex, the new screens having a capacity of 225, 130, and 110. [2] [5]

The building was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #549 on October 2, 1991. [1]

The theater shut down from March 2020 to May 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [6] Cyrus Etemad, owner of the nearby Highland Park Bowl, bought the building in 2022, [7] and the theater closed on February 29, 2024, after failing to bounce back post pandemic. The last films to screen were Madame Web , Bob Marley: One Love , and Lisa Frankenstein . [6]

Architecture and design

Highland Theater was designed in the Moorish/Spanish Colonial Revival style. [5] [8] Its most eye-catching feature, however, is its rooftop sign, which contains 502 incandescent bulbs. The interior features murals, frescoes, metalwork, moldings, and a vintage balcony, much of which were covered when the theater was made into a triplex in the 1980s. [5] [7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Historical Cultural Monuments List" (PDF). City of Los Angeles . Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Melnick, Ross. "Highland Theatres". Cinema Treasures . Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  3. ↑ Michelson, Alan. "Lewis Arthur Smith (Architect)". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database . Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  4. ↑ Flay, Sophie (January 18, 2023). "Highland Park's historic Highland Theatre is up for sale". KABC-TV.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Highland Theatre". City of Los Angeles . Retrieved February 27, 2025– via hmdb.com.
  6. 1 2 Carras, Christi (March 1, 2024). "Historic movie theater in Highland Park closes after 100 years". Los Angeles Times .
  7. 1 2 Alejandro, Victoria (March 14, 2024). "Highland Theatre Memories". LAist.
  8. ↑ Michelson, Alan. "Highland Theatre, Highland Park, Los Angeles, CA". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database . Retrieved February 27, 2025.
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