Welcome to CinemaTour!  Sign In

CinemaTour
 
Cinema History Around the World  
 HOME ·· CINEMAS ·· LINKS ·· BOOKS
 Contact Cinematour ·· Help & Hints ·· About Cinematour
 

Million Dollar Theater


2001 Photo from the Bob Meza collection.
307 S Broadway
Downtown Los Angeles (Los Angeles) CA 90013

Closed Live Theatre National Register 1978
Record #10466  
 Opened: February 1, 1918
 Closed: 2012
 Current Use:
 Demolished:
Capacity: 2008 seats
Architect(s): AC Martin
Architectural Style(s): Churrigueresque
National Register: 1978
Current Organ: none
 Also Known As: Grauman's Million Dollar
 Previously operated by: Popkin & Ringer Circuit, Principal Theatres, Metropolitan Theatres

Information for this tour was contributed by Ken Roe.

This 2300-seat theater is where Sid Grauman launched his Los Angeles operations. The exterior combines heroic figures of the arts with symbols of Western Americana. The ornamentation in the interior, designed by William Woollett, is based on the Victorian children's fable "King of the Golden River".

The Million Dollar played an important role in L.A.'s Hispanic community from 1950 through the late 1980s, playing Spanish-language films and variety performances.

After closing in 1993, the theatre became a church. When that group moved into the State Theatre further along South Broadway in 1998, Spanish live shows were tried again, but failed. Another church moved into the Million Dollar Theater and they removed the theatre name signs from the marquee. Sadly, in the summer of 2001, the planned Los Angeles Conservancy performance due to be held in the theatre had to be cancelled due to a plaster fall from the ceiling. The church had already gone from the building.

The Million Dollar was restored and reopened for live theatre events and movies only to close again in 2012.

 Photos
 Photos remain the property of the Member and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Member.

May 2003 photos from the Adam Martin collection.


76 KB · 419x625

91 KB · 419x625

79 KB · 625x417

92 KB · 625x417

91 KB · 625x417

74 KB · 625x417

67 KB · 625x417

98 KB · 419x625

96 KB · 625x417

92 KB · 625x417
---

August 2001 photos from the Bob Meza collection.


95 KB · 625x469

106 KB · 469x625
---

Photos from the Darren Snow collection.


90 KB · 404x625


 External Links

---
---

Return to the top of this page   or   Return to the main page


Last featured 8/19/2003. Last edited 1/29/2023.


The content of this website is a research work in progress and is being provided to the public for informational purposes only. As such, articles may contain errors, bias, duplication, or need to be cleaned up. Some documents, images and logos contained in these documents belong to various organizations and corporations. Their inclusion here is for the benefit of the reader and for the benefit of the particular organization, but they are, in fact, the copyrighted property of those organizations. Their presence here does not imply any endorsement of CinemaTour by those organizations. CinemaTour is not affiliated with any cinema or circuit.

© 1995-2024 Vision Entertainment Services. All rights reserved.
Use of this site signifies agreement to terms of service.

www.cinematour.com :: 0.62 MB :: 6.43 MB