Historic Theater District

The Broadway theatre district in Los Angeles is the country's largest collection of pre-World War II movie theatres. The street runs north and south through downtown Los Angeles and features theatres that date back to the 1920's. Many of them were originally used as vaudeville stages and featured performances by the Marx Brothers and other famous performers of the time. The interior of the theatres are lavish and truly exhibit the popularity of movie theatres during the Depression era. Today, many of these theatres are run-down, but they are still popular tourist attractions. The area began its decline when Grauman opened the famous Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard and many area residents began moving to the suburbs and visiting multiplexes in the shopping malls. Of the historic theatres in the area, two are now churches, two more are used in movie sets, and others may soon be demolished. The theatres include the Los Angeles Theatre built in 1931, the Million Dollar Theatre built in 1918, The Orpheum built in 1926, The State Theatre built in 1921, The Palace Theatre built in 1911, and The United Artists Theatre. The Orpheum has recently been used in live productions of the American Idol television show. This is just a portion of the theatres that were originally in the area, but each of these still make for excellent photo opportunities if you are visiting the area.