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El Capitan Theatre

Coordinates:34°06′04″N118°20′23″W/ 34.101111°N 118.339722°W/34.101111; -118.339722
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected fromEl Capitan Theater)
Not to be confused withEl Capitan Theatre and Hotel, San Francisco.
For the nearby theatre known by the same name during the 1940s and 50s and the location of the iconic "Checkers speech",seeAvalon Hollywood.
El Capitan Theatre
  • Hollywood Paramount Theatre
  • Loews Hollywood
  • Hollywood Cinema
  • Pacific's Paramount Theatre
El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard
El Capitan Theatre is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
El Capitan Theatre
El Capitan Theatre
Location withinLos Angeles County
Address6838Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood,California
90028
Coordinates34°06′04″N118°20′23″W/ 34.101111°N 118.339722°W/34.101111; -118.339722
Public transitB LineHollywood/Highland
OwnerThe Walt Disney Company
OperatorBuena Vista Theatres, Inc.
TypeMovie palace
Capacity1,100[1]
Screens1
Construction
OpenedMay 3, 1926(1926-05-03)[1]
Closed
  • 1941
  • 1989
  • 2020
Reopened
  • 1942
  • 1991
  • 2021
ArchitectG. Albert Lansburgh
Stiles O. Clements
BuilderCharles E. Toberman
Tenants
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Website
elcapitantheatre
Designated1990[2]
Reference no.495
DesignatedApril 4, 1985[3]
Part ofHollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment National Historic District
Reference no.85000704

El Capitan Theatreis a fully restoredmovie palaceat 6838Hollywood Boulevardin theHollywoodneighborhood inLos Angeles,California,United States. The theater and adjacentHollywood Masonic Temple(now known as the El Capitan Entertainment Centre) are owned byThe Walt Disney Companyand serve as the venue for a majority of theWalt Disney Studios'film premieres.[4]

History

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The theatre in 1926

El Capitan early years

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In the early 1920s, real estate developerCharles E. Toberman(the "Father of Hollywood" ) envisioned a thrivingHollywoodtheater district.[5]Toberman was involved in 36 projects while building the Max Factor Building (now theHollywood Museum), Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and theHollywood Masonic Temple.WithSid Grauman,he opened the three themed theaters:Egyptian(1922), El Capitan (1926), andChinese(1927).[6]

Barker Bros.Furniture Emporium took up the rest of the building in the 1920s.[6]

El Capitan, dubbed "Hollywood's First Home of Spoken Drama," began presenting live performances on May 3, 1926, withCharlot's RevuestarringGertrude LawrenceandJack Buchanan.[5]El Capitan continued presenting live theater for a decade, with over 120 productions including such legends asClark GableandJoan Fontaine.[5]

By the late 1930s, El Capitan felt the economic effects of theDepression,showcasing fewer and fewer productions.[1]This period saw a cycle of experimentation with entertainment. In an effort to boost attendance at the theater, its management attempted to lure revues, road shows and benefits.

Despite these efforts, business was faltering, and the theater then began showing movies.[1]WhenOrson Welleswas unable to locate a theater owner willing to risk screeningCitizen Kane,he turned to the El Capitan, and in 1941,Citizen Kanehad its worldpremierethere. The theater then closed for one year[1]asParamount Picturespurchased the theater.[7]

Hollywood Paramount

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The building was remodeled in the modern style,[8]with the decor covered with curtains and removing the box-seat balconies.[1]The theater reopened in 1942 as the Hollywood Paramount Theater. Its inaugural film presentation wasCecil B. DeMille's featureReap the Wild Wind.[1]

The theater remained the West Coast flagship forParamount Picturesuntil the studio was forced by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in theantitrustcaseU.S. vs. Paramount Pictures, et al.to divest itself of its theater holdings. After this, the Hollywood Paramount was operated byUnited Paramount Theatresfor some years, then by a series of other companies, culminating with ownership by the Pacific Theatres Circuit in the 1980s.

After a 50-year stay, Barker Bros. Furniture closed its location in the building in the 1970s.[6]In 1985,Pacific Theatrespurchased the theater from SRO Theaters.[7]The building's owners, Nick Olaerts and Thomas L. Harnsberger, had assigned authority for the theater's facade to theLos Angeles Conservancyin exchange for historical building tax credits.[9]

Disney and restoration

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Confetti rains at the end of a show, 2008

Late in the 1980s, Disney purchased a controlling stake in one ofPacific Theatres' chains,[10]leading to Disney'sBuena Vista Theatersand Pacific renovating the El Capitan Theatre and theCrestby 1989.[11]These theaters became Disney's flagship houses. They spent $14 million on a complete renovation of the Paramount, restoring much of the building's original decor as well as the theater's original name. El Capitan reopened in 1991 with the premiere ofThe Rocketeer.[1]The 1992 National Preservation Honor Award from theNational Trust for Historic Preservationwas bestowed on the restorers of the theater.[12]

In 1984, theHollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment Districtwas added to theNational Register of Historic Places,with El Capitan/Paramount listed as acontributing propertyin the district,[3]and in 1990, the city designated El Capitan aLos Angeles Cultural-Historic Monument.[6]

AMichael Jacksonmural was approved by theNational Park Serviceto be placed on the side of the building in December 1992.[13]

After the1994 Northridge earthquake,the building's frame was compromised and the theater had been flooded by its sprinklers and was considered uninhabitable by building inspectors. The owner walked away from the theater leaving the building to its mortgage company,CUNA Mutual Group.[6]CUNA Mutual, having Disney as a continuing tenant, not only refurbished the theater but the office floors above for $10 million.[4]In July 1995, Buena Vista purchased the Lanterman organ from Glendale City Redevelopment Agency.[14]

From the November 18, 1995,Toy Storypremiere to January 1, 1996, Disney rented theMasonic Convention Hall,the next-door building, forTotally Toy Story,an instant theme park and a promotional event for the movie.[15][16]In July 1998,Buena Vista Pictures Distributionpurchased the convention hall to continue using it as a promotional venue.[17]ADisney Storelocation opened next to the theater in the El Capitan Building in 1998.[18]

Theatre exterior, 2006

The $3 million seismic retrofitting was finished in time for the June 21, 1996, premiere ofThe Hunchback of Notre Dame.[19]The building's full restoration was completed in December 1997, which included the sign tower. The Hollywood Entertainment District, a self-ta xingbusiness improvement district,was formed for the properties from La Brea Avenue to McCadden Place on Hollywood Boulevard. The office space's first tenants were TrizecHahn Centers, builders of the 425,000-square-foot development on the other side of the boulevard.[6]In conjunction with theHerbie: Fully Loadedpremiere on June 22, 2005, theDisney's Soda Fountain and Studio Storeopened up in the El Capitan Building on the ground floor replacing a Disney Store.[18][20]

CUNA Mutual, having leased the building to full capacity, placed the building up for sale in 2008 at a price of $31 million,[4]and eventually sold it for $28 million.[21]

In November 2013,Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shopco-located with theDisney Studio Storenext to the theater in the El Capitan building.[22]

On March 17, 2020, the theatre temporarily closed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in California.[23]The theatre eventually reopened a year later with a reduced capacity of just 100 seats. The first film shown after its reopening wasRaya and the Last Dragon.[24]

Disney Parks opened a theme ride calledMickey & Minnie's Runaway RailwayatDisneylandon January 27, 2023. The facade is meant to resemble a movie theater in Toontown called "El CapiTOON Theater" based on the El Capitan.

Features

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The theater is built into a six-story office building built in the 1920s.[4]The design featured an exterior done inCalifornia Churrigueresquestyle ofSpanish Colonial Revival architectureexterior designed byStiles O. Clementsof the architectural firm ofMorgan, Walls & Clements,[citation needed]and mixed interior byG. Albert Lansburgh.[1]The interior is a lavishEast Indianin the main auditorium, English Tudor in the wood-paneled lower lobby and Italian Baroque on the facade.[1]

The refurbished theater features a largeWurlitzertheatre organoriginally installed inSan Francisco'sFox Theatrein 1929.[25]Below the theater is a small exhibit space, often used to display props from the films, such as costumes or set pieces.[citation needed]Next door is the adjacent Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store, where patrons can purchaseice creamthemed to the film currently playing in the cinema next door. A wide variety of Disney and movie merchandise is available there.[22]

  • Marquee, 2005
    Marquee, 2005
  • Interior, 1926
    Interior, 1926
  • Seating, 1926
    Seating, 1926
  • Organ, 2009
    Organ, 2009

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdefghijFox, David J. (June 19, 1991)."At Age 65, the El Capitan Gets a Major Face Lift".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 7,2015.
  2. ^Los Angeles Department of City Planning (February 28, 2009)."Historic – Cultural Monuments (HCM) Listing: City Declared Monuments".City of Los Angeles.
  3. ^ab"National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form - Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District".United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service.RetrievedJune 18,2024.
  4. ^abcdVincent, Roger (September 17, 2008)."Hollywood landmark up for sale".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 7,2015.
  5. ^abcLord, Rosemary (2002).Los Angeles: Then and Now.San Diego, CA: Thunder Bay Press. pp. 90–91.ISBN1-57145-794-1.
  6. ^abcdefVaughn, Susan (March 3, 1998)."El Capitan Courageous".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 7,2015.
  7. ^abBannon, Anne Louise (February 10, 1994)."FAMILY OUTING: Nostalgia, Movie Magic at El Capitan".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 7,2015.
  8. ^Desowitz, Bill (May 3, 2001)."Homecoming Party".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 7,2015.
  9. ^Fox, David J. (August 26, 1992)."Jackson Mural Runs Up Against a Wall".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 7,2015.
  10. ^Aberdeen, J. A. (2005).Hollywood Renegades: The Movie Theater Chains of the Media Giants.Cobblestone Entertainment.RetrievedSeptember 4,2015.
  11. ^Ridenour, Al (May 2, 2002)."A Chamber of Secrets".Los Angelest Times.Archived fromthe originalon September 22, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 4,2015.
  12. ^"Preservation Award to Go to El Capitan".Los Angeles Times.September 20, 1992.RetrievedSeptember 7,2015.
  13. ^Fox, David J. (December 23, 1992)."Mural of Michael Jackson on Theater Wins Approval".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 7,2015.
  14. ^Ryfle, Steve (July 6, 1995)."Council Agrees to Sell Ornate Theater Organ".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 7,2015.
  15. ^Kronke, David (November 21, 1995)."After 'Toy Story' Credits Roll, the Fun Comes Alive".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 7,2015.
  16. ^Dretzka, Gary (November 24, 1995)."Disney Not Playing Around With 'Toy Story' Marketing".Chicago Tribune.Tribune Publishing Company.RetrievedJune 22,2017.
  17. ^Fulmer, Melinda (July 17, 1998)."Disney Unit Buys Historic Masonic Temple".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 7,2015.
  18. ^ab"Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store".D23: Disney A to Z.The Walt Disney Company.RetrievedSeptember 11,2015.
  19. ^"El Capitan Undergoes Seismic Retrofitting".Los Angeles Times.June 8, 1996.RetrievedSeptember 7,2015.
  20. ^"Hollywood's Coolest New" Hot Spot ""(Press release). Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. June 22, 2005. Archived fromthe originalon December 14, 2005.RetrievedSeptember 8,2015.
  21. ^"6838 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028".Property Shark.RetrievedJuly 16,2024.
  22. ^abLindell, Crystal (November 27, 2013)."Ghirardelli partners with Disney to open new Soda Fountain and Chocolate shop".Candy Industry.RetrievedSeptember 7,2015.
  23. ^"Disney's El Capitan Theatre Closes Under Los Angeles Mandate".Laughing Place.March 17, 2020.RetrievedApril 22,2021.
  24. ^Gregory, John (March 19, 2021)."El Capitan Theatre welcomes back moviegoers with limited capacity after yearlong closure".ABC7 Los Angeles.RetrievedApril 22,2021.
  25. ^"El Capitan Theatre".Los Angeles Theatre Organ Society. Archived fromthe originalon April 25, 2012.RetrievedOctober 8,2011.
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