Majestic Theatre (Los Angeles)
The building in 1908 | |
Interactive map of Majestic Theatre | |
| Address | 845 South Broadway Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°02′35″N 118°15′22″W / 34.04315°N 118.25598°W |
| Capacity | 1600 |
| Type | Live and movie theater |
| Construction | |
| Opened | November 23, 1908 |
| Renovated | 1915 |
| Closed | 1931 or 1933 |
| Demolished | May 1933 |
| Architect | Edelman & Barnett |
Majestic Theatre, also known as Asher Hamburger’s Majestic Theatre, was a theater located in downtown Los Angeles.
History
Majestic Theatre was designed by Edelman & Barnett and built by Mayberry & Parker for Asher Hamburger in 1908. Oliver Morosco was the lessee. The theater sat 1600 and its interior was decorated by Antoon Molkenboer. The cost of construction for the entire building was $250,000 ($8.96 million in 2025).[1][2][3]
Majestic Theatre's first showing, on November 23, 1908, was a Shubert production of The Land of Nod starring Knox Wilson. The theater quickly became the preferred venue for traveling Broadway productions. It was also the venue of choice for Lon Chaney in 1910 and Ramon Novarro worked as an usher here before becoming a film star.[2][3]
In 1913, on the opening night of the Kolb and Dill show, Lon Chaney's wife Cleva interrupted the performance and attempted suicide onstage. She survived but the scandal ended her singing career and forced Lon Chaney out of live theater. The theater itself also lost favor with Broadway[3] and in 1915, it was converted to a moviehouse.[2]
In 1926, the theater partnered with Orange Grove Theatre to show vaudeville and burlesque, after which it was subject to numerous police raids for indecency violations. The theater closed in 1931[3] or 1933.[2] It was demolished in 1933.
Design
Oliver Morosco believed New York's Amsterdam Theatre was the finest in the country and so he made this theater "almost a duplicate" albeit at less expense. However, he did change the decorations, as Amsterdam Theatre featured a peacock, something Morosco believed was "even worse than [the number] thirteen." For this theater, Morosco used birds of paradise instead, and the theater's other decorative motif includes a crown made of stucco.[1]
This theater originally featured a 40-by-80-foot (12 m × 24 m) stage with a 36-foot (11 m) proscenium. Above the proscenium was a larger-than-life sixteen figure mural painted by Molkenboer and named The Casts of Progress. Theater seating, including ten boxes, was located in one orchestra and two cantilevered horseshoe balcony levels. Each seat had its own heat and air conditioning, with pipes connecting the seats to the theater's main system. The color scheme for the entire theater was green, gold, and old rose.[1][2]
The theater's entrance lobby was 30 feet (9.1 m) wide and featured the same color scheme as the theater, although darker and more severe. The lobby and foyer interior also featured high, rose-colored wainscoting made of marble.[1]
The building also featured a basement and seven floors above the theater. The basement, part of the theater, housed a cafe, a dressing room for women, and a smoking room for men. The dressing room was colored green and old rose and featured a fireplace and ten mirrors set into the wall, while the smoking room was colored green and brown and also featured a fireplace. Of the seven floors above the theater, the first five contained 100 offices, while the top two floors featured studios for musicians and other artists. The top floor also housed an acting school, complete with its own stage and theater.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Hamburger's Majestic Theater Work of Art". Los Angeles Times. October 1908.
- ^ a b c d e Gabel, William. "Majestic Theatre". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Early Los Angeles Historical Buildings (1900 - 1925)". Water and Power Associates. p. 4. Retrieved December 11, 2024.