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Broadway Review
Read our Los Angeles sights reviews. Or post your own.
Broadway
- Category: Neighborhoods/Streets
- Location: Downtown
Fodor's Review:
From the late 19th century to the 1950s -- before malls and freeways -- Broadway boasted the finest shops and the highest number of luxurious theaters in the world, making it a rich, cultural haven. Though it remains the main road through Downtown's Historic District, the area has changed dramatically over the years. Currently bustling with stores and businesses catering to a mostly Mexican and Central American immigrant community, between 1st and 9th streets you'll find mariachi and banda music blaring from electronics-store speakers, street-food vendors hawking sliced papaya sprinkled with chili powder, and fancy dresses for a young girl's Quinceañera (15th birthday). But to see the glory of its golden years, you merely have to look "up," above the storefront signs, to see the marvelous architecture and theater marquees of the majestic buildings they reside in. Thanks to preservation efforts by the Los Angeles Conservancy, classic film screenings and walking tours are available to give visitors and locals access to many of the once glorious beaux arts and art deco theater buildings.
The Million Dollar Theater (307 S. Broadway, Downtown) opened in 1918 as part of Sid Grauman's famed chain of movie theaters. This Spanish Baroque-style venue had the special feature of having its own organ, and film stars such as Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino, and a young Judy Garland frequently made appearances. In the '40s, the venue swung with jazz and big band performers including Billie Holiday. Later incarnations included Spanish-language variety shows and headline acts from Mexico and a Brazilian Christian Church that made alterations to the original interior, including painting the walls white. The lofts above were meant to house the entertainment community, but so far its most famous resident was Nicolas Cage, who lived in the penthouse suit in the early '90s. Though the theater is now closed to the public, it's worth attending a special event here to inspect the lavish exterior with entertainment figures carved into the molding.
Opened in 1926, the opulent Orpheum Theatre (842 S. Broadway, Downtown. www.laorpheum.com) played host to live attractions including burlesque dancers, comedians, and jazz greats like Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, and Duke Ellington, and later on rock and roll performers such as Little Richard. After massive renovation and restoration work, the Orpheum now features a variety of concerts and special events. It's worth the ticket price just to see the interior of the beautiful venue with its marble lobby and extravagantly lush auditorium.
The Palace Theatre (630 S. Broadway, Downtown), built in 1911, is loosely styled after an Italian Renaissance palazzo. Though only the entrance is viewable through the locked gates, you can see the multicolor terra-cotta swags, flowers, fairies, and theatrical masks illustrating the spirit of entertainment. Also viewable are the grand windows of the ladies lounge, which gave attendees a clear view of who was arriving. Now the oldest remaining Orpheum Theatre in the country, the Palace still hosts occasional shows and is available for rental.
The Los Angeles Theatre (615 S. Broadway, Downtown. www.losangelestheatre.com), built in 1931, opened with the premiere of Charlie Chaplin's City Lights. Full of glorious French Baroque-inspired decor, the six-story lobby is awe-inspiring with its dramatic staircase, enormous fountain, grandiose chandeliers, floor-to-ceiling columns, and ornate gold detailing. Officially closed to the public, you can still witness the old Hollywood glamour by catching a special movie screening.
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