Highland Theatre
{{short description|Former movie and live theater in Los Angeles, California, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = Highland Theatre
| image =
| caption =
| former_names =
| address = 5604 N. Figueroa Street
| city = Los Angeles
| coordinates = {{Coord|34.1091|-118.1937|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| type = Stage and movie theater
| seating_type =
| suites =
| capacity = 1450 at opening
465 from the early 1980s on
| built = 1924
| opened = March 2, 1925
| renovated = early 1980s
| expanded =
| closed = February 29, 2024
| demolished =
| yearsactive =
| cost =
| architect = Lewis Arthur Smith
| embedded = {{designation list
|embed=yes
|designation1=Los Angeles
|designation1_number = 549
|designation1_date=October 2, 1991{{Cite web |title=Historical Cultural Monuments List |url=https://planning.lacity.org/odocument/24f6fce7-f73d-4bca-87bc-c77ed3fc5d4f/Historical_Cultural_Monuments_List.pdf |publisher=City of Los Angeles |access-date=October 24, 2024 |language=en-US}}
}}
}}
Highland Theatre was a three-story movie and live theater located at 5604 N. Figueroa Street in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It closed in 2024, six days short of its 100th anniversary.{{cite web |title=Highland Theatres |url=https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1115 |publisher=Cinema Treasures |first=Ross |last=Melnick |access-date=February 27, 2025}}
History
Highland Theatre was designed by Lewis Arthur Smith, an architect known for many theaters throughout southern California, most notably the Vista, El Portal, Rialto, and Ventura.{{cite web |title=Lewis Arthur Smith (Architect) |first=Alan |last=Michelson |url=https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/person/863/ |publisher=University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database |accessdate=December 14, 2024}} Highland Theatre was built in 1924, sat 1,450, and opened with a screening of Lady of the Night on March 2, 1925.{{cite web |title=Highland Park's historic Highland Theatre is up for sale |first=Sophie |last=Flay |url=https://abc7.com/highland-park-theatre-movie-theater-movies/12691669/ |publisher=KABC-TV |date=January 18, 2023}} The theater also featured vaudeville during its early years.{{cite web |title=Highland Theatre |publisher=City of Los Angeles |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=219047 |access-date=February 27, 2025 |via=hmdb.com}}
By June 1938, Highland Theatre was operated by Fox West Coast Theatres and in the early 1970s, a new owner used the theater to screen adult films. In 1975, the theater was bought by the Akarakian family, who brought back mainstream programming and added children's and Spanish language films as well. In the 1980s, the theater was converted from a single screen to a triplex, the new screens having a capacity of 225, 130, and 110.
The building was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #549 on October 2, 1991.
The theater shut down from March 2020 to May 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite news |title=Historic movie theater in Highland Park closes after 100 years |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |first=Christi |last=Carras |date=March 1, 2024 |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2024-03-01/highland-theatre-highland-park-movie-theater-closed}} Cyrus Etemad, owner of the nearby Highland Park Bowl, bought the building in 2022,{{cite web |title=Highland Theatre Memories |publisher=LAist |url=https://laist.com/brief/news/how-to-la/highland-theatre-closure-los-angeles-movies |first=Victoria |last=Alejandro |date=March 14, 2024}} and the theater closed on February 29, 2024, after failing to bounce back post pandemic. The last films to screen were Madame Web, Bob Marley: One Love, and Lisa Frankenstein.
Architecture and design
Highland Theater was designed in the Moorish/Spanish Colonial Revival style.{{cite web |title=Highland Theatre, Highland Park, Los Angeles, CA |first=Alan |last=Michelson |publisher=University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database |url=https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/3405/ |access-date=February 27, 2025}} Its most eye-catching feature, however, is its rooftop sign, which contains 502 incandescent bulbs. The interior features murals, frescoes, metalwork, moldings, and a vintage balcony, much of which were covered when the theater was made into a triplex in the 1980s.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Movie theaters in Los Angeles}}
{{LAHMC}}
Category:Former cinemas and movie theaters in Los Angeles
Category:Theatres completed in 1925
Category:1920s architecture in the United States
Category:1925 establishments in California