Egyptian Theatre (Los Angeles, California)

 cinema, 1922_construction, Egyptian Revival (architecture)

6712 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 461-2020
www.egyptiantheatre.com/

The Egyptian was built by showman Sid Grauman, who subsequently built the nearby Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Grauman had previously built one of the United States' first movie palaces - the Million Dollar Theater which opened in Downtown Los Angeles in 1918. The Egyptian Theatre cost $800,000 to build and took 18 months to construct. Architects Meyer & Holler designed the building and it was built by The Milwaukee Building Company.

The Egyptian Theatre was the venue for the first-ever Hollywood premiere. The film was Robin Hood starring Douglas Fairbanks. The grand opening premiere was on Wednesday, October 18, 1922. The film reportedly cost over $1 million. Tickets were $5.00 for the premiere of Robin Hood. One could reserve a seat up to two weeks in advance for the daily performances. Evening admission was 75¢, $1.00 or $1.50. The film was not shown in any other Los Angeles theater that year.

In 1927, Grauman opened a second movie theater further west on Hollywood Boulevard. In keeping with the public fascination in that era with international themes, he named his new theater the Chinese Theatre. (It eventually rivaled and surpassed the Egyptian in popular fame because of its Walk Of Fame.)

The exterior of the theatre is in the Egyptian Revival style. However, the attentive visitor will notice roof pans above the main entrance, items which are not in ancient Egyptian style. The original plans for the theatre show a Hispanic-themed theatre, but at some point these plans where changed to an Egyptian style. It is probable that this was due to public fascination with the multiple expeditions searching for the tomb of Tutankhamun by archaeologist Howard Carter over the preceding years. (Carter eventually discovered the tomb on November 4, 1922 - just two weeks after the Egyptian Theatre opened.) At the time that the change in architectural style was determined, the Hispanic-styled roof pans had already been delivered and paid for - and they were kept and used in the building.

The exterior and interior walls contain Egyptian-style paintings and hieroglyphics. The four massive columns that mark the theatre's main entrance are 4 1/2 feet (1.3 m) wide and rise 20 feet (6 m).

Capitalising on Southern California's sunny weather is the large courtyard (45 feet wide {13.7 m} and 150 feet {45.7 m} long) in the front, complete with a fountain and queen palm trees. This is actually the "entrance hall" (the theatre doors used to open directly into the auditorium) and was specifically designed to host the theatre's famous red carpet ceremonies.

Guided tours are offered by American Cinematheque's staff on weekends.

Reflecting the ebb and flow of Hollywood's popularity as a location, the Egyptian's popularity also changed over the years. As Hollywood declined in the 1980s and early 1990s, the theatre eventually fell into disrepair. In 1996 the City of Los Angeles sold the theatre to the American Cinematheque for a nominal one dollar with the proviso that the landmark building be restored to its original grandeur and re-opened as a movie theatre. The Cinematheque committed to raising the funds to pay for the restoration and to using the renovated theatre as home for its programs of public film exhibition

The Egyptian Theatre was re-opened to the public on December 4, 1998 after a $12.8 million renovation. The original theatre seated over 2,000 patrons in a single auditorium. In the restored Egyptian the building has been reconfigured to add a second screening theatre. The main theatre now accommodates 616 patrons and is named after Los Angeles philanthropist Lloyd E. Rigler. The smaller, 77-seat theatre is named for Hollywood producer/director Steven Spielberg.