Thanks to the fine folks at the Los Angeles Historical Theater Foundation (LAHTF) in conjunction with Bringing Back Broadway, the doors of the 98-year-old Palace Theater were flung open for a free presentation and tour, offering pretty much unfettered access to almost practically every square inch of the fabulous place. Front to backstage, top to bottom I went a-wandering and a-pixelizing
Most unique thing: the mens lounge restrooms are actually beneath the sidewalk in front of the theater. Most vertigo-inducing thing: getting up into the long-closed gallery section, with its original bench seating whose last row is literally built right up against the theater ceiling.
My Flickr photoset is here. Next on the LAHTF calendar is a tour of the Los Angeles Theater March 21, followed by the Tower & Rialto, April 18.
I *love* this! You take such fantastic pictures.
Great tour and superb slideshow: thanks for sharing! While on the subject & FYI:
– The Los Angeles Conservancy organizes tours of Downtown Broadway and its palaces (among others), as well as the Last Remaining Seats movie series set in the Downtown palaces. All worth the trip: http://www.laconservancy.org.
– The “Movie Palaces of Tinseltown” book also has great photography: http://www.bergerconser.com/theatre/BOOK.htm.
– Sam Lubell @ The Architect’s Newspaper wrote on “Palace Revival” last year: http://samlubell.net/Documents/CA_01_Palace_Revival.pdf.
Thanks for the additional info Laure!