61-686: Hollywood Masonic Temple , now known as the El Capitan Entertainment Centre and formerly known as Masonic Convention Hall , is a building on Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles , California , U.S., that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Built in 1921, the Masons operated the temple until 1982, when they sold the building after several years of declining membership. The building
122-499: A modest scale." The principal exterior feature is a colonnade of six outsized ionic columns in front of a recessed entrance. Eight stone steps lead up to the entrance, which consists of heavy wooden double doors decorated with inserts of glass covered with ornamental iron grillwork . Above this entrance, second story windows covered by crosscut iron grillwork create a continuous transom . Additionally, there are two slightly recessed street level entrances framed by tall pilasters at
183-521: A pedestrian friendly streetscaping redesign. LADOT's plan focuses on the eastern section of Hollywood Boulevard between Gower Street and east past Vermont Avenue . Plans are to add safety instruments, continental crosswalks and pedestrian friendly alert striping. The entire route is in Los Angeles , Los Angeles County . A popular event that takes place on the Boulevard is the complete transformation of
244-606: A portion of Hollywood Boulevard was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District . In 1992, the street was paved with glittery asphalt between Vine Street and La Brea Boulevard. The El Capitan Theatre was refurbished in 1991 then damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake . The full El Capitan building was fully restored and upgraded in December 1997 . The Hollywood Entertainment District,
305-632: A self-taxing business improvement district, was formed for the properties from La Brea to McCadden on the boulevard. The Hollywood extension of the Metro Red Line subway was opened in June 1999, running from Downtown Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley . Stops on Hollywood Boulevard are located at Western Avenue , Vine Street , and Highland Avenue . Metro Local lines 180 and 217 also serve Hollywood Boulevard. A light rail extension station
366-480: A sum of $ 56,421 allotted to furniture and fixtures and $ 36,295 for the purchase of the lot. Toberman and fellow member Charles Boag formed a Hollywood Masonic Club to partly finance the building offering membership subscriptions for $ 100. When the new temple opened, it was one of the most substantial structures in Hollywood. It had a billiard room, pipe organ, ladies parlor, ballroom, and lodge rooms. One writer described
427-585: A thriving Hollywood theater district. Toberman was involved in 36 projects while building the Max Factor Building (now the Hollywood Museum ), Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and the Hollywood Masonic Temple . With Sid Grauman , he opened the three themed theaters: Egyptian (1922), El Capitan (1926), and Chinese (1927). Barker Bros. Furniture Emporium took up the rest of the building in
488-454: Is a lavish East Indian in the main auditorium, English Tudor in the wood-paneled lower lobby and Italian Baroque on the facade. The refurbished theater features a large Wurlitzer theatre organ originally installed in San Francisco 's Fox Theatre in 1929. Below the theater is a small exhibit space, often used to display props from the films, such as costumes or set pieces. Next door
549-530: Is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California . It runs through the Hollywood , East Hollywood , Little Armenia , Thai Town , and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollywood Hills and its eastern terminus is at Sunset Boulevard in Los Feliz. Hollywood Boulevard is famous for running through the tourist areas in central Hollywood, including attractions such as
610-419: Is centered along the six blocks of Hollywood Boulevard between Western and Normandie Avenues. After crossing Vermont Avenue, Hollywood Boulevard heads southeast to its eastern terminus at Sunset Boulevard. Three B (Red) Line Metro Rail stations are located on Hollywood Boulevard: Hollywood/Highland station , Hollywood/Vine station , and Hollywood/Western station . Part of today's Hollywood Boulevard
671-633: Is meant to resemble a movie theater in Toontown called "El CapiTOON Theater" based on the El Capitan. The theater is built into a six-story office building built in the 1920s. The design featured an exterior done in California Churrigueresque style of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture exterior designed by Stiles O. Clements of the architectural firm of Morgan, Walls & Clements , and mixed interior by G. Albert Lansburgh . The interior
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#1732851640569732-616: Is owned by Disney—premiered the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! ; the series has been broadcast from the Masonic Temple's theatre since its premiere. The Hollywood Masonic Temple is a two story brick and concrete structure designed in the Neo-Classical style. The United States Department of the Interior has described the design as "a fine small scale example of its style" and "an excellent example of classical architecture on
793-500: Is proposed at the Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Ave. intersection connection the boulevard with West Hollywood, Central LA and LAX. An anti-cruising ordinance prohibits driving on parts of the boulevard more than twice in four hours. Beginning in 1995, then Los Angeles City Council member Jackie Goldberg initiated efforts to clean up Hollywood Boulevard and reverse its decades-long slide into disrepute. Central to these efforts
854-609: The Herbie: Fully Loaded premiere on June 22, 2005, the Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store opened up in the El Capitan Building on the ground floor replacing a Disney Store. CUNA Mutual, having leased the building to full capacity, placed the building up for sale in 2008 at a price of $ 31 million, and eventually sold it for $ 28 million. In November 2013, Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop co-located with
915-546: The Broadway Hollywood Building . By 1930 the shopping district consisted of over 300 stores. The area would later face competition from areas along Wilshire Boulevard : the easternmost around Bullocks Wilshire which opened in 1929, second the Miracle Mile , and finally, the shopping district of Beverly Hills , where Saks Fifth Avenue opened a store in 1938. The following diagram, based on an artistic map by
976-495: The Depression , showcasing fewer and fewer productions. This period saw a cycle of experimentation with entertainment. In an effort to boost attendance at the theater, its management attempted to lure revues, road shows and benefits. Despite these efforts, business was faltering, and the theater then began showing movies. When Orson Welles was unable to locate a theater owner willing to risk screening Citizen Kane , he turned to
1037-685: The Disney Studio Store next to the theater in the El Capitan building. On March 17, 2020, the theatre temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in California . The theatre eventually reopened a year later with a reduced capacity of just 100 seats. The first film shown after its reopening was Raya and the Last Dragon . Disney Parks opened a theme ride called Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway at Disneyland on January 27, 2023. The facade
1098-544: The Hollywood neighborhood in Los Angeles , California , United States. The theater and adjacent Hollywood Masonic Temple (now known as the El Capitan Entertainment Centre) are owned by The Walt Disney Company and serve as the venue for a majority of the Walt Disney Studios ' film premieres . In the early 1920s, real estate developer Charles E. Toberman (the "Father of Hollywood") envisioned
1159-529: The Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Ovation Hollywood shopping and entertainment complex. Hollywood Boulevard's western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollywood Hills . It then runs as a winding residential street down to Laurel Canyon Boulevard . The boulevard then proceeds due east as a major thoroughfare through Hollywood and its popular tourist areas. Part of this segment has been listed in
1220-487: The U.S. National Register of Historic Places as part of Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District . The fifteen blocks between La Brea Avenue east to Gower Street is part of the Hollywood Walk of Fame . The Ovation Hollywood shopping and entertainment complex, the home of the Dolby Theatre , is located at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue . And the intersection with Vine Street
1281-407: The 1920s. El Capitan, dubbed "Hollywood's First Home of Spoken Drama," began presenting live performances on May 3, 1926, with Charlot's Revue starring Gertrude Lawrence and Jack Buchanan . El Capitan continued presenting live theater for a decade, with over 120 productions including such legends as Clark Gable and Joan Fontaine . By the late 1930s, El Capitan felt the economic effects of
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#17328516405691342-596: The 1980s, Disney purchased a controlling stake in one of Pacific Theatres ' chains, leading to Disney's Buena Vista Theaters and Pacific renovating the El Capitan Theatre and the Crest by 1989. These theaters became Disney's flagship houses. They spent $ 14 million on a complete renovation of the Paramount, restoring much of the building's original decor as well as the theater's original name. El Capitan reopened in 1991 with
1403-736: The Academy Award ceremony at the Dolby Theatre. Similar to other cities in the US, like Third Street Promenade , Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Market St. in San Francisco or the closure in Times Squares Pedestrian Plaza's created in 2015. In June 2019, The City of Los Angeles commissioned Gensler architects to provide a master plan for a $ 4 million renovation to improve and "update
1464-495: The El Capitan, and in 1941, Citizen Kane had its world premiere there. The theater then closed for one year as Paramount Pictures purchased the theater. The building was remodeled in the modern style, with the decor covered with curtains and removing the box-seat balconies. The theater reopened in 1942 as the Hollywood Paramount Theater. Its inaugural film presentation was Cecil B. DeMille 's feature Reap
1525-503: The Hollywood Boulevard Association, and on newspaper advertisements shows the major businesses along Hollywood Boulevard, from the intersection with Vine Street to the intersection with La Brea Avenue, in 1927 or 1928. There are a few relevant notes about major buildings added after 1928. Numbers from 6100–7200 are addresses on Hollywood Boulevard. Dates indicate years of opening, except dates with an asterisk indicate that
1586-695: The Hollywood Opera & Theater Company. The building's life with LaBello's opera and theater company was short-lived with only a few operatic productions. With the opera and theater company's failure, the building was sold back to the lodge. In February 1986 , Detroit developer James Hoseyni signed a 20-year lease with an $ 2.7 million 3-year option to buy with building owner 6840 Hollywood Associates, an affiliate of Westmark Development. Westmark Development at that time had Nicholas Olaerts and Thomas Harnsberger as general partners and who were owners of El Capitan Theatre by 1992. Donald Bruce Randall, an architect of
1647-532: The Masonic Temple. By the late 1970s, Masonic membership had declined, and the Masons rented out ground-floor space to a restaurant. In 1980, the lodge moved out of the building to Van Nuys and renamed the Hollywood-West Valley Lodge. By 1982, the Masons could not afford upgrades to meet revised fire and seismic codes. The Masons sold the building to singer Rosita LaBello who converted the structure into
1708-433: The Masons were forced to rent the ground floor to a social club that installed an illegal slot machine . After World War II , the Masons resumed full use of the structure, and in 1948, more than 300 people crowded into the Masonic Temple to attend a memorial service for D. W. Griffith . In 1969, longtime Mason Harold Lloyd was honored in a ceremony as his name was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , directly in front of
1769-546: The Pacific Theatres Circuit in the 1980s. After a 50-year stay, Barker Bros. Furniture closed its location in the building in the 1970s. In 1985, Pacific Theatres purchased the theater from SRO Theaters. The building's owners, Nick Olaerts and Thomas L. Harnsberger, had assigned authority for the theater's facade to the Los Angeles Conservancy in exchange for historical building tax credits. Late in
1830-475: The Randall/Baylon Partnership of Los Angeles, and Tehran-born Kamal Kamooneh, the project's creative architect, with Hoseyni lead the renovation costing $ 1.5 million to house a 250-seat cabaret, 500-seat jazz theater and an 800-person dance club. The Blue and Red Halls were restored then modified for a disc jockey's podium, special electronic and lighting equipment and bars. The bathrooms were moved to
1891-458: The Town of Hollywood opened the new macadamized road surface with electric railway that ran down its center between Laurel Canyon and Western. Eventually, the road was widened from 20 feet wide to almost 100 feet wide in some areas. In 1903, Hollywood became a municipality, and Prospect Avenue became sometimes called as the Boulevard of Hollywood, albeit unofficially. In 1910, the town of Hollywood
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1952-590: The Wild Wind . The theater remained the West Coast flagship for Paramount Pictures until the studio was forced by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the antitrust case U.S. vs. Paramount Pictures, et al. to divest itself of its theater holdings. After this, the Hollywood Paramount was operated by United Paramount Theatres for some years, then by a series of other companies, culminating with ownership by
2013-480: The basement to create more floor space. In September 1987, the building was renovated and reopened as the Hollywood Live Entertainment Pavilions with a cover charge for all venues. Hollywood Live lasted only a short time. For the 1995 Toy Story premiere at the next door El Capitan Theatre , Disney rented the building for Totally Toy Story , a multimedia funhouse promotional event for
2074-424: The boulevard. They also proposed a street mechanism to able to temporarily close the boulevard on pedestrian high capacity days or events where a street closure was approved. Creating public plazas and car free zones. Phase three would disallow east-west travel thru the boulevard but still allow north-south travel along its major intersections, Highland Avenue, Cahuanga Boulevard and Vine Street. The approved phase one
2135-422: The building as "unsurpassed for beauty, attractiveness and richness of equipment." The Los Angeles Times described the building this way in 2002: It's an impassive presence that seems to transcend the ebb and flow of Tinseltown glamour — a somber Neoclassical temple that stands in stark contrast to the evolving parade of movers, shakers, panhandlers and paparazzi that have passed before it. The grand ballroom
2196-536: The city designated El Capitan a Los Angeles Cultural-Historic Monument . A Michael Jackson mural was approved by the National Park Service to be placed on the side of the building in December 1992. After the 1994 Northridge earthquake , the building's frame was compromised and the theater had been flooded by its sprinklers and was considered uninhabitable by building inspectors. The owner walked away from
2257-537: The east and west corners of the building. Molding around the entry doors mirrors the patterns of the stonework on the exterior, while iron and carved wood provide additional exterior detail. The building is topped by a parapeted roof decorated with acanthus leaves , a Masonic motto flanked by circular medallions incised in the parapet. The architrave and the frieze are of patterned stone and have no embellishment. The interior, reminiscent of Spanish Renaissance design, has undergone significant alterations over
2318-529: The establishment was in operation that year according to the source document consulted. continued in next column In 1946, Gene Autry , while riding his horse in the Hollywood Christmas Parade — which passes down Hollywood Boulevard each year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving — heard young parade watchers yelling, "Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus!" and
2379-571: The few years leading up to 2007, more than $ 2 billion was spent on projects in the neighborhood, including mixed-use retail and apartment complexes and new schools and museums. In 2021, the Vogue Theatre , on Hollywood Boulevard, at Las Palmas, reopened as the Vogue Multicultural Museum . Renovations of the Hollywood and Highland Center began in 2020. The renovated complex was renamed Ovation Hollywood in 2022. In 2022, for
2440-568: The movie. In mid-July 1998, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution purchased the building from a bankrupt individual for $ 3.6 million to continue using it as a promotional venue. In 2002, after extensive renovation, Disney reopened the building as the El Capitan Entertainment Centre. Disney restored original fixtures, including backlighted stone filigree , wrought iron torchieres , Batchelder tiles and old post boxes once used by Masonic officers. On January 26, 2003 , ABC —which
2501-487: The next-door building, for Totally Toy Story , an instant theme park and a promotional event for the movie. In July 1998, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution purchased the convention hall to continue using it as a promotional venue. A Disney Store location opened next to the theater in the El Capitan Building in 1998. The $ 3 million seismic retrofitting was finished in time for the June 21, 1996, premiere of The Hunchback of Notre Dame . The building's full restoration
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2562-459: The premiere of The Rocketeer . The 1992 National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation was bestowed on the restorers of the theater. In 1984, the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District was added to the National Register of Historic Places , with El Capitan/Paramount listed as a contributing property in the district, and in 1990,
2623-521: The proposed redevelopment. They announced the addition of bus only lanes, bikes lanes and the removal of additional street parking to add sidewalk space for pedestrians. Restructure of lanes to be completed by 2025. Phase three build out has not been announced, pending funding. Also in East Hollywood area, another plan for boulevard revitalization is planned. LA DOT announced "Vision Zero" in August 2023,
2684-475: The return of the LA Pride parade to the boulevard, the city installed multi colored lighting to more than 100 trees to illuminate for special events. Advocates promote the idea of closing Hollywood Boulevard to traffic and create a Pedestrian zone from La Brea Avenue to Highland Avenue citing an increase in pedestrian traffic including tourism, weekly movie premiers and award shows closures, including 10 days for
2745-466: The stages framed by carved and painted borders depicting Masonic ritual. The building is rumored to have had a tunnel under Hollywood Boulevard to Grauman's Chinese Theatre that would allow movie stars to evade crowds at premieres . If the tunnel existed, it is possible that the B Line construction destroyed it. [REDACTED] Media related to Hollywood Masonic Temple at Wikimedia Commons Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard
2806-434: The street to a Christmas theme. Shops and department stores attract customers by lighting their stores and the entire street with decorated Christmas trees and Christmas lights. The street essentially becomes "Santa Claus Lane." The route of Hollywood Christmas Parade partially follows Hollywood Boulevard. El Capitan Theatre El Capitan Theatre is a fully restored movie palace at 6838 Hollywood Boulevard in
2867-731: The streetscape concept" for the Walk of Fame between the Pantages Theater (Gower Avenue) at the east and The Emerson Theatre (La Brea Avenue) at the west end of the boulevard. Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell released the draft master plan designed by Gensler and Studio-MLA in January 2020. The city's Bureau of Engineers proposed a three phase approach to implement the changes. This included adding bike lanes, new landscaping, removing lanes of car traffic, sidewalk widening by removing street parking and art-deco designed street pavers to beautify
2928-593: The theater leaving the building to its mortgage company, CUNA Mutual Group . CUNA Mutual, having Disney as a continuing tenant, not only refurbished the theater but the office floors above for $ 10 million. In July 1995, Buena Vista purchased the Lanterman organ from Glendale City Redevelopment Agency. From the November 18, 1995, Toy Story premiere to January 1, 1996, Disney rented the Masonic Convention Hall ,
2989-675: The three themed theaters: Egyptian , El Capitan ("The Captain") (1926), and Chinese . Starting around 1920, the boulevard and adjacent streets became a major regional shopping district, both for everyday needs and appliances, but increasingly also for high-end clothing and accessories, in part because of the nearby film studios. Chains that opened includes Schwab's in 1921, Mullen & Bluett in 1922, I. Magnin in 1923, Myer Siegel in 1925, F. W. Grand and Newberry's (dime stores) in 1926–8, and Roos Brothers in 1929. The independent Robertson's department store, at 46,000 square feet (4,300 m ) and 4 stories tall, opened in 1923. In 1922, stock
3050-434: The years. On the first floor, a wide, tiled hallway culminates in a stepped-down entrance to the main auditorium at the rear of the building. Meeting spaces with tiled fireplaces are located on either side of the hall, and a stone stairway with wrought iron railings leads to the second floor, where two additional auditorium spaces are located. Each auditorium features elaborate beamed ceilings with carved wooden balconies, with
3111-425: Was called Prospect Avenue, a dusty road that ran through Hollywood towards the neighboring city of Los Angeles . In December 1899, a new railroad construction began to connect Hollywood with Los Angeles in a project that was led by Peter Beveridge, H.J. Whitley , and Griffith J. Griffith . In May 1900, the railroad connecting Hollywood and Los Angeles was completed, and another one was under construction. In 1901,
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#17328516405693172-482: Was completed and removed parking lanes between Orange Drive and Gower Street in 2022. New district council member for Hollywood, Hugo Soto-Martinez continued with the revitalization plan after defeating O'Farrell in the 2022 election cycle. A motion was filed June 30, 2023 to implement a tax district to continue funding the master plans phase two and three. In early March 2024, council member Hugo Soto-Martinez announced "Access to Hollywood" plan. Commencing phase two of
3233-402: Was completed in December 1997, which included the sign tower. The Hollywood Entertainment District, a self-taxing business improvement district , was formed for the properties from La Brea Avenue to McCadden Place on Hollywood Boulevard. The office space's first tenants were TrizecHahn Centers, builders of the 425,000-square-foot development on the other side of the boulevard. In conjunction with
3294-516: Was incorporated into Los Angeles, and Prospect Avenue was officially renamed Hollywood Boulevard. In the early 1920s, real estate developer Charles E. Toberman (the "Father of Hollywood") envisioned a thriving Hollywood theater district. Toberman was involved in 36 real estate development projects while building the Max Factor Salon , Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and the Hollywood Masonic Temple . He partnered with Sid Grauman , and they opened
3355-444: Was inspired to write " Here Comes Santa Claus " with Oakley Haldeman . In 1958, the Hollywood Walk of Fame , which runs from La Brea Avenue east to Gower Street (and an additional three blocks on Vine Street ), was created as a tribute to artists working in the entertainment industry. In the 1970s, the street became very seedy and was frequented by many odd characters as shown in pictures by photographer Ave Pildas. In 1984,
3416-466: Was led by lodge master Charles E. Toberman , who was also responsible for the Hollywood Bowl , Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel , Chinese Theatre , and Max Factor Salon , while design and construction was led by John C. Austin who along with his associated was also responsible for Los Angeles City Hall , Griffith Park Observatory , Shrine Auditorium , and more. The original building cost $ 176,678, with
3477-550: Was once a symbol of Hollywood itself. East of Gower Street, Hollywood Boulevard crosses the Hollywood Freeway ( US 101 ) before running through East Hollywood . The portion of the boulevard between the Hollywood Freeway and Vermont Avenue forms the northern boundary of Little Armenia , while the portion between Western Avenue and Sunset Boulevard forms part of the southern boundary of Los Feliz . Thai Town
3538-529: Was opened in February 1923; the opening ball featured a program on "the evolution of dance" featuring dancer Lucille Means. Many of Hollywood's elite over the years have been Masons, including Oliver Hardy , Harold Lloyd , Douglas Fairbanks , W.C. Fields , Cecil B. DeMille , D.W. Griffith , John Wayne , Roy Rogers , and Gene Autry . During the Great Depression , many of the Masons lost their savings, and
3599-468: Was sold to finance construction of a much larger department store at Hollywood and Vine , originally to have been a Boadway Bros. When Boadway's went out of business the next year, B. H. Dyas , a Downtown Los Angeles –based department store, opened in the 130,000-square-foot (12,000 m ) building in March 1928, then sold their lease to The Broadway in 1931 – the building still a landmark today, known as
3660-513: Was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland Center and adjacent Dolby Theatre (originally known as the Kodak Theatre) in 2001. In the summer of 2005, the city made revamping plans on Hollywood Boulevard for future tourists. The three-part plan was to exchange the original streetlights with red stars into two-headed old-fashioned streetlights, put in new palm trees, and put in new stoplights. The renovations were completed in late 2005. In
3721-539: Was then converted into a theater and nightclub, and ownership subsequently changed several times, until it was bought by the Walt Disney Company 's Buena Vista Pictures in 1998. Since 2003, the building's theater has been the home of Disney-owned ABC 's Jimmy Kimmel Live! In 1922, the Hollywood Lodge of the Masons relocated from their existing lodge on the current site of the Dolby Theatre . Development
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