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 TheSpanish Baroque Revival exterior | |
 | |
| Address | 307 S.Broadway |
|---|---|
| Location | Los Angeles,California |
| Coordinates | 34°3′2.98″N118°14′53.29″W / 34.0508278°N 118.2481361°W /34.0508278; -118.2481361 |
| Public transit |    Civic Center/Grand Park station |
| Owner | Langdon Street Capital |
| Type | Movie palace |
| Capacity | 2,041 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1917 |
| Architect | Albert C. Martin Sr. |
| Designated | July 2, 2019[1] |
| Reference no. | 1184 |
| Designated | May 9, 1979[2] |
| Part of | Broadway Theater and Commercial District |
| Reference no. | 79000484 |
| Designated | July 20, 1978[3] |
| Reference no. | 78000687 |
TheMillion Dollar Theatre at 307 S.Broadway inDowntown Los Angeles is one of the first movie palaces built in the United States. It opened in 1917 with the premiere of William S. Hart'sThe Silent Man.[4] It's the northernmost of the collection of historical movie palaces in theBroadway Theater District and stands directly across from the landmarkBradbury Building. The theater is listed in theNational Register of Historic Places.[5]
The Million Dollar was the first movie house built by entrepreneurSid Grauman in 1918 as the first grand cinema palace in L.A.[6] Grauman was later responsible forGrauman's Egyptian Theatre andGrauman's Chinese Theatre, both onHollywood Boulevard, and was partly responsible for the entertainment district shifting from downtown Los Angeles to Hollywood in the mid-1920s.
The theater was built on the site of the Muskegon Block,[7] (built c. 1895),[8] named afterMuskegon, Michigan where its developerThomas Douglas Stimson had made his fortune in lumber. From 1905–1917, theVille de Paris department store was located next door at theHomer Laughlin Building, and the Muskegon Block housed retail tenants such as millinery, men's furnishings, jewelry, piano and music stores,[9] as well as offices.
SculptorJoseph Mora did the elaborate and surprising exteriorSpanish Colonial Revival ornament, including bursts of lavishChurrigueresque decoration, statues, longhorn skulls, and other odd features. The auditorium architect wasWilliam L. Woollett, and the designer of the 12-story tower was Los Angeles architectAlbert C. Martin Sr.
For many years, the office building housed the headquarters of theMetropolitan Water District of Southern California.[10]
In the '40s, the theater was the second-run house of theOrpheum Circuit. Acts such as theNat King Cole Trio, andJoe Liggins and The Honey Drippers performed on its stage. In 1949, the Million Dollar was taken over by Frank Fouce, a local Spanish-language theater owner andfilm distributor. The Million Dollar Theater became the mecca ofSpanish-language entertainment in the United States.Dolores del Río,Cantinflas,María Félix,Agustín Lara,José Alfredo Jiménez,José Feliciano,Juan Gabriel,Vicente Fernández, andCelia Cruz are but a few of the artists that worked for Empresa Fouce. It was also the first venue where the late Mexican film starAntonio Aguilar worked with his rodeo horses on stage. This is where it is said he conceived the idea for his large arena rodeo productions.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Fouce went on to found Spanish International Communications Corp., named after his Spanish International Theater Company (which included the Million Dollar and theMayan Theater, also located inDowntown Los Angeles). This company comprised the first group of Spanish-language andUHF television stations in the U.S.;KMEX Channel 34 in Los Angeles (and, indirectly, theUnivision television network) can trace its roots to the Million Dollar Theatre. The Million Dollar and the Fouce family were pioneers in the then-unheard-of Spanish entertainment industry.
For their efforts, Fouce was awardedEl Aguila Azteca (Order of the Aztec Eagle), Mexico's highest civilian award, by PresidentMiguel Alemán Valdés. The theater and Fouce were also honored by the Mexican actors' unionANDA for their contributions to the Mexican film, recording, and entertainment industries. In addition to its successful stage productions, the theater was also the most prominent Spanish-language cinema in the United States. Every major Mexican motion picture premiered at the Million Dollar.
The Million Dollar featured mariachi music at its best: Mariachi Vargas, Mariachi Chapala de Leopoldo Sosa y Esteban Hernandez, Mariachi Los Gallos de Crescencio Hernandez, Mariachi Los Galleros de Pedro Rey (Hernandez),Mariachi los Camperos (led byNati Cano), Mariachi Mexico de Pepe Villa.
Gonzalo L. Checa, president of the Spanish division of the Metropolitan Theater Corporation, was responsible for the upsurge of attendance at the Million Dollar in the 1970s and 1980s due to his great expertise and keen insight of the entertainment needs of the Hispanic community. During this period, the long lines of people waiting to attend the Million Dollar would wrap around the block and cause theLos Angeles Police Department to close down Broadway to traffic.
Checa became a low-profile power broker and behind-the-scenes player, who helped launch the U.S. invasion of stars likeVicente Fernández,José José,Nelson Ned,Juan Gabriel,Julio Alemán,Evita Muñoz ("Chachita"),María Elena Velasco ("La India Maria"),Enrique Cuenca Marquez andEduardo Manzano ("Los Polivoces"),Raúl Ramírez,Jorge Rivero,Rodolfo de Anda,Eulalio Gonzalez ("El Piporo"),Joan Sebastian,Antonio Aguilar and his wifeFlor Silvestre,Gaspar Henaine ("Capulina"), and the famous silver masked wrestlerRodolfo Guzmán Huerta ("El Santo").
Ira Yellin (then the owner ofGrand Central Market) acquired the building in 1989.[11]
After serving as the home of a Spanish-language church for some years, as of 2006, the Million Dollar Theatre was empty, although the office building had been recently renovated and converted to residential space. In February 2008, the theater reopened, once again showing live Spanish theatre. It closed again in 2012.[12] In 2017, the building was sold to Langdon Street Capital, and the theater and retail space were briefly leased to fashion startup CoBird.[13]
The theatre is home to special movie screenings that feature historic theatres in the Broadway district of DTLA. The series features classic films in a historical setting.
Notes
Among the building permits issued by the Building Superintendent yesterday was one taken out by T. D. Stimson for a two-story building on the southwest corner of Broadway and Third street. The building is to be in size 120x120 feet. The estimated cost of the structure is $26,000.
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