| Downtown Jewelry Exchange | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2012 | |
 Interactive map of Downtown Jewelry Exchange | |
| Former names | Pantages Theatre Warner Bros. Downtown Theatre Warrens Theatre |
| General information | |
| Location | 401 W.7th Street and 651 S.Hill,Los Angeles |
| Coordinates | 34°02′46″N118°15′16″W / 34.04615°N 118.2545°W /34.04615; -118.2545 |
| Opened | August 17, 1920 |
| Renovated | 1975 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | B. Marcus Priteca |
Downtown Jewelry Exchange, formerlyPantages Theatre,Warner Bros. Downtown Theatre, andWarrens Theatre, is a historic nine-story building and formervaudeville theater andmovie palace located on the corner of7th andHill in theJewelry District indowntown Los Angeles.
Downtown Jewelry Exchange was designed byB. Marcus Priteca, built as Pantages Theatre, and opened with vaudeville and a screening ofThe Courage of Marge O'Doone on August 17, 1920.[1][2] The theater sat 2200 and was the second home of thePantages circuit, after they left the nearbyArcade Theatre. This building, which was nine-stories in height, also housed shops and offices.[3]
In 1929, Pantages sold all its theaters toRKO, who then sold this theater toWarner Brothers.[3] It then became Warner Bros. Downtown Theatre, whose first screening wasGold Diggers of Broadway.[1] Warner Brothers owned and operated the theater until the 1960s, when it was bought byMetropolitan Theatres, who renamed it Warrens Theatre and operated it until 1975.[4]
After Metropolitan Theatres sold the theater, it was used as a church, then in 1978, it became a retail outlet forThe Jewelry Exchange as the neighborhood became theJewelry District. At this point, the main floor auditorium seats were removed, although the balcony and interior theater decorations remain.[3][5]
In 2016, the building was listed as acontributing property in both the Hill Street Commercial Historic District[6] and the Seventh Street Commercial Historic District.[7]
Downtown Jewelry Exchange issteel-frame and features aBeaux Arts design with additionalGreek treatments. The exterior is covered in whiteterra cotta and features a cornermarquee, above which is an imposingdomedcorner tower. The words "Warner Bros. Downtown Bldg" remain on theparapet, even thoughWarner Brothers no longer owns the building.[3][8]
Inside, much of the originalbaroqueornamentation remains. The theater ceiling is covered in asunburstmural surrounded byEgyptian,Oriental,Greek, andRoman figures, and the stage is flanked byCorinthian columns.[4]
The opening theater shots inFunny Girl were filmed in this theater.Lady Killer features a scene on the building's roof and the theatermarquee is also shown briefly.[3]