The Million Dollar Theater was designed by Albert C. Martin, one of the most important architects in Los Angeles at the time and founder of one of the city’s most prominent architectural firms. Created for theater impresario Sid Grauman as his first Los Angeles venue in 1918, the Million Dollar Theater was one of the earliest and largest movie palaces in the country, boasting 2,345 seats.
The theater’s exterior features the ornate Churrigueresque architectural style, with terra-cotta bison heads, longhorn skulls, and allegorical figures representing the arts. The ornate Spanish Baroque auditorium was designed by noted theater architect William Woollett. The massive balcony was a feat of engineering, supported by the world’s first reinforced concrete girder, developed because of a shortage of structural steel during World War I.
After closing in the 1990s, the Million Dollar Theater reopened in 2008. New marble flooring was installed, the proscenium’s stone archway was refurbished, and the theater was redecorated with a new red and gold paint scheme.
Theater Location
The Million Dollar Theater is the northernmost of the collection of historical movie palaces in Los Angeles' downtown Broadway Theater and Commercial District, the first and largest historic theater district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Million Dollar Theater
307 South Broadway Avenue
Los Angeles, 90013
Parking
Parking is available at various rates in surface lots on or near Broadway Avenue ($5-10); there's also a limited amount of metered street parking.
The Million Dollar Theater is conveniently located two blocks northeast of the Pershing Square Metro Red and Purple Line station at Fifth and Hill Streets. For details on how to take Metro Rail, visit metro.net or call 323.GO.METRO (323.466.3876).
The Theater has limited wheelchair accessibility, and the restroom facilities are not wheelchair accessible. No assisted listening devices are available.
Tickets
Tickets for UCLA Film & Television Archive on Broadway screenings at the Million Dollar Theater are $10 general and $9 students/seniors. (UCLA student free ticket policy does not apply.) Tickets are available at the Million Dollar Theater box office only. Theater box office opens an hour before program start time on the day of the show. For more information, please visit www.milliondollartheater.com.
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