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Broadway Theatre History
Million Dollar Theatre History
Sid Grauman, first major movie theatre was built in 1917, and opened in February 1918. It was officially called ‘Grauman’s Theatre”, it was informally known as the Million Dollar for its opulent interior and rumors of the price tag. The theatre’s name was officially changed in 1922.
The Architects of the Million Dollar Theatre were Sid Grauman, and Albert C. Martin Sr. The theatre styles were Spanish Colonial Revival architecture.
The twelve-story building was designed by Albert C. Martin, Sr., one of the most important architects in Los Angeles at the time and founder of one of the city’s most prominent architectural firms. The exterior of the building exemplifies the elaborate Churrigueresque (chur-rig-ur-esk) style, named after the eighteenth-century Spanish church architect and sculptor Jose de Churriguera, whose designs favored this type of architectural embellishment.
Created for theatre impresario Sid Grauman as his first Los Angeles venue, the 1918 Million Dollar Theatre was one of the earliest and largest movie palaces in the country, boasting 2,345 seats. Theatre Architectural Style: Spanish Churrigueresque
The 110-foot-wide balcony in the auditorium was a feat for engineering. Due to a shortage of structural steel during World War I, it became the first…