Broadway Historic Theatre and Commercial District Walking Tour | Los Angeles Conservancy
Photos by (l-r): Mike Hume; Annie Laskey/L.A. Conservancy; Mike Hume

Broadway Historic Theatre and Commercial District Walking Tour

Broadway Historic Theatre and Commercial District Walking Tour

Saturday, June 3, 2023 - 10:00am Sold Out
Saturday, June 10, 2023 - 10:00am Register
Saturday, June 17, 2023 - 10:00am Sold Out
Saturday, June 24, 2023 - 10:00am Sold Out

Broadway thrived for decades as the entertainment epicenter of Los Angeles. Massive department stores and magnificent movie palaces drew generations of Angelenos to the city center.

Still a vibrant shopping street, the area is now a hub of adaptive reuse projects that have turned office buildings and department stores into housing, dining, retail, and nightlife destinations.

Join us as we trek through this National Historic District, and learn about Broadway’s evolution and ongoing revitalization.

Note: Subject to availability, the tour visits the interiors of one or more of the following: the Los Angeles Theatre, The Theatre at the Ace Hotel (formerly United Artists Theatre), and the Orpheum Theatre. However, we cannot guarantee access to any theatre in advance.

Note: Click on the getting there tab for more information about our Covid-19 safety policies. 

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Los Angeles Conservancy recognizes the Gabrieliño Tongva as the past, present, and future caretakers of this land, water, and natural resources in the unceded territory of Los Angeles.

Meeting Location

Pershing Square, a one-block park located between Olive, Hill, Fifth, and Sixth Streets at 532 S. Olive Street, Los Angeles, 90013. 

Covid-19 Safety and Important Policies
  • Tours will run, rain or shine.
  • Masks are recommended but not required
  • Social distancing of at least six feet should be maintained between L.A. Conservancy docents, staff, and other individuals who have not been isolating together.
  • You can change your reservation date if you contact us at info@laconservancy.org at least 24 hours before your original reservation date.
  • No pets.
  • This tour is not recommended for young children.
  • Strollers not recommended.
  • If a member of your party is in a wheelchair, please let us know in advance by emailing info@laconservancy.org.
All participants in the Los Angeles Conservancy-sponsored Walking Tours knowingly and freely accept and assume all risks, both known and unknown, and AGREE TO RELEASE, DEFEND, INDEMNIFY, NOT SUE, AND HOLD HARMLESS the Los Angeles Conservancy, its principals, officers, employees, volunteers, sponsors, agents and other participants from any and all claims, damages (including medical expenses and attorneys’ fees), injuries and expenses arising out of, or resulting from your voluntary attendance/participation in Walking Tours.
 

Featured Location(s)

Photo by Adrian Scott Fine/L.A. Conservancy
Claud Beelman

Eastern Columbia Lofts

From its spectacular clock tower emblazoned with the name Eastern in neon down to its multi-colored terrazzo sidewalks, this 1930 downtown landmark was one of the largest buildings constructed in downtown until after WWII.
Photo by Andrew Leeson
S. Charles Lee

Apple Tower Theatre

The Tower Theatre opened in 1927 and was the first theatre designed by renowned theatre architect S. Charles Lee. The creative designer fit 900 seats and ground floor retail onto a tiny corner lot. In June 2021, the Tower Theatre was adaptively reused and reopened as a new Apple store.
Photo by Lauren Everett/L.A. Conservancy
Morgan & Walls

Arcade Theatre

The 1910 Pantages Theatre on Broadway was the first in Los Angeles leased to the Pantages Vaudeville Circuit and is one of the oldest remaining theatres in the Broadway Historic Theatre district.
Photo by Adrian Scott Fine/L.A. Conservancy
William Lee Woollett
Oliver P. Dennis

Rialto Theatre

Quinn's Rialto Theatre opened on May 21, 1917. The Rialto was one of the first theatres to have stadium style seating and features the longest neon marquee in the Broadway National Register Historic Theatre District.
Photo by Annie Laskey/L.A. Conservancy
Alfred F. Rosenheim

Cameo Theatre

Opening in 1910 as Clune's Broadway Theatre to screen first-run films, the 900-seat theatre was one of the country’s first theatres built to show movies. The modest Neo-classical design was considered quite elegant for a movie theatre at the time.
Photo by Annie Laskey/L.A. Conservancy
Morgan, Walls & Morgan

Globe Theatre/Garland Building

Built as a combination office tower and theatre venue, the 1913 Beaux Arts-style Garland Building was designed by Morgan, Walls & Morgan. Built for full-scale live theatre productions, the interior was designed by Alfred F. Rosenheim.
Photo courtesy of Berger/Conser Photography
S. Charles Lee
S. Tilden Norton

Los Angeles Theatre

The most lavish and last built of Broadway’s great movie palaces, the 1931 Los Angeles was designed by legendary theatre architect S. Charles Lee.
Photo by Adrian Scott Fine/Los Angeles Conservancy
G. Albert Lansburgh

Palace Theatre

The Palace opened in 1911 as the third home of the Orpheum vaudeville circuit in Los Angeles. It is one of the oldest theatres in Los Angeles and the oldest remaining original Orpheum theatre in the U.S.
Photo by Annie Laskey/Los Angeles Conservancy
Weeks & Day

State Theatre and Building

The State Theatre (1921) designed by Weeks & Day is a twelve-story Beaux Art style structure with a brick façade – one of the largest brick-clad buildings in the city – with terra cotta ornamentation at the lower levels.
Photo by Michael Locke
John M. Cooper

Roxie Theatre

The 1931 Roxie Theatre was the last theatre built on Broadway. The Roxie, noted for its stepped roofline, tower, decorative chevrons, and highly stylized geometric forms, was the only theatre downtown built in the Art Deco architectural style.