pantages theatre, historic theatre renovation, los angeles architecture, cultural architecture, hollywood, renovated theater seating

Pantages Theatre Renovations

Typology Cultural

Location Los Angeles, California

Completed 2000

Size 80,000 SF

Opened in the summer of 1930, The Pantages Theatre in Hollywood has become one of Los Angeles’ most enduring and recognizable cultural landmarks. We were brought on by Pantages in 2000, to restore the 2,800-seat theater’s architecture to its early 20th-century glory.

Works

Since opening nearly 90 years ago, the theatre has been subjected to a series of incongruous renovations and alterations over the years, leaving the venue a far cry from its original Art Deco aesthetic; much of the lobby’s original grandeur was covered with stucco, a laminate concession bar awkwardly placed in the middle of the main lobby, and the once immaculate marble floors ruined by decades of neglect.

We were tasked with returning the theatre to architect B. Marcus Priteca’s original vision while simultaneously performing all the necessary technical modernizations and seismic upgrades needed to meet current building standards. A $10-million project, our scope of work included new seating and lobby fixtures, a complete remodeling of the auditorium’s carpeting, the addition and expansion of existing restroom facilities, and a comprehensive facelift on both the interior and exterior.

Over the course of the 10-month renovation, we worked closely with the City’s Cultural Affairs Department to ensure every historic preservation standard was met.