The tower was built at during Hollywood's "Golden Age" and was one of the last apartment/hotel buildings constructed on Franklin Avenue. Many famous stars of the day, like Bob Hope&nbsp;and Virgina Mayo,&nbsp;chose to live there since it was close to film studios. The iconic neon roof sign was installed in the 1930s when the Kinsey Corporation bought the building.&nbsp; The building has had many owners over the years, some of whom made improvements and renovations. The tower is believed to be the&nbsp;model for Disney's Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction. It no longer serves as hotel.

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The Hollywood Tower, originally known as La Belle Tour, is a world famous apartment building placed on the National Register of Historical places in 1988. This beautiful building was built in 1929. For many years, actor George Raft owned and lived in the building and the tower was one of the most popular hangouts among celebrities in Hollywood. Today, the Hollywood Tower has been renovated in a way that blends modern style with the historic charm of the original design.

The Hollywood Tower

This walking tour starts at the Hollywood Tower and the east end of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The tour includes stops at a variety of theaters, museums, and landmarks related to the history of the film industry in Hollywood. The route follows Hollywood Boulevard but also includes sites that are a few blocks north and south of this famous street. New sites are being added to this tour so please check back soon.

Hollywood Boulevard Walking Tour

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In 1953, E.M. Stuart, the then volunteer president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, came up with the idea for the Hollywood Walk of Fame. According to the Chamber’s press release, he wanted to “maintain the glory of a community whose name means glamour and excitement in the four corners of the world.” Architecturally, it is not known for certain how the idea was born. One likely theory is that it was created to emulate the ceiling in the dining room of the historic Hollywood Hotel, which once had stars painted on it with the names of celebrities.The foundation for the Walk of Fame was not agreed upon until 1955. That same year, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce proceeded to secure the necessary signatures to present to the city. These plans were solidified and submitted to the Los Angeles City Council in January 1956. The Chamber then enlisted the help of the Board of Public Works to prepare the engineering specifications. In 1956, a proposed version of the star was unveiled, including a caricature of the honoree, with a proposal for brown and blue stars. The idea was later nixed because of concerns that caricatures were too complicated. Additionally, the colors were changed to Black and coral.The Improvement Association soon began the process of selecting the honorees to be initially placed on the Walk of Fame. To represent the different aspects of the entertainment industry, four major committees were formed, including: motion picture, television, recording, and radio. Walt Disney was one of the first selections of the Members of the Motion Picture Selection Committee. The process continued to evolve, and 150 names a week were submitted. Naturally, controversy ensued. For example, the legendary silent film actor, Charlie Chaplin, was not chosen to receive a star, though his name was included in the original nominations.The Chamber and the City unveiled eight stars on Hollywood Boulevard in August 1958. This was to show what the Walk of Fame would look like and to see how the public responded. The eight honorees included: Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, Ernest Torrence, and Joanne Woodward. Construction began shortly after; however, it was swiftly delayed due to opposition to the assessment district and Charlie Chaplin, Jr. avenging the fact that his father was left out.When construction resumed on the Walk of Fame, Stanley Kramer’s star was the first laid on March 28, 1960. Work progressed so quickly that it was decided to make the dedication on November 23rd, at the time of the Hollywood Christmas Parade. E.M. Stuart was appointed chair of the Completion Committee and planned the ceremonies to celebrate the completion. The work wasn’t finished until spring 1961, when it was finally accepted by the Board of Public Works and included the first 1,558 stars.The City Council soon saw the need to have a system that kept the Walk of Fame financially stable, and they asked the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to create one. The Chamber of Commerce created tasks to establish rules that determined the qualifications of individuals eligible for a star, a rigid procedure to process the candidates, and have a financial plan for new additions. It was not until December 1968 that the next star was added due to these stern rules. Actor Danny Thomas hosted the ceremony, and from then on, ceremonies occurred frequently.The Hollywood Walk of Fame was designated a Historic-Cultural Monument by the Cultural Heritage Board in 1978. Two years later, the Chamber presented a star to entertainer Johnny Grant, who went on to chair the Walk of Fame committee. Grant’s leadership skills made the Walk of Fame an international icon. Additionally, a fifth category was added: Live Theatre. Grant approved the creation of a second row of stars on the sidewalk which would alternate with the existing stars. In 1994, the Walk of Fame was extended one block to the west from Sycamore to La Brea and thirty stars were added to the block to create instant attraction.The Walk of Fame ends with a gazebo called “The Four Ladies of Hollywood,” featuring four silver statues of screen actresses of different ethnicity: Anna May Wong, Dolores Del Rio, Dorothy Dandridge, and Mae West. The gazebo was created to honor multi-ethnic women of Hollywood. The Hollywood Walk of Fame has become one of the top tourist attractions in America and is revered as one of the most successful marketing ideas ever created.

In the early 1950s, E.M. Stuart came up with the idea of awarding stars in film, television, radio, recording, and later, live theatre. The Walk of Fame, consisting of the first 1,600 stars, was officially dedicated in the spring of 1961, and it was designated a Historic-Cultural Monument by the Cultural Heritage Board in 1978. The Walk of Fame runs along Hollywood Avenue from Gower Street to La Brea Avenue along with two other segments on Vine Street and Marshfield Way. The Walk of Fame ends with "The Four Ladies of Hollywood" gazebo, which celebrates the multi-ethnic women of Hollywood. The internationally known Hollywood Walk of Fame has become one of the most iconic emblems of the entertainment business.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame 

Alexander Pantages was a Greek immigrant
who bought his first theater in Seattle. Dealing with prejudices from other
businessmen in the area prompted him to branch out. He soon owned a slew of
theaters in the western United States. His “crown jewel” was the Pantages
Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The movie theater featured elaborate
ceilings, grand staircases, and backstage areas for live performers, all for a
cost of $1.25 million. The art-deco style Pantages opened to a massive crowd of
Hollywood elite in 1930. It was soon realized that vaudeville acts were on
their way out of favor with audiences, and so the Pantages was dedicated solely
to film. In 1932, after financial troubles and personal scandal, Pantages sold
his namesake theatre to the Fox Film Corporation.

In 1949, multi-millionaire Howard Hughes
bought the Pantages Theatre for the studio he headed: RKO. The final contract
forbade the removal of Pantages’s name from the theater, and so it became known
as the RKO-Pantages Theatre. Hughes instituted offices for himself and his
employees in the building’s second story, which are still in use today. The
RKO-Pantages was honored in 1950 by becoming the home for the Academy Awards
Ceremony, an honor it would hold until 1959. It was from this theater that the
Oscars were broadcast on television for the first time. The blockbuster Cleopatra premiered in the Pantages in
1963 with tickets costing $250 per person. Proceeds went toward the
construction of The Music Center, which opened in 1964. RKO let go of the
theater in the winter of 1967, selling it to the Pacific Theatres chain. With
help from the Nederlander Organization, the company began refurbishment and
changed the Pantages from a theater for movies to one for live performances. It
reopened in February 1977 with the musical Bubbling
Brown Sugar.

The Nederlander Organization, which
operates several historic theaters across the U.S., would go on to become the
sole owners of the Pantages Theatre and to continue their renovation efforts.
The building sustained some damage in a 1994 earthquake, leading to months of
repairs on the ceiling artwork. In the late 1990s, over three-hundred artisans
worked on restoring as much as of the theater’s former glory as possible. The
Pantages reopened once again in September 2000. In 2001, The Pantages Theatre
was the recipient of a Preservation Award from the Los Angeles Conservancy.
Recently, the Pantages turned movie-house once again for the premiere of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

The Hollywood Pantages Theatre, completed in 1930, was the last movie palace built in Hollywood and the last built by theater magnate Alexander Pantages. The theater has changed ownership from the Fox Film Corporation (1930s and 1940s) to RKO (1950s and 1960s) to the Nederlander Organization (1970s to today). It has hosted nine Academy Award ceremonies as well as the premieres of such classics as Cleopatra. The Pantages was originally built for exhibition of both movies and live performances but is now solely dedicated to the latter. 

Hollywood Pantages Theatre

Located on the corner of the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, the Taft Building was built in 1923 in the Renaissance Revival style, and it was the first high-rise building to grace the skyline of Los Angeles. A.Z. Taft, Jr. purchased the lot where the Hollywood Memorial Church was located for $125,000, had the church torn down, and commissioned the Taft Building to be built. Architects Albert R. Walker &amp; Percy A. Eisen were hired to create a majestic building to showcase the prominence of the Taft family and their stature in the community. In addition to the Taft Building, Walker and Eisen also designed a few other prominent buildings in the area, including the Fine Arts Building, the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, and the James Oviatt Building. When the building opened in 1924, the Los Angeles Times reported that the first three floors were intended to hold offices for doctors and dentists. In its entirety, the concrete and brick structure held more than 250 office spaces and 10 stores. Immediately following its construction, more commercial development in the surrounding area followed, like The Broadway, a large department store, and the Hollywood Equitable Building. In the early years of the Taft Building, famous names such as Will Rogers and Charlie Chaplin opted to move their offices into the high-rise. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was headquartered here from 1935 to 1946, as was the Hollywood Reporter. During the years the Academy was housed at the Taft Building, presidents included the likes of director Frank Capra and actress Bette Davis. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, each of the major studios had offices in the building, which was a few steps away from the famous Brown Derby restaurant. Rumor has it that Clark Gable and Jack Warner would spend their lunch breaks playing craps in the basement of the building in the 1940s. In the 1980s, the Taft Building underwent a critical renovation that added window-unit air conditioners, new wall coverings, flooring, and dropped ceilings. However necessary these changes were, they concealed the ornate original features that made the building so unique. In 2011, the building was sold to DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners for $28.5 million, and starting in 2014, a major two-year renovation and restoration project started. In addition to structural and seismic improvements, the entrance and corridors were updated, and new office spaces were added. Although there were several updates made during the $15 million project, the historic neo-Renaissance architecture was maintained, and the overall character of the Taft Building was reinvigorated. Brick walls and windows that had been covered up for years were revealed, and luminous decorative marble and terra cotta features were again restored. In 2023, Ocean West Capital Partners sold the 126,000-square-foot building to Elan Properties for $28 million. This historic building located at one of Hollywood’s most famous intersections continues to serve as a space for entertainment offices and restaurants. The Taft Building was named a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1999, and it is on the National Register of Historic Places.

When the Taft Building was completed in 1923, it was the first high-rise office building in Los Angeles. The twelve-story building on the corners of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street was home to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1935 to 1946. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, such stars as Charlie Chaplin and Will Rogers had offices in the Taft Building, as did well-known agents, lawyers, and publicists. This staple building underwent a major renovation in 2015, restoring several of the original features that made it a landmark. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.

The Taft Building 

The RTC claims to primarily protect the Church’s
technologies and paths to enlightenment, while simultaneously protecting the
public from misuse of those same techniques.&nbsp;
From the headquarters in Los Angeles, the RTC engages in extensive
research and, when deemed necessary, litigation.&nbsp; They accept online and mailed “knowledge
reports” from both Scientology adherents and non-scientologists reporting
misuse of Scientology’s trademarks, technologies, scriptures, and more.

One of the most notable cases of the RTC auditing and
policing usage of the Church’s materials is the US District Court case of RTC v
Robin Scott and the Church of New Civilization.&nbsp;
The case was in litigation for over ten years, finally being dismissed
in early 1996 by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the determination that
the RTC was “playing fast and loose” with the judicial system.&nbsp; Critics of the RTC’s behavior in this
incident claim that it is an example of the Church attempting to quash dissent
via legal means, while the RTC alleges that the Church of New Civilization used
stolen Scientology documentation to establish its teachings.&nbsp; In another notable case, RTC v. Lerma, the
judge presiding over the case determined that the lawsuit was intended to pursue
“the stifling of criticism and dissent of the practices of Scientology.”&nbsp; Despite these cases, the RTC has largely
pursued copyright and trademark cases in court.&nbsp;

The RTC is the subject of much internal dispute within
Scientology itself.&nbsp; Led by “Chairman of
the Board” David Miscavige, who also serves as the spiritual leader of the
Church of Scientology, the RTC has come under criticism by a number of
high-ranking ex-scientologists who allege that its function as a protector of
the purity of Scientology is an incomplete understanding.&nbsp; Of note, according to the Affidavit of Jesse
Prince, who previously served in the second highest position within the RTC,
the RTC is used to maintain complete control of the greater Church of
Scientology by the chairman David Miscavige.&nbsp;
André Tabayoyon, a previous Church of Scientology security officer,
additionally claims in his affidavit that because of the RTC’s legal power,
David Miscavige is able to wield considerable power over nearly every other organization
within Scientology.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Religious Technology Center is a non-profit organization founded in 1982 to serve as the keeper of the religious texts and revered symbols of the Church of Scientology.  The Religious Technology Center (RTC) is owned and operated by members of the leadership of the Church of Scientology, however, it claims that it stands as an independent organization intended to protect the logos, texts, canon, and technologies of the religion of Scientology as a whole.  The international headquarters of the organization is located on the northern side of Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, in an iconic building bearing the Church’s name.  


Main Office of the Religious Technologies Center 

What became the Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel was initially meant to be 172 luxury apartments called the Security Apartments. The groundbreaking for the Spanish Colonial building designed by E.M. Frasier took place in 1925, but the project had to be delayed due to financial issues. Over the next couple of years, despite the Security Apartments being listed in the Los Angeles directory, the building was not occupied because of the complicated legal proceedings that plagued its creation. Several different construction companies were brought on to finish the building. The first company completed seven floors before another group was hired, but money problems persisted and interrupted the process. In November 1928, a group of men came together to purchase the lot and structure, and in total, they spent $2.6 million on the property and remodel. Ultimately, they opted to operate the structure as the Knickerbocker Apartment Hotel. By 1929, the building came to hold 444 rooms and was advertised as “one of the finest apartment hotels in the West.” In 1930, construction began to connect the two buildings, and a new section was added between the two wings. When the Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel officially opened in the summer of 1929, it quickly became a popular spot for meetings, parties, and screen tests. Several well-known executives in Hollywood had offices in the hotel, and off the lobby was the famous nightclub, the Lido Room. The famous rooftop sign reading “The Knickerbocker,” was officially lit in 1931, and the original sign remains atop the building today.  Architect Paul Revere Williams conducted a redesign of the Knickerbocker in 1936, making the site a sought-after venue for weddings and special events. Many big names in Hollywood flocked to the Knickerbocker. In 1937, actress Betty Grable hosted a large party for her boyfriend, actor Jackie Coogan, at the hotel. The year before, Bess Houdini, the widow of escape artist Harry Houdini, held a séance on the roof of the Knickerbocker in an attempt to connect to her husband on the tenth anniversary of his death. In the 1940s, famed director and pioneer D.W. Griffith moved into the Knickerbocker Hotel. On July 23, 1948, Griffith collapsed in the lobby and later died as a result of a massive stroke. Hollywood stars continued to frequent the Knickerbocker in the 1950s, but, unlike during the heyday of the 1930s, they did not want to be seen. Marilyn Monroe was known to sneak in through the kitchen to meet her boyfriend, the legendary baseball player, Joe DiMaggio. Elvis Presley’s producer, Hal Wallis, had Presley and the vocal group The Jordanaires stay at the Knickerbocker while Presley was recording an album and making the movie Love Me Tender. Paul R. Williams was hired again in 1955 to conduct another redesign of the hotel. One of the key features of the remodel was a sun and cabana penthouse and a rooftop swimming pool surrounded by new guestrooms and suites. Despite its modern features, tragedy continued to plague the Knickerbocker. In 1962, fashion designer Irene Lentz, who designed costumes for actresses such as Joan Crawford, Hedy Lamarr, Ginger Rogers, and Ingrid Bergman, jumped to her death from her room at the hotel. By the late 1960s, Hollywood Boulevard was in a steady decline that impacted the Knickerbocker Hotel and its clientele. The building was sold in the early 1970s, and it was turned into apartments for lower-income seniors. Today, very little from the original Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel remains besides the luminous sign on top of the building and a chandelier from the 1950s gracing the lobby. What was once a grand and beloved spot for some of the most well-known actors and actresses to grace the silver screen is now merely a reminder of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

During Hollywood's golden age, one of the most beloved hotels among movie stars was the Knickerbocker Hotel. In the summer of 1929, the Knickerbocker Hotel and its nightclub, the Lido Room, officially opened. Over the next decades, entertainment legends from Marilyn Monroe to Elvis Presley stayed at the Knickerbocker. Despite its glamor, the Knickerbocker Hotel has also seen its share of tragedy. In 1962, clothing designer Irene Lentz leaped to her death from her room. In 1938, Director D.W. Griffith, an influential filmmaker whose work shaped the motion picture industry but is best known today for the notoriously racist depiction of Reconstruction in the movie Birth of a Nation, suffered a massive stroke in the lobby. As movie stars made fewer visits to Hollywood Boulevard, the hotel's fortunes declined. In 1972, the building was sold, and it was eventually made into apartments for senior citizens, which it remains today.

Hollywood Knickerbocker (1929-1972)

The Warner Pacific Theatre was first suggested by Sam Warner in 1925, when he and his brothers invested about $1.25M to construct a theater in Hollywood. This theater was designed to utilize the Warner Brothers' and Western Electric's Bell Laboratories'&nbsp;new Vitaphone technology, playing a soundtrack with the visual presentation of the movie. Sam Warner never got to see the completion of the theater as he died of a brain&nbsp;hemorrhage&nbsp;six months before it was opened&nbsp;on April 26, 1928. Today the theater is abandoned, but the owners are debating on what to do with it. The theater itself was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh using an atmospheric style combined with Italianate beaux art style. Lansburgh was an architect from San Francisco originally born in Panama. After several years of education he moved on from UC Berkeley in 1906&nbsp;to acquire a degree from&nbsp;the École des Beaux-Arts. Lansburgh went on to design around 50 theaters in the United States with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City. Vitaphone technology was first introduced to the public in the film "Don Juan" in 1926 by the Warner Brothers. This new technology signified the beginning of the end of the silent film era, and began the era of soundtracks in movies. The Warner Pacific theater was built with the intention of using Vitaphone in its movies. It was hoped that the theater would be ready in time for the premiere of the movie "The Jazz Singer". However, in 1927 it was quite clear the theater had taken longer to complete than expected. Therefore the movie had its premiere in the Warner Brothers Theatre in New York City. The Warner Brothers company was named for the four Warner brothers. As young children, three of the brothers came to Canada from Poland with their parents, only Jack Warner was born in Canada. Using a movie projector, the three oldest brothers began showing films in mining towns&nbsp;in Pennsylvania and Ohio. This began the brothers' fascination in the movie business. They decided to further their commitment in 1903 by opening the Cascade Theater in New Castle, Pennsylvania.&nbsp;

Construction of the Warner Pacific Theatre started in 1925 with the investment of 1.25 million dollars by the Warner Brothers, and first opened in 1928. The theater was intended to utilize vitaphone technology, playing recorded audio on a phonograph at the same time as the projector. This technology was developed by the Warner Brothers and used from 1926 to 1931. It was hoped to be finished by the time the film "Jazz Singer" premiered, as it used some scenes with sound. However, in 1927, when the film premiered, it was clear the theater would not be ready in time, so it premiered in another Warner Brothers theater.

Warner Pacific Theatre

What would become the legendary Musso and Frank originally opened at 6669 Hollywood Boulevard as Frank's Café in September 1919, named after its founder Frank Toulet. Shortly thereafter, Toulet partnered with Joseph Musso and changed the name of the restaurant to Musso and Frank. French chef Jean Ruse created a classic American cuisine menu that has changed little since its establishment. In 1927, Toulet and Musso sold the grille to another pair, Joseph Carissimi and John Mosso, who moved the restaurant next door to 6667 Hollywood Blvd. Musso and Frank continues to be operated by descendants of John Mosso. From time Musso and Frank Grille opened, it has been a hot-spot for stars. In the early days Charlie Chaplin was a regular, along with Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and the beloved Rudolph Valentino. One legend has it that Chaplin would challenge Fairbanks to a horse race from the studio to Musso's; lunch was on the loser. Chaplin's preferred dish was the Roast Lamb Kidneys.  Through the 30s and 40s, faces such as Greta Garbo and Gary Cooper frequented Musso's, as well as Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. In the 1950s came Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, Elizabeth Taylor with Mike Todd, Eddie Fisher, and Richard Burton, Groucho Marx, Jimmy Stewart, and more. Musso's has always requested respect and privacy for their famous customers, but for celebrities looking for exclusivity, the Back Room, which opened in 1934, was at their avail. Not only was Musso and Frank a place for the Hollywood elite, but also literary giants of the 20th century. In the 1930s, studio heads began hiring well-known authors to write screenplays in the hopes more moviegoers would flock to theaters. At the time, the Screen Writers' Guild was located across the street from Musso's, so writers would retreat to the Back Room for privacy. F. Scott Fitzgerald could often be seen sitting in one of the red leather booths proofreading his work. William Faulkner was such a regular in the Back Room he was allowed behind the bar to mix his juleps. Years later when the Back Room bar closed and moved to the New Room, faces such as Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut could be found chasing the ghosts of the greats who came before them. When visitors walk into Musso's, the pink and green pastoral wallpaper remains intact, just as it did in the days of Chaplin, Sinatra, Bacall, and Monroe. They come for the renowned martinis and signature flannel cakes. More importantly, they come for nostalgia, to see what Hollywood's oldest restaurant is all about and why it remains so popular. In a world constantly evolving and modernizing, there is something strangely comforting about the faded wallpaper, extinct telephone booths, and hospitable waiters and bartenders outfitted in the classic red jackets. Whatever the secret to longevity and success, Musso's has found it.

Musso and Frank Grill prides itself on being "the oldest restaurant in Hollywood," which emblazons on the historic sign visible from Grauman's and the Walk of Fame. While other famous Hollywood restaurants such as the Brown Derby and Chasen's did not stand the test of time, Musso's has the magic touch that keeps it going. Since 1919 when Frank Toulet opened the Hollywood Blvd. joint, it has remained a staple in Hollywood frequented by stars from Charlie Chaplin to Johnny Depp. Musso and Frank holds fast to its traditions, the same family has run the restaurant since the 1930s and the bartenders and waiters still wear the iconic red coats. The feeling of nostalgia and welcoming service is alluring and timeless.  

Musso and Frank Grill

The Egyptian Theatre was first conceptualized by real-estate developer Charles E. Toberman in 1920. He saw potential for a grand movie palace, like those in downtown Los Angeles, on Hollywood Boulevard. To help him execute his vision, Toberman enlisted the help of showman Sid Grauman. Grauman was born in Indiana and moved west as a teenager to produce stage shows with his father. He entered the film industry as an exhibitor and went on to build such opulent theaters as the Metropolitan and the Million Dollar. He joined Toberman, and the two men began work on what they intended to be a Spanish-style theater. Plans changed with the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb in Egypt. Americans were then fascinated with anything Egyptian, so while the theater kept its Spanish red tile roofs, the other features were redesigned.

Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre opened October 28, 1922 with the premiere of Robin Hood starring Douglas Fairbanks. Celebrities in attendance included Fairbanks and his wife Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, director Cecil B. DeMille, and producer Jesse L. Laskey. On the thirty-by-seventy-foot stage, Grauman’s carefully organized prologues played out. Actors, sometimes those in that evening’s showing, would act out skits relevant to the plot of the evening’s feature. The prologue for The Ten Commandments, which premiered at the Egyptian nine months after its grand-opening, included over one-hundred actors in elaborate costumes. In 1927, Grauman left the Egyptian for his and Toberman’s new Chinese Theatre taking his extravagant publicity stunts with him. 

Fox then leased the theater for its films until 1944, when MGM took over. United Artists ran things from 1949 on. In the 1950s, theaters had a hard time winning over audiences from their new competitor: television. To entice patrons, the Egyptian was given a makeover with a new marquee and entrance. The large stage inside was demolished in 1955 to make room for a larger screen. An even larger, curved screen was installed in 1968, at the expense of the proscenium arch that had been adorned with columnns and hieroglyphics. It was during this period, the 1950s and 1960s, that the Egyptian returned to its roots by showing long-running “road movies,” which opened in a few towns at first, then made their way to new places.

The theater closed in 1992. The following year, the structure was named a historic-cultural monument of the city of Los Angeles. The 1994 Northridge Earthquake complicated plans for restoration, but rather&nbsp;than let the historic building be demolished, the city sold the dilapidated theater to American Cinematheque, a preservationist group founded in 1984. In the years that followed, plans were drawn up and a renovation, costing more than ten million dollars, began. Signs, marquees, and ceilings with Egyptian-style motifs were all restored.&nbsp; The original box office windows and a hand painted ceiling in a restroom were rediscovered. The auditorium, with 2,071 seats, was split into a 650-seat theater and an 83-seat screening room, named for donor Steven Spielberg. The theater reopened December 4, 1998 and remains a fully-functioning movie palace today.

The Egyptian Theatre, completed in 1922, was one of many movie theaters in the United States whose design was inspired by the nation's interest in Egyptian architecture and culture following the search for and discovery of King Tut’s tomb. Showman Sid Grauman and real-estate developer Charles E. Toberman worked with designers to give the picture palace an “oriental” feel with details such as painted ceilings, arches, and hieroglyphics. Over the decades, the Egyptian was remodeled to meet the needs of larger screens and other equipment. It was restored in the 1990s by American Cinematheque, a Los Angeles organization that works to celebrate and present motion pictures through festivals and other events. 

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre 

The Hollywood Museum building was originally owned by make-up artist Max Factor. Factor was born in Poland and worked as a beautician for the family of Czar Nicholas II in Russia. Factor and his family immigrated to the United States in 1908, and through hard work and clever marketing, he would become a titan in the makeup industry. He worked as a makeup artist for movie stars and created solutions to some of the problems he came across. He came up with a longer-lasting foundation that could stand up to studio lighting, and he invented lip gloss to make actresses’ lips pop more onscreen. He bought the building, designed by S. Charles Lee, in 1928. There, Marilyn Monroe would become a blonde and Lucille Ball a redhead. After his death, the Max Factor Cosmetics Company passed through the hands of Revlon, Playtex, and Proctor &amp; Gamble, among others.

In 1994, Proctor &amp; Gamble sold the Max Factor building to the Hollywood Museum. The museum would not finish with renovations and open until 2003. The first floor of the building offers a glimpse into its past with carefully recreated “makeup rooms.” Each room includes photos of actresses Factor worked with as well as some vintage beauty tools. The upper levels of the museum contain props, costumes, posters, antique film equipment, and other pieces of Hollywood history. The basement, which temporarily had been home to a bowling alley and then a speakeasy, is now the “Dungeon of Doom.” Visitors can see the jail cell from Silence of the Lambs and nods to Vampira, Frankenstein, and others.

One of the Hollywood Museum’s claims to fame is its exhibit on Marilyn Monroe. Memorabilia includes items from her wardrobe, pieces of her jewelry, and her 1961 Fleetwood Cadillac. The museum works with historians and other experts to investigate the validity of each of its artifacts. Currently, the museum has exhibits on the Batman television series and on the screen’s first blonde bombshell Jean Harlow. The Hollywood Museum does what so few others attempt: it displays the history of Hollywood from its early days to today, from movies to television, and from the well-known to the obscure. The Hollywood Museum works to collect items that tell the complete story of Hollywood.

The Hollywood Museum has the largest collection of Hollywood memorabilia in the world. Its four floors showcase thousands of pieces of Hollywood history. Visitors can step into the building’s past life as the workplace of Max Factor, walk through the “Dungeon of Doom,” or learn about the past and present of movies. Some of the museum’s items include Elvis Presley’s bathrobe, costumes from I Love Lucy, and Cary Grant’s car.

The Hollywood Museum

The El Capitan Theatre was one of the three theatres built by real estate developer Charles Toberman and showman Sid Grauman, who also built the Chinese and Egyptian theatres on Hollywood Boulevard. The Spanish Colonial style exterior was designed by Stiles O. Clements and G. Albert Landsburgh created the East Indian inspired interior. Originally, the theatre shared space with Barker Brothers furniture department store. On May 3, 1926, "Hollywood's First Home of Spoken Drama" was opened with numerous stars in attendance. The first play put on at the El Capitan was "Charlot's Revue," which had just left Broadway.The 1,500 seat El Capitan showcased stage performances by Clark Gable, Fanny Brice, Joan Fontaine, Buster Keaton, Rita Hayworth, and Henry Fonda. After serving as a playhouse for 11 years, the El Capitan became a movie theatre in 1937. Actor, producer, and director Orson Welles was searching for a theatre to premiere his controversial film Citizen Kane and rented out the El Capitan Theatre for its May 8, 1941 premiere. Shortly after the premiere, the El Capitan closed for renovation and re-opened two months later as the more modern film house the "Hollywood Paramount," opening with Cecil B. DeMille's picture, Reap the Wild Wind. As a result of this renovation, all of the original decorations were covered over and would not be restored until almost 50 years later. In the late 1960s Paramount sold the theatre to Loews Theatres, then in 1974 Pacific Theatres took control.In 1989, the Walt Disney Company purchased the Hollywood Paramount and worked in conjunction with Pacific Theatres to launch a two-year renovation and restoration of the El Capitan Theatre. Well-known theatre designer Joseph Musil joined forces with conservators and the Department of the Interior in re-establishing the 1926 look and feel of the El Capitan. On June 19, 1991, 65 years after its original dedication, the El Capitan Theatre once again opened the doors at its original location, showing Disney's The Rocketeer. Though the El Capitan Theatre has evolved from its creation of delivering the "Spoken Drama," the 1,000 seat auditorium continues to draw theatergoers of all ages.

Located in the heart of Hollywood, the El Capitan Theatre opened in 1926 and was dubbed "Hollywood's First Home of Spoken Drama." The developer behind the creation of the theatre, Charles E. Toberman, was also involved with projects such as the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the Egyptian Theatre, and Grauman's Chinese Theatre. First the theatre hosted only live performances, but then it began premiering movies such as Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" (1941). The El Capitan suffered during the Great Depression and briefly closed before being purchased by Paramount Pictures and undergoing extensive renovation. The El Capitan became the Hollywood Paramount in 1941 and remained known as that until it was purchased by the Walt Disney Company in 1989 and restored to its original 1926 look and name. The El Capitan Theatre continues to be operated by the Walt Disney Company and has shown many Disney films since the 1991 premiere of "The Rocketeer."

El Capitan Theatre 

After the Hollywood Hotel was torn down in 1956, the site remained unused until the construction of the Kodak Theatre. Architect David Rockwell took on the job of designing the theater with the needs of the televised Academy Awards ceremony in mind. The theater, which cost ninety-four million dollars to build, opened in 2001. It is located in the Hollywood and Highland Center, near the historic TCL Chinese Theatre and the Loews Hotel. In 2012, the Kodak Theatre was renamed the Dolby Theatre after they became the theater’s sponsor. Dolby and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences signed a deal allowing the Oscars to take place in the theater through 2033.The Academy Awards have had to move around many times in the past. In, 1929, the first ceremony took place simply in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. As the event grew to be of more interest to the press, the Oscars moved to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in the 1940s, the Pantages Theater in the 1950s, and the Shrine Auditorium and Dorothy Chandler Pavillion of the Music Center of Los Angeles off-and-on until 2002. There were multiple causes for the moves. As the event grew, so did the guest list, and more seating was needed. When the ceremony became an annual TV staple, there needed to be room for cameras and crews. So, the Kodak/Dolby Theatre was designed with all that in mind.

The Dolby Theatre has one of the largest stages in the United States, measuring about one-hundred twenty feet wide by seventy-five feet deep. It also pays homage to the history of the Academy with glass plaques naming every movie to win Best Picture. There is a five-story lobby with a grand stairway and three levels of balcony, plus twenty boxes. Wolfgang Puck Catering and Events provides food and drink for Dolby’s biggest events. The Dolby Theatre offers tours during the day and give fans a chance to see the home of the Oscars up close.

The Dolby Theatre (originally the Kodak Theatre) was completed in 2001 and has been home to the annual Academy Award ceremony since 2002. The theater was designed to be the optimal location in Hollywood for live televised broadcasts. Many of the leading live television shows of the past decade have been filmed in the theater including the American Idol finales, America’s Got Talent, and some of the AFI Lifetime Achievement Awards.

The Dolby Theatre

<div>The&nbsp;Grauman's&nbsp;Chinese Theatre opened in&nbsp;Hollywood&nbsp;on May 18, 1927. Owner Sid Grauman had established himself as a successful film exhibitor by the time he built this movie palace. He&nbsp;owned many theaters including one in San Francisco and the nearby Egyptian Theater. He&nbsp;hired architect&nbsp;Raymond M. Kennedy to&nbsp;design the Chinese Theatre. The opening was arguably the most stunning in motion picture history; it attracted the most&nbsp;famous&nbsp;movie stars and&nbsp;celebrities of the day as well as&nbsp;thousands of people who were hoping to see the celebrities. Cecil B. DeMille's "The King of Kings" was the first film shown and the second was&nbsp;"Glories of the Scriptures." The opening was especially&nbsp;memorable because&nbsp;Grauman put on&nbsp;a live prologue which included a&nbsp;65 piece orchestra. The next day the theatre opened to the public.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>Before&nbsp;Grauman&nbsp;embarked on this project, he built the Million Dollar Theatre in downtown Los Angeles and the previously mentioned&nbsp;Egyptian Theatre a few blocks from the Chinese Theatre. However, the&nbsp;Chinese&nbsp;Theatre was his dream theater. Construction cost a total of $2,000,000 by the time the project was completed. Grauman&nbsp;had to receive permission from the United States government to import stone Heaven Dogs, temple bells, pagodas, and other artifacts from China. The designs for the theatre were overseen by Chinese poet and film director, Moon&nbsp;Quon. With&nbsp;Quon's&nbsp;supervision, Chinese artists created pieces of statuary in the theatre, which&nbsp;became the Forecourt of the Stars. &nbsp;Many of these pieces still decorate the interior of the theatre today. The forecourt, which&nbsp;is&nbsp;protected&nbsp;by forty feet high curved walls and copper-topped turrets, represents an oasis to the stars of&nbsp;yesterday&nbsp;and today. The entrance to the theatre is ninety feet tall with two coral red columnns, on the top of which are&nbsp;wrought iron masks that&nbsp;hold together the bronze roof. &nbsp;</div><div>Interestingly,&nbsp;Grauman&nbsp;never completely owned his dream theatre. &nbsp;His partners included: Howard&nbsp;Schenck, Douglas Fairbank, and Mary Pickford. &nbsp;In 1929,&nbsp;Grauman&nbsp;would even sell his share to Fox West Coast Theatres. However, he was the managing director of the theatre until his death in 1950.&nbsp;The theatre is the most visited theatre in Hollywood for movie premieres. Many fans go to these events to watch the celebrities arrive and walk down the rep carpet. Over four million people from all around the world come to see the Chinese Theatre each year.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>The City of Los Angeles declared the&nbsp;Chinese Theatre a historic-cultural landmark in 1968. The theater&nbsp;has its own restoration program to help&nbsp;preserve&nbsp;its original&nbsp;and unique beauty. After the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake, the theatre requested help from geological experts who&nbsp;inspected the theatre and gave advice&nbsp;to the owners on how they could protect and strengthen the building. The theatre would go through some major&nbsp;renovations in 2001 to enhance and update it. Also, several earthquake reconstruction methods were now in place to protect the theatre's structure.&nbsp; </div><div>On January 11, 2013, the Chinese TV maker TLC bought the&nbsp;naming&nbsp;rights to the theatre for $5 million dollars. The company, also known as "The Creative Life," wanted to&nbsp;raise its profile. The current contract between the two partners is to last ten years, and the goal is to make the&nbsp;theatre the most technologically&nbsp;advanced in the world. &nbsp;</div>

Built in 1927 by theater operator Sid Grauman in Hollywood, California, the TLC Chinese Theatre is an iconic movie palace located on the historic Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame. Also in front of the theater are footprints, handprints, and signatures of famous Hollywood figures (in concrete). Many movies have premiered here over the years, a tradition that continues today. The TLC Chinese Theatre also has the world's largest IMAX screen. 

TLC Chinese Theatre

The 12-story, 300 room Spanish Colonial Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was officially opened on May 15, 1927 and cost around $2.5 million to complete. The history of Hollywood can be seen throughout the Hollywood Roosevelt. In the Blossom Ballroom was where the first ever Academy Awards were held in May 1929. The winners for pictures made in 1927 and 1928 had been announced three months prior and the whole ceremony lasted an astounding fifteen minutes. In the 1930s, the Academy Awards moved to the Biltmore Hotel and then the Ambassador Hotel. The Blossom Ballroom was restored to its original 1920s appearance in the 2000s and has hosted parties for the movie Ghostbusters (2016) and the television show Games of Thrones.One of Hollywood's biggest heart-throbs in the 1930s, Clark Gable, romanced the gorgeous Carole Lombard at the Hollywood Roosevelt when rates were just $5 a night. The famous couple's legacy continues to live-on with the Gable-Lombard suite, 3,200 square feet total and looking out to the Hollywood sign. In 2007, the entertainer Prince lived in the suite while performing a series of concerts in the Blossom Ballroom. Early in her career, Marilyn Monroe lived in the Hollywood Roosevelt, frequenting the rooftop pool where her first commercial photo-shoot took place. Another famed 1950s movie star, Montgomery Clift, lived in the Hollywood Roosevelt while filming From Here to Eternity (1953). To add to the intrigue, it has been rumored the ghosts of both Monroe and Clift still roam the Hotel.Despite its rich history, the Hollywood Roosevelt has survived its fair share of hardships. Before being declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1991, it had changed ownership multiple times and faced demolition. In 1985, a $40 million renovation saved it from demise and erased the graffiti that had been painted on walls. So bad were circumstances, a sale was held auctioning off items from the Hotel such as beds, paintings, mirrors, and even carpet from the lobby. The 2015 $25 million renovation restored the Hollywood Roosevelt to much of its 1920s charm. Thanks to new management and the lure of the history of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, it remains one of Hollywood's most prized structures.

Listed as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, the landmark Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel opened in 1927. Sitting along the notorious Hollywood Walk of Fame and across from Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the Hollywood Roosevelt was financed by prominent figures Louis B. Mayer, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and Sid Grauman. The Hollywood Roosevelt was dedicated just as the Golden Age of Hollywood was taking-off. Named after the late president Theodore Roosevelt, the Hollywood Roosevelt was immediately put to use by the people who financed its creation. On May 16, 1929, the first ever Academy Awards ceremony, celebrating the movies of 1927 and 1928, was held in the Blossom Ballroom. Throughout its history, the Hotel has played host to many of Hollywood's top names, including Shirley Temple, Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Ernest Hemingway, and Errol Flynn. Marilyn Monroe's first commercial photo-shoot took place by the pool and she resided in the Hotel for two years. The Marilyn Monroe suite is one of the most requested, and costly, suites in the Hollywood Roosevelt. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was was dedicated as a Los Angeles Historical Monument in 1991 and continues to serve as a landmark structure in Tinseltown.

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

The Hollywood and La Brea Gateway gazebo was made in the art deco style with materials such as glass, steel, and neon. Artist Catherine Hardwicke intended for the piece to acknowledge the different cultural backgrounds of people who helped create the Hollywood we know, while also encouraging an examination of the place. Said Hardwicke:

<blockquote>The design embraces and pokes fun at the glamour, the polished metallic male form of the Oscar, and the pastiche of styles and dreams that pervades Tinseltown.1</blockquote>

The public artwork depicts four women of different cultures who brought change to Hollywood. One of those women is Dorothy Dandridge, the first African-American to be nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award. Dandridge was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1922. She and her sisters formed a musical group while she was still a child, and by the time she was a teenager, Dandridge was acting in films. After her Oscar-nominated performance in 1954’s Carmen Jones, unfortunately, few good roles came her way. She developed problems with drugs and alcohol and died in 1965 of an overdose. Many believe that it was the racial prejudices of her time that prevented Dorothy Dandridge from becoming an even bigger star than she was.

Dolores del Rio, another figure of the piece, was of Mexican descent. She was born in 1904 and raised in Durango, Mexico. In Hollywood, she played “exotic” types during the silent era and was even more typecast because of her accent after the coming of sound. Del Rio never lost her pride in where she came from, however. Early in her career, she insisted on being listed as a “Mexican” actress as opposed to the more socially-esteemed alternative, a “Spanish” actress. After establishing her place as a glamour girl in American cinema, she returned to Mexico to help with its blossoming film industry. She died at age seventy-seven in California.

Mae West was born in Brooklynn, New York with Irish and German heritage. As a teenager, she worked in vaudeville and burlesque, often making jokes at the expense of Victorian-era values. She found success as an adult by writing and performing controversial plays on Broadway that dealt openly with subjects such as sex and homosexuality. Hollywood came calling, and West went west, making films such as She Done Him Wrong and I’m No Angel. After 1934, her popularity waned as the Hayes Code disapproved of her style of humor and tried to censor her. West passed away in 1980 at the age of 87, leaving behind a legacy as a performer and playwright who often took matters into her own hands.

The last of the four ladies, Anna May Wong, was born in Los Angeles in 1905. Of Chinese background, she was not allowed by studios to play opposite white leading men, forcing her into smaller, supporting roles. Even when movies focused on Chinese characters, the bigger parts were often given to white actors in “yellowface.” Wong felt trapped between two cultures. Many Chinese felt that she was too American, while many Americans were deeply prejudiced against Asian peoples. She worked in Europe for a time, becoming a major international star. Still, when she returned to America, Wong had trouble finding good characters to play. Hollywood’s first Chinese-American star died after a heart attack in 1961.

When the Hollywood and La Brea Gateway was finished, opinions of it were split. Some felt that the gateway was a flattering commemoration of the four women and a beacon of hope to people of any background trying to make it in Hollywood. On the other hand, one critic lambasted it for being sexist, campy, and poorly done. In an article of her own, Hardwicke argued that the artwork was a success because its purpose had been fulfilled:

<blockquote>People are interacting with it--proud to discover that Hollywood was created by people of many cultures and that women, as well as men, can make valuable contributions.1</blockquote>

The Hollywood and La Brea Gateway structure, designed by production designer Catherine Hardwicke, was dedicated in February 1994. It is also commonly known as Gateway to Hollywood (possibly because it stands at one end of the Hollywood Walk of Fame) and The Four Silver Ladies of Hollywood. The four ladies in question are the subjects of the art piece: Dorothy Dandridge, Dolores del Rio, Mae West, and Anna May Wong. These four actresses were chosen to represent the multi-cultural history of Hollywood.

Hollywood and La Brea Gateway

Before the studio was created, it received a large amount of backlash from the public. People that resided in the heart of Hollywood did not desire to have a movie studio that was situated so near to their own homes. But their complaints were at odds with the views of the Hollywood City Council when it approved the building permit for Chaplin. This was a wise move on their part because of his immense fame; without his presence in Hollywood, it has been speculated that the town’s significance would have been substantially stunted during its early years of development. After the studio was complete, Chaplin decided to additionally build a home on the northern part of the lot. He also installed a swimming pool, horse stables, and a tennis court.&nbsp;Part of what made Chaplin such an infamous star was his unique work ethic. Historically, he is the only known actor to construct his very own studio; this was after already receiving significant fame from his silent comedies. Chaplin used his personal workspace to create masterpieces that would be Hollywood gems for years to come. Well-known stars were also invited to the Charlie Chaplin studios, as well as Helen Keller herself.&nbsp;Unfortunately, in 1927, a fire started on a soundstage during the filming of “The Circus.” No real damage was done to the foundation and structure of the building itself, but the entire movie set was consumed as a result. However, Chaplin quickly recovered from the loss and continued to produce some of Hollywood’s greatest masterpieces. One reason for his outstanding ability to make films was that Chaplin did not allow anyone else to rent out his studio. This allowed him to work on his films for longer periods of time, with no deadline in sight. He could perfect the movies created around his own ideas at his own preference, with no outside interference.&nbsp;
	Charlie Chaplin was one of Hollywood’s most infamous celebrities; his work shaped the town for years to come. Although his studio is now owned by the Jim Henson Company, its history will never be forgotten. Charlie Chaplin is the only actor to have acquired his own studio lot, and perhaps that is why his creations were so fine tuned to himself. After leaving America in 1952, Chaplin resided in Switzerland until his death. Parts of his studio have been torn down since then, but the original building still stands today.&nbsp;

The Jim Henson Company is located in the center of Hollywood. A 12 foot statue of Kermit the Frog, dressed as the infamous Charlie Chaplin role, “The Little Tramp,” stands at the front of the studio. Although the lot is currently owned by the creator of the Muppets, it was previously known as Charlie Chaplin Studios. Charlie Chaplin is famous for becoming the first international movie star, due to the success of the silent comedies he starred in. During the peak of his fame in 1917, Chaplin bought an vacant piece of land close to his favorite restaurant in Hollywood, and to the downtown area of Los Angeles. Construction being fully complete in 1919, the studio featured aesthetic cottages that resembled those of the English. Here is where Chaplin churned out many of his greatest films. 

Hollywood Boulevard Walking Tour

The Hollywood Tower

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information