Architect Stiles O. Clements | Reference no. 460 | |
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Address 1038 South Hill Street
Los Angeles, California
United States Opened August 15, 1927 (1927-08-15) | ||
The Mayan Theater in Los Angeles, California, is a landmark former movie palace.
History
Designed by Stiles O. Clements of Morgan, Walls & Clements and opened in August 1927, the façade of the Mayan Theater includes stylized pre-Columbian patterns and figures designed by sculptor Francisco Cornejo. This is his major work.
Originally a legitimate theater, the Mayan Theater is a prototypical example of the many excessively ornate exotic revival-style theaters of the late 1920s, Mayan Revival in this case. The well-preserved lobby is called "The Hall of Feathered Serpents," the auditorium includes a chandelier based on the Aztec calendar stone, and the original fire curtain included images of Mayan jungles and temples.
The theater has been a location in many films including Save the Tiger, Unlawful Entry, Rock 'n' Roll High School, and A Night at the Roxbury.
In 1990, the Mayan Theater, with most of its lavish ornament intact, became a nightclub. It is designated as a Historic Cultural Monument.