Grauman's Egyptian Theatre
- Year
- 1922
- Style
- Egyptian Revival
- City
- Los Angeles, CA
Grauman's Egyptian Theatre opened in 1922 on Hollywood Boulevard, built by showman Sid Grauman and developer Charles E. Toberman as an early, lavish Egyptian Revival movie palace and the site of the world's first film premiere. Its popularity was eclipsed five years later when Grauman opened the Chinese Theatre nearby, and the Egyptian settled into decades as a revival house before a long series of owners, closures, and restorations carried it into the present.
the building
Egyptian Revival forecourt. The theater's forecourt and facade were built out in a dramatic Egyptian Revival theme, giving Hollywood Boulevard one of its most visible historic set-pieces, still prominent from the sidewalk today.
Site of the first premiere. The Egyptian hosted the world's first film premiere in 1922, a format Sid Grauman would repeat, and eventually eclipse, five years later at his own Chinese Theatre down the block.
the style
The Egyptian is a textbook example of Egyptian Revival architecture, applied to give Sid Grauman's movie palace a dramatic, exotic forecourt and facade built to draw crowds along Hollywood Boulevard.
More on Egyptian Revivalsignificance
The Egyptian is individually designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and is a contributing property to its National Register Historic District. After passing between MGM, United Artists, and other operators through the 20th century, it was restored by the American Cinematheque in 1998, sold to Netflix in 2020, and reopened in 2023 after a second restoration, with Netflix and the Cinematheque now sharing its weekly program.
nearby
- Max Factor Make-Up Salon
- Bank of America Building
- Lee Drug
- S. H. Kress and Co. Building
- Crossroads of the World
- El Capitan Theatre