Hollywood's Egyptian Theater
by Jennifer Minasian
INTRODUCTION:
Sid Grauman's 1922 Egyptian Theatre will soon be transformed into the new cinematic and architectural flagship of Hollywood Boulevard. Closed since July of 1992, the new home of the non-profit theater American Cinematheque will feature independent, alternative, international, and documentary film. One of the most historic theaters on Hollywood Boulevard will be used as a base for the most innovative and best-designed adaptive reuse project recently seen in Hollywood. The project is a model of collaboration between architects, engineers (both structural and acoustic), decorative painters and conservators, and the demands of a historic building. The major public spaces of the facility will be restored, and the auditorium will be upgraded through the use of a system which does not interfere with the historic shell.
The American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre project comes at a time when the Boulevard is slowing making its way uphill and emerging from an economic, physical and social low point to which it had been sinking for many years. It is posed to provide the kind of meaningful activity, historic revitalization, and sophisticated design that many hope will resurrect Hollywood.
Despite conditions there, tourists continue to be drawn to Hollywood Boulevard. An estimated nine million people a year visit Hollywood, and it's safe to say that the vast majority of them are, to be polite, underwhelmed by what they find. Who, then, is to step forward to imbue the Hollywood visitor's experience with meaning? American Cinematheque rises to the challenge.
Jennifer Minasian is a research associate with Historic Resources Group and a board member of the Society of Architectural Historians, Southern California Chapter. She can be reached by E-mail at jennifer@historicLA.com.
Special thanks to Peyton Hall, AIA, Historic Resources Group.
For further information on the American Cinematheque visit their web site at http://www.americancinematheque.com