El Rey Theatre
Encyclopedia
El Rey Theatre is currently a live music venue in the Miracle Mile
area of the Mid-Wilshire
region in Los Angeles
, California
. "El Rey" means "The King" in Spanish.
This art deco
building was designed by Clifford A. Balch (who designed over twenty classic art deco movie theatres around Southern California
). Much of the theatre, including the lobby, still retains its art deco roots, admired for its Zigzag and Streamline Moderne design.
El Rey was originally built in 1936 as a single-screen movie theatre and functioned as a cinema for nearly 50 years.
From the 1980s to the early 1990s El Rey Theatre was a dance-music club called Wall Street, but since 1994 this theatre has been a live music venue which is now exclusively booked through Goldenvoice. The capacity is approximately 700 and it also has a VIP balcony in the back.
The theatre was designated as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 520 on February 26, 1991.
Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California
The Miracle Mile in Los Angeles, California, is an area in the Mid-Wilshire region consisting of an almost two-mile stretch of Wilshire Boulevard between Fairfax and Western Avenues...
area of the Mid-Wilshire
Mid-Wilshire
Mid-Wilshire is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Wilshire region.It mostly encompasses the area bounded by La Cienega Boulevard to the west, Melrose Avenue to the north, Hoover Street to the east and the Santa Monica Freeway to the south, although some...
region in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. "El Rey" means "The King" in Spanish.
This art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
building was designed by Clifford A. Balch (who designed over twenty classic art deco movie theatres around Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
). Much of the theatre, including the lobby, still retains its art deco roots, admired for its Zigzag and Streamline Moderne design.
El Rey was originally built in 1936 as a single-screen movie theatre and functioned as a cinema for nearly 50 years.
From the 1980s to the early 1990s El Rey Theatre was a dance-music club called Wall Street, but since 1994 this theatre has been a live music venue which is now exclusively booked through Goldenvoice. The capacity is approximately 700 and it also has a VIP balcony in the back.
The theatre was designated as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 520 on February 26, 1991.
In popular culture
- The El Rey can be seen in the 1988 Touchstone PicturesTouchstone PicturesTouchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
film Who Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
(as well as in unused promotional artwork), though the El Rey seen in the film is not the real theater. Instead, it was actually a facade on Hope Street in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where several scenes of the film were shot.
- The El Rey can be seen in the film "License To DriveLicense to DriveLicense to Drive is a 1988 teen adventure film starring Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Heather Graham, Carol Kane, Richard Masur, Michael Manasseri and Nina Siemaszko. The screenplay was written by Neil Tolkin and directed by Greg Beeman....
" as a night club.
- The El Rey is featured prominently in the 1984 sci-fi film Night of the CometNight of the CometNight of the Comet is a 1984 film directed by Thom Eberhardt and starring Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Beltran, and Kelli Maroney. It has elements of such diverse genres as science fiction, horror, zombie apocalypse, comedy, and romance....
.