Highland Theatre
5604 N. Figueroa Street,
Los Angeles,
CA
90042
5604 N. Figueroa Street,
Los Angeles,
CA
90042
16 people
favorited this theater
Designed by noted theatre architect L.A. Smith in 1924, before his untimely death in 1926. The Highland Theatre was opened on March 5, 1925. This historic theater has been triplexed in recent years.
The Highland Theatre was once the entertainment hot spot of the Highland Park district, but it, like the area, has seen difficult times over the years. The theater has continued to hold on, despite its proximity to downtown, and the tumult of time that seems to affect Los Angeles more than any other metropolis.
After 75 years, the Highland Theatre is largely forgotten beyond its neighborhood, but it is still a classic Cinema Treasure and one of the few remaining L.A. Smith designed theaters. The Highland Theatre now benefits by being just around the corner from the recently opened Highland Park station on the Metro Gold Line.
Contributed by
Ross Melnick
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 43 comments)
Sorry Howard…I forget that some of our more obsessive members subsrcibe to several dozen theatres….even if they’ve never even attended those said theatres….just kidding… but seriously, if I was truly abusive, I would have posted on several dozen thetres, instead of those in the immediate area of the Rialto.
BTW….the show at the Rialto is at 8:30 PM tonight!!!
Interesting film by a young local director, RD Hall. It was nice to sit in there for a couple of hours. Many of those who attended had never been in the Rialto when it was in operation. The insides have been pretty much well preserved. Interseting to note that the film was actually projected digitally from a DVD projector in the balcony, and it was able to achieve the standard aspect ratio. I’d say about 200 people made the show. Cant wait for the next show. I think they should do the same at the Highland once in a while, that is, show indie films now and then.
1982 Photo
1984 Photo
Love the rooftop sigh,nich looking theatre.
Cool photos hollywood90038.
The Highland Theater’s marquee turns up in the new John C. Reilly movie Cyrus.
I took the Gold Line(via the Red Line from N Hollywood) and on 6/14 saw the Shrek movie. I agree that the area is very historic and gradually improving and relatively safe, even at night. You’re right, what a bargain, especially the senior rate.
Usually, lower economic areas are penalized but you can actually see a first run at the Highland for half the price of the West Side. It would be nice if they occasionally showed some specialty or classic movies like the Art Theater in Long Beach.
I visited this theatre on Nov. 17, and saw “Due Date” in Cinema 1. I was rather disappointed in the presentation. First of all, it was a scope picture, but the screen doesn’t have movable masking and everything is shown in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. So on a scope picture, the edges are cropped off. Second, the right side of the screen was out of focus. Third, the CinemaScope lens was not properly set, resulting in a slanted picture. The green scratches in the picture were not straight up and down, but slanted, as were the end credits. It seems that the projectionist is one of those who just turns the projector on, and doesn’t stick around to fine-tune the focus or make other adjustments.
Are all the cinemas the same size? Cinema 1 seemed pretty small considering the size of the building and that there are three auditoriums in it.
The main house (#2) is pretty big—definitely in the 300 seat realm—but the other two are very small. All have fixed aspect ratios, so yes, it’s a place for Flat movies only really. The price pretty much reflects what you get.