Building Focus: Wiltern Theatre, Part Deux

We wrote a post on the Wiltern Theatre before, but after checking out another concert there recently and posting pictures and getting requests for more pics, we thought it was worth doing a follow-up post and giving this Art Deco gem some more love.

Take time to explore every corner of this historic building.

One caution about attending a concert at the Wiltern: You might miss part of the show because you are walking around taking pictures of everything! Try to arrive a little early so you can take in the glorious, detailed exterior (make sure you look closely at the the panels that cover the Pellissier Building, which houses the Wiltern) and lavish entrance and explore the rotunda area before the music begins. And for lots more info on this historic theatre (along with 29 other Old Hollywood-inspired spots in Southern California), check out our book From the Corner of Hollywood and diVine, available at www.IconicReviews.com.

Waves, suns, and images from nature are all around the Wiltern!

The rotunda is a perfect place to relax before the show.

A glamorous place to find refreshment.

It's easy to get distracted by all of the Deco as you head to your seat.

Inside the auditorium, where the sound is as great as the decor.

Now THAT is a ceiling!

Building Focus: What's Up With The Wallis

What do you do with an historic post office in the middle of Beverly Hills that is no longer being used as a post office? Turn it into a world-class performing arts center, of course, while preserving the original architecture and wonderful sense of history! Meet The Wallis Annenberg  Center for the Performing Arts, affectionately known as "The Wallis." I truly hope that what's been done here can be used as the blueprint to save so many other buildings that are no longer serving their original purpose. What a fantastic alternative to simply tearing them down and starting over!!!

The above picture is a side view of the building, and below is a shot of my friend Kimberly and me hanging out in the Grand Hall, which serves as the main lobby. Look at those marble-clad walls!

Here's the entrance (which faces Santa Monica Boulvard) back in the early days of the Post Office, complete with smartly-dressed postal workers...

...and the same entrance in March, when my son and I attended a fabulous children's play called White. That is one thing that I think is really wonderful about The Wallis: shows for kids! We saw White in the Studio Theater, which was the original mail sorting room, and we sat on the floor. A show and setting like this is perfect for introducing little ones to the joys of the theatre, and nice for parents because they don't have to worry that their child might make noise or want to get up or disturb someone.

In the Grand Hall, there are eight fresco murals. They were funded under FDR's administration, and each one portrays something having to do with the postal service or labor force. There is one that depicts the pony express, for example, and another with an airplane on it. The end of the hallway in the picture below is where the original Post Office building ends, and the new addition begins.

There is a wonderful outdoor space with a sculpture garden! I love that you can be right in the middle of bustling Bev Hills and still feel calm.

This is the Goldsmith Theater, where the major productions happen, and it is part of the new addition to the building. The accoustics are fantastic, and I was blown away by the production when I saw Noel Coward's Brief Encounter here in March.

And like you need another reason to check out The Wallis... but there's a gourmet candy store there!

Contact Info:

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
9390 North Santa Monica Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

310-246-3800

http://www.thewallis.org/

Twitter and Instagram: @TheWallisBH

A Self-Guided Tour of Five Historic Los Angeles Buildings

Our first guest blog at Vintage Shopper is up! I (lara) put this together so you could easily check out five of the most beautiful and historic buildings in the city (all designed by famed architect John Parkinson) on your own time. Get the tour here!

                                                    Los Angeles City Hall

A 2-Hour Tour of Historic Downtown Los Angeles

I (Lara) have planned out a fun afternoon for you in Downtown Los Angeles! My office is in Glendale (about fifteen minutes away), and on a whim one recent Friday I brought my young son and his babysitter along with me to work so we could do some exploring after I finished.

We hit all of these historic places in about two hours (from 11:30a-1:30p), but you could probably power through them faster without a 3-year-old in tow.  On the flip side, you could spend all day at these locations because there is so much to see. So if you’ve got some free time, grab some water, cash (for parking and snacks), sunscreen, hat, and comfy shoes, and let’s get going.

1. Park underground at Pershing Square.  

 532 South Olive Street

www.laparks.org/PershingSquare
www.twitter.com/PSDowntownLA

In the early 1900s, Pershing Square (which is exactly a block in size) was known as Central Park and filled with trees. Now, it is mainly concrete and the site of many musical performances and events, with a cool fountain in part of the park. 

2. After you’ve checked out Pershing Square, head north on Hill Street, taking notice of all the gorgeous buildings around you, especially the Subway Terminal Building, which is now known as Metro 417.

417 South Hill Street

 www.Metro417.com
Opened in 1926, the Subway Terminal Building once had 65,000 people passing through it each day! It was part of the Pacific Electric Railway system, and this line allowed people to bypass the busy streets of Downtown Los Angeles. Yes, even in the 1920s people were complaining about the traffic! The tunnel has been filled in for decades now, but the Italian Renaissance Revival building has found new life as Metro 417, a luxury apartment building.

3. Continue walking up Hill Street, keeping an eye out for Grand Central Market on the right side of the street.

 317 Broadway
 www.GrandCentralSquare.com

 www.twitter.com/GrandCentralMkt

 

The Market first opened in 1917 on the first-floor of the Homer Laughlin Building (architect Frank Lloyd Wright once had an office here), and offered the finest open-air shopping experience in Los Angeles. The tradition continues today, with tons of restaurants, produce vendors, and specialty stands (we even spotted an herbal pharmacy). This is where you can fuel up with some java, and you will also find restrooms downstairs. 

4. Just across Hill Street from the Market is Angels Flight.

351 South Hill Street

www.AngelsFlight.org

www.twitter.com/AngelsFlight

Back in the day, wealthy folks that lived in the fashionable Bunker Hill neighborhood could take Angels Flight (which opened in 1901) down the hill to do some shopping at Grand Central Market, and then ride back home with their purchases. The cost? A penny!

Today, “The Shortest Railway In The World” will cost you 50 cents for a one-way ticket, or 25 cents if you’re a metro rail pass holder. My son called this the “rocket train” for its steep incline, and I saved the sweet souvenir ticket for his keepsake box.

If you don’t want to ride Olivet or Sinai (the names of the two cars), you can opt for a thigh and glute-burning workout and take the stairs right next to the tracks up the hill. Interesting note: Angels Flight used to be located half a block north of the current location. It was dismantled in the 1960s, and then brought back at 351 South Hill Street in the 1990s.

5. When you leave Angels Flight at the top, you will be at California Plaza.

350 South Grand Avenue

www.GrandPerformances.org

www.twitter.com/GrandPerfs

Take a moment to enjoy the sweeping view in front of you, including Los Angeles City Hall (1928) in all its splendor. Walk though the Plaza, past the buildings and little lake and stage for performances, and head down the stairs to Grand Avenue. 

6. Head South on Grand, and as you near Fifth Street you will see One Bunker Hill (formerly the Southern California Edison Building) on your right.  

601 West Fifth Street

Opened in 1931, this building features a classic Art Deco design, with setbacks, recessed and symmetrical windows, and strong vertical lines (representing progress). Also, as a nod to progress, there are decorative panels at the entrance with carved figures representing light, power, and hydroelectric energy. This was one of the first buildings in the U.S. to be electrically heated and cooled, which must have been life-changing in scorching Downtown LA in the summer. 

7. Cross Fifth Street, then cross Grand Avenue, and you will see the Los Angeles Central Library.  

630 West Fifth Street

www.lapl.org

www.twitter.com/lapubliclibrary

Opened in 1926, the Central Library is still stunning, and most people would probably say that its most recognizable exterior feature is the tall tower topped by a pyramid with suns on each side. In addition to an Egyptian influence, you will see lots of Art Deco details and also a Mediterranean influence. And things just get better inside, with murals depicting the history of California, ornately patterned floors, and an art gallery. Check out the library’s fantastic gift shop, café area for some fresh-squeezed juice, and (if you have kiddos) the wonderful children’s section complete with a puppet show theatre and tiny toddler amphitheatre.

8. Exit the library on Fifth Street and walk east to cross Grand Avenue. Walk just a few steps south to arrive at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel.
 

506 South Grand Avenue

www.MillenniumHotels.com

www.twitter.com/BiltmoreLA

Opened in 1923, the Biltmore Hotel (as it was originally known) is a wonderful hodgepodge of styles, from Mediterranean to Beaux Arts to Spanish-Italian Renaissance Revival. Between the crystal chandeliers, wood-beamed ceilings, frescos and murals, gorgeously embroidered tapestries and drapes, and a ton of bronze and gold, it is no wonder that the Biltmore hosted the Oscars in the ceremony’s early years; in fact, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded at a luncheon here in 1927. 

Walk down the long hallway Galleria that’s just off the lobby, and come down the large staircase into the hotel’s Rendezvous Court, which was the Biltmore’s original lobby. There’s a gently gurgling fountain in the middle of the room, and most likely tables set up around it; this is where afternoon tea happens most days. I recommend making a reservation and getting your hands on some homemade scones and clotted cream!

Walk out the back doors of the Biltmore, and there’s Pershing Square! You’re right back where you started, probably a little tired but happy, and with a phone full of beautiful pictures you’ll hopefully Instagram and share with the world. I hope that this little tour has intrigued you enough to check out more of the special buildings and historic neighborhoods that can be found in our city!

(This is by no means a comprehensive list of great buildings in the area! There are so many more—the Title Guarantee Building, Cicada Restaurant, the PacMutual Building, etc.—that we didn’t include simply to kept this little tour short. If you have a favorite building in the area that we didn’t mention, give it a shout out in the comments!)

The Wiltern Theatre: A Glam Experience, Even From The Last Row

The Famous Sign!

Before I (Lara) was bitten by the Art Deco bug almost five years ago, I thought that the Wiltern Theatre was aesthetically pretty and an ideal place to see a show, but it was not until recently when I truly saw it for the stunning Art Deco masterpiece and historical venue it truly is.

Let me take you back a few years to my experience at the Wiltern. Instead of gazing at the luxe entrance (Terrazzo flooring!) in wonder, I could be found pounding on the locked front doors as I stood outside with twenty winners from my radio station’s contest. My goal was simple, but it was oh-so-profound: to enable my station's contest winners to enjoy an acoustic performance at the Wiltern with the band Train.

Of course, someone eventually heard all the commotion out front and let us in, and we enjoyed some lovely renditions of “Meet Virginia” and “Drops of Jupiter” and even engaged in light banter with the band.

Now, a few years later and even more in love with Art Deco, I approach those same front doors with a sense of reverence and awe, almost as if I am entering a church. Can I get an Amen?

The Glorious Entrance! Look at the ceiling!

The Wiltern is located in the big, blue-green Pellissier Building in Koreatown at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue. A poster located at the entrance gives you a Reader’s Digest version of the theatre’s history: The Wiltern opened its doors in 1931 with the premiere of the film Alexander Hamilton, starring George Arliss.

Design on the side of the building!

The theatre showed movies for over 50 years, and it was almost torn down in the 1970s until an awesome group of Angelenos (with help from the equally awesome Los Angeles Conservancy) saved it. In the book Theatres in Los Angeles (p.43), Anthony B. Heinsbergen, whose company created much of the Wiltern’s artwork, writes (when told about the plan to tear the Wiltern down) that what really killed all the grand movie palaces was the fact that there was no parking.

In fact, folks started going to films in suburban areas simply because they had room to park. Thankfully, there is now ample parking in the form of street parking, lots, and structures, and since the 1980s the Wiltern has flourished as a venue for live music.

The best way to see the Wiltern is to attend a show. Cori and I stopped in recently to see A Fine Frenzy and Joshua Radin in concert, and even though our seats were in the very LAST row, it was still a great view. (And no, our noses didn’t bleed…much.) And the seats are comfy! And even if they weren’t, you would notice for long because you would be blissfully drowning in the acoustic sounds. Seriously, the theater’s acoustics are almost heavenly.

The auditorium part of the Wiltern is reminiscent of the Egyptian or Pantages, with a sunburst and gold (so much GOLD) everywhere, and an overall feel of luxury. You might want to get a pic of yourselves (as we did) in the lovely rotunda, which is all about waves and sun and leaves and nature. We asked a nice gentleman who worked at the Wiltern to snap our pic, which he did, while also secretly turning Cori’s iPhone camera around and photographing his charming mug. (We sooo want to publish it!)  

Beautiful terrazzo flooring out front!

Contact Info:

The Wiltern Theatre

3790 Wilshire Boulevard  Los Angeles, CA 90010
(213) 388-1400

www.twitter.com/Wiltern

The Culver Hotel and Munchkinland

The munchkins totally partied here.

Fig: The Culver Hotel Lounge. So inviting!

That was my (Lara’s) first thought as I walked into the pie-slice-shaped Culver Hotel in Culver City with my fellow divas, Michelle ("The Actress") and Chandra ("The Makeup Artist"), and marveled at all the big-time glamma packed into a small space.  Our Fourth Diva, Cori ("The Writer"), was home nursing a sore throat and sounding a lot like Demi Moore.  

I hoped I had the courage to convince my friends that they should join me and dedicate the next year to writing a guidebook about Art Deco and Old Hollywood. For someone who talks for a living (I guess that makes me "The Voice"?), I was sweat-trickling-down-the-back nervous. I was going to need a trough of liquid courage (caffeine) for this. Latte, please. Or six. Add in another shot.

But back to the munchkins. Even though the hotel has hosted tons of superstars, from Clark Gable to Lana Turner to Judy Garland to Ronald Reagan, it’s all about the little people for me. Is it because I had a thing for the Lollipop Guild when I was a child, and wanted them to welcome me to Munchkinland?  Perhaps. 

Fig. The Culver Hotel Dining Room.
Join us for a dinner party?!

Legend has it that when filming was going on for The Wizard of Oz, an underground tunnel was built to usher the Munchkins from the hotel to nearby MGM (now Sony) Studios. Later, not wanting a good tunnel to go to waste, it was utilized to ferry alcohol and women during the Prohibition Era. Holla! How do I get a tunnel between my casa and Starbucks?

Legend also has it that the munchkins got up to all kinds of naughtiness while throwing some wild parties. I want to go to there, this munchkin shindig. Ain’t no party like a munchkin party ‘cause a munchkin party don’t stop. However, they must not have trashed the place too badly because their picture still hangs on the bathroom door that’s just off the grand lobby.

As I thought about how this place was once just empty land, and then Culver City’s first movie theater, and then this beautiful hotel, I remembered this quote: “Everyone who got where they are had to start where they were.” 

Maybe it was the spaciousness of the lobby, the startling print on the black and white wallpaper, the tiny projector to the right of the bar, or the piano music that was being piped in from somewhere (the secret tunnel?), but I found myself opening up to Sugar and Michelle and sharing from my heart about this dream I’ve had for a few years now of writing the book that I would like to read on Art Deco. But not just a straight-up guide book, or a book that is just about history and design, but one that shares how the beauty of Art Deco can change a life and reveal beauty in every woman.

Our book would be full of tips on everything from how to make a vintage cocktail to how to put together a kick-ass playlist from the ‘20s and ‘30s (I’m talking about your delightful, de-lovely songs, Cole Porter). How I’ve found that, as I’ve started to add things like reading books about design, and going to historical buildings, and drooling over 1920’s beaded flapper-style dresses from The Way We Wore online into my own life I’ve started to crave quality, glamour, and fun in the every day things.  

And how my mindset has changed as I’ve been exposed to incredible images. I’ve started to feel like maybe, just maybe, my best years aren’t behind me, and that the future could be very bright indeed.

Thankfully, my girls didn’t run screaming for the Hollywood Hills when I shared all of this with them, especially the part about how it’s all going to be a process, and right now we have no idea where we’re going to end up (Barstow, maybe?). I could have kissed their stilettos, because they were actually excited at the prospect of throwing themselves into something new. I do think that the yummy omelettes and waffles (Sugar had one of each!) may have helped bring them around to Mama’s way of thinking. 

That morning at the pie slice, we planned our very first Deco Day, and will be hitting the Roosevelt Hotel and Egyptian Theater in Hollywood in the very near future to look for the ghost of Marilyn Monroe.

P.S. We’re excited that you are joining us on this journey, too.

If you find yourself poking around at the Culver Hotel and perhaps trying to convince your friends to join you for a random project, try the waffles and don’t miss these five things:

Fig. The Green Chair!
(Was it in the Emerald City
in the land of Oz?)

1. The Mezzanine Lounge, perfect for a cozy meeting with a lovahhhhhhhh.
2. The bathroom off of the Mezzanine Lounge. The mirror, the wallpaper…we felt glamorous while blowing our nose in here.
3. The vibrant green chair you see as you enter through the door by the valet.  If your dogs are barking after a long day, take a load off here, fanny.
4. The sparkly private dining room. We wanted to wear the se napkins as a hat, and then felt inspired to buy some for our own house, instead of handing people a roll of paper towels when they come over and saying, “We’re not fancy around here.” 
5. The bird/duck/falcon? faucet in the downstairs ladies room.  And by the way, gentlemen, it’s worth sneaking in to take a peek at this beauty of a bird/duck/falcon. Oh, the detail! We swoon. 

Fig: Bathroom sink in The Culver Hotel.
We think it's some type of cool cross-breed.

And just a side note, let us know if you find that secret tunnel.  We have some alcohol and women we’d like to ferry through. 

Culver Hotel

www.culverhotel.com

www.twitter.com/CulverHotel

9400 Culver Boulevard  Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 558-9400

Fun Note: The “Jewel of Downtown Culver” City was branded a skyscraper (at what looks like six stories!) in 1924 when it first opened its doors. Culver City and the hotel were created by Harry Culver as the ideal stopping ground for people going from the beach to the wonderful Hollywood Nightlife, a drive that now takes about 20-25 minutes without traffic.  But it’s still fun to stop in CC for a little refreshment with sand stuck between your toes.