Hollywood’s most breathtakingly beautiful building, Grauman’s Chinese Theater is a hymn to the sophisticated architectural style of the Celestial Empire and a tribute to the significant Chinese diaspora, without whom it has been impossible to imagine Los Angeles for the past 75 years. The theater opened in 1927 and caused quite a sensation – thousands of fans fought for the right to see the stars of cinema on the red carpet.
A bit of history
The history of the Chinese Theatre of Hollywood began in 1927. The successful impresario Sid Grauman, who had by then built several buildings – the Million Dollar Theatre in downtown Los Angeles and the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood – decided to realize his dream of creating a Chinese pavilion of unparalleled beauty for movie premieres. Raymond Kennedy the architect developed the plan, a long lease of land was taken from the Los Angeles City Hall, 2 million USD were invested and 18 months later Grauman’s Chinese Theater shone at its grand opening. Today it remains the site of all the big Hollywood movie premieres, and the Walk of Fame in front of the theater is graced with the hand and footprints of celebrities. Every year more than 4 million people visit Grauman’s Chinese Theater.
What to see
The Grauman Chinese Theater complex consists of the theater itself and the courtyard in front of the building. The courtyard is surrounded by curved walls 12 meters high, topped with turrets with copper domes, and in the interior you can see 3-meter lotus flower fountains. Don’t forget to look under your feet – you’ll be walking on the hand and footprints of movie stars.
To stroll straight to the footprints of your favorite actor, it is recommended to take a map of “footprints” at the entrance to the courtyard.
The theater building is 27 meters high and the entrance is marked by two coral-red columns with capitals in the shape of masks, supporting the bronze roof canopy. Above the portico, an elaborately carved stone Chinese dragon 9 meters long is worth noting. The entrance to the theater is guarded by two giant “dogs of paradise” brought from China. The rich interiors of the theater, especially the auditorium, reproduce the style of imperial China with meticulous precision – pay special attention to the fantastic painted ceiling, relief columns and the stage mirror.
The easiest way to see the interiors of the Chinese Theatre is on a group tour, which takes place every 15 minutes to half an hour seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The cost of the tour is 15 USD.
Grauman’s Chinese Theater is a working movie theater and not only hosts movie premieres, but also has regular movie screenings. Since September 20, 2013, the latest IMAX 4D system has been in operation.