Warner Grand Theatre
478 W. 6th St
San Pedro, CA 90731
The Warner Grand Theatre was designed by B. Marcus Prieca who had formerly been the "house architect" for the Pantages Theater chain. The Warner Brothers hired the architect to build three lavish Art-Deco Palaces located in San Pedro, Beverly Hills and Huntington Beach, California.The Warner Grand Theatre is the last of the three original theaters left intact.
It is one of the few remaining theaters of its kind anywhere. It boasts an opulent lobby with decorative ceilings, etched glass chandeliers and colorfully tiled fountains. A double staircase led to equally ornate mezzanine lounges. The auditorium included such details as floral stenciling on the ceilings, period lighting fixtures, lavish organ screens, and a curtain featuring a castle rising from the sea, in keeping with the theater's billing as "The Castle of Your Dreams". It was the first sound equipped theater in all of the South Bay. As with virtually all of the theaters of that day, it was designed to accommodate traveling vaudeville circuits with a full stage house, orchestra pit and basement designed for dressing rooms, but unfortunately stage performances were never pursued under the Warner Brothers flag.
In physical decline for the last thirty years, this historical landmark was purchased in 1996 by the City of Los Angeles for the community of San Pedro. Active restoration is underway and the Warner Grand has returned to it's former glory. It is being preserved for generations to come, and revitalized by bringing the theater back to life through a variety of uses, including movies, live theater and concerts. The Warner Grand has, since 1985, welcomed film and video shoots and has been used as a location for "The Ghosts of Mississippi", "Pearl Harbor, and "Seabiscuit", been used in commercials for Magnavox DVD and Coca-Cola Classic, and seen on television in USA Network's "Pacific Blue" and "Melrose Place".
Visit the unoffical website of the Warner Grand Theatre. WGT Website
Grand Vision Foundation is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to preserving, improving and promoting the Warner Grand Theatre. Visit the website of the Grand Vision Foundation. Grand Vision Foundation
