By the late 1920s, Los Angeles was a new, thriving, bustling Mecca of modernity and the Wiltern Theater’s exquisite art deco façade adorning the thrusting intersection of Wilshire and Western displayed the city’s pride in every zigzag and sleek sweeping terra-cotta chevron. Not even 20 years prior, that stretch of road was dominated by farmland and a spread of homes and churches.  The very idea that Wilshire and Western would, within a few years, be the busiest intersection in the world was an unrealistic dream if there ever was one… except to those who happened to believe that the city’s future lay in greatness.

One such visionary was a man named Henry de Roulet whose uncle, Germain Pellissier, owned a ranch and family home in the still largely rural Wilshire district.  By the time Wilshire began its’ vast expansion westward, this shifting Los Angeles’ urban core from downtown to the suburbs, de Roulet set about constructing an ambitious development on the Pellissier family property: a 12 story office tower and a world-class movie palace.

The Wiltern sprang up at the corner of Wilshire and Western (hence the name WIL-TERN), that throbbing intersection, just as Los Angeles was emerging as a powerful force to be reckoned with.  Refusing to be defined solely by its motion picture industry, it was now boasting a major international trade business and a booming aerospace industry.  Los Angeles was no longer a national curiosity— an, ‘outpost’ of civilization as the East regarded it. Rather it was a city with all the strength and spirit of its most establish East coast counterparts.

In fact, the city’s colorful variety is captured in the very fabric of The Wiltern Theater itself, as the interior is just as lush and opulent as its dramatic exterior.  It is a crowning achievement of the art deco style; designed by Ecole de Beaux Arts architect G. Lansburg, and its bursts with bright, colorful murals, imaginative tile work, rich mahogany doors and a dramatic sunburst gilding the auditorium ceiling. The sheer ingenuity that went into the creation of the theater raised the bar of what a movie palace could be.

But there is a problem with Los Angeles and her love affair with the movie palaces that helped make her great. Too often, she grows tired and forgets about them.  After being leased to 20^th Century Fox and then Pacific Theaters, the Wiltern closed its doors in 1979. When the Pellissier family sold it, the theater began to suffer from serious neglect in spite of it having been officially recognized as a City of Los Angeles historic monument. 

Twice in the late ‘70s, demolition permits were filed against it- a process that is dangerously easy in Los Angeles- and were flouted solely by the vigorous protests of the newly formed Los Angeles Conservancy. They recognized the priceless significance of the theater, which stood as a symbolic ode to the city’s power and pride.  Their rescue of the theater from imminent demolition led to an extensive renovation work.  Developer Wayne Ratkovich worked tirelessly to restore the office tower and theater, whose roof was collapsing and elaborate plasterwork was deteriorating. The labor of love took two full years to complete. A further facelift was recently completed, costing a cool $1.5 million and leaving it just as brilliant as it was when the doors first opened 70 years before.

Today the Wiltern remains one of the city (and country’s) most important theaters and is now a performing arts venue for world-class acts from all over the world… and remains a tangible tribute to the city’s vitality and the dreams that made it great.