Most of us have heard of Sid Grauman’s theaters, the Chinese and the Egyptian on Hollywood Boulevard, and possibly even the Million Dollar Theater on Broadway in downtown L.A. But until I came across this photo, I’d never heard of his biggest theater, the Metropolitan. Located at the corner of 6^th and Hill Streets, it opened in 1923, just a few blocks away from the Million Dollar Theater and was the largest movie theater ever built in Los Angeles, with a seating capacity of over 3,387 seats. (By contrast, the Pantages had 2812 seats.) In 1929, Paramount acquired, renamed it “The Paramount” and from then until the 1950s, the Metropolitan was a first run house, which also had stage shows featuring major vaudeville acts, bands and singers. In the 1950s, the place got a modernization makeover (read: boringfication) which lasted until 1962.

This photo is courtesy of the GeorgeMannArchive.com:

Artisans painting murals inside the Paramount Theater: