Ovation Hollywood
Ovation Hollywood is a shopping, dining, hotel, transportation, and entertainment complex at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Los Angeles.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Ovation Hollywood is a large mixed-use shopping and entertainment complex in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The property occupies a prominent position at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, directly along the Hollywood Walk of Fame and opposite the El Capitan Theatre. It is best known as a visitor-oriented destination combining retail, restaurants, entertainment venues, public gathering areas, hotel accommodation, transportation access, and connections to some of Hollywood’s most recognizable institutions. The complex opened in November 2001 under the name Hollywood & Highland after approximately three years of construction. It was developed by TrizecHahn through a public-private joint-development arrangement involving the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The development incorporated improvements to the Hollywood/Highland subway station, created a large underground parking facility, and helped transform a historically important but economically weakened section of Hollywood Boulevard into a major tourist and commercial district. The site is associated with several prominent cultural and entertainment facilities. The development includes the TCL Chinese Theatre, the historic movie palace formerly known as Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, and the Dolby Theatre, which has hosted the Academy Awards since 2002. A 637-room Loews Hollywood Hotel is also part of the larger site. The complex contains more than 70 shops, numerous restaurants, event and meeting facilities, entertainment businesses, and public spaces. Its 65,000 square feet of gathering areas include the Grand Ballroom, which has been used for the Governors Ball following the Academy Awards. Other tenants and facilities have included Foot Locker, Sephora, Walgreens, Lucky Strike Lanes, a nightclub, Wolfgang Puck’s regional headquarters, and television production or broadcast studios. Architecturally, the original Hollywood & Highland development was organized around a large, three-level courtyard inspired by the Babylon set from D. W. Griffith’s 1916 film Intolerance. Full-scale elements, including an archway and elephant-topped columns, were intended to evoke the scale and mythology of classic Hollywood spectacle. The courtyard became one of the complex’s most recognizable visual features and provided elevated views toward the Hollywood Hills, the Hollywood Sign, the Santa Monica Mountains, and downtown Los Angeles. The property changed ownership in 2004, when Trizec Properties sold its interest for more than $200 million to CIM Group. CIM repositioned the center toward higher-end retail and carried out renovations in 2005, including new signage, additional stores, and escalators connecting Hollywood Boulevard with the upper levels of the courtyard. In 2019, DJM Capital Partners and Gaw Capital acquired the mall for $325 million and announced a broader redevelopment program. Work began in 2020 and included plans to update the retail areas and courtyard, add office space, and remove the Babylon-themed design elements. The property was subsequently rebranded as Ovation Hollywood in 2022. Ovation Hollywood remains a significant tourist and event destination rather than a conventional neighborhood shopping center. Its commercial role is closely tied to Hollywood’s film and awards culture, the nearby theatres, the Walk of Fame, public transit, and the concentration of visitor attractions along Hollywood Boulevard. The complex has also drawn criticism over its architecture, pedestrian circulation, billboard exemptions, and relationship to the surrounding streetscape. Nevertheless, it played an important role in encouraging additional investment and redevelopment in other parts of Hollywood Boulevard.
History
The site now occupied by Ovation Hollywood has been associated with Hollywood tourism and entertainment for more than a century. The Hollywood Hotel opened there in 1902 and became known as a lodging place for celebrities during the early development of the motion-picture industry. The hotel was demolished in August 1956. Plans for a high-rise hotel and department store were not realized; instead, the location was redeveloped with the twelve-story First Federal Building of the First Federal Savings & Loan Association of Hollywood, a shopping center, and parking lots. Those structures remained until the late 1990s. A larger redevelopment was pursued as Hollywood sought to restore activity along Hollywood Boulevard. TrizecHahn developed the new project with financial support from the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles. The project was structured as a joint development involving public infrastructure and private commercial construction. TrizecHahn leased approximately 1.35 acres of land from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority for 55 years, with extension options. In return, the project helped provide an improved entrance to the Hollywood/Highland subway station and a 3,000-space underground parking facility. The City of Los Angeles, through the redevelopment agency, contributed at least $90 million toward the initial construction in 1998, in addition to the cost of the subway station below the property. After approximately three years of construction, Hollywood & Highland opened in November 2001. Its location was selected to connect major Hollywood landmarks and create a substantial tourist and retail destination. The complex’s central courtyard was designed around imagery from the Babylon sequence in D. W. Griffith’s film Intolerance. Its large arch and elephant-topped pillars were built at full scale to suggest the monumental size of the original film set. The design provided a theatrical setting for visitors and views of the Hollywood Hills and Hollywood Sign. The development incorporated or connected to several major facilities. The TCL Chinese Theatre formed one of its principal attractions, while the Dolby Theatre became the home of the Academy Awards from 2002 onward. A Loews Hollywood Hotel was built as part of the site, and the property included shops, restaurants, nightlife, bowling, event rooms, broadcast facilities, and public gathering spaces. The Grand Ballroom was used for the Governors Ball associated with the Academy Awards. At different times, the complex also housed television production facilities, including a studio used by On Air With Ryan Seacrest and later by Revolt TV. The project’s commercial and architectural model was controversial. Its conditional-use permit allowed special treatment under Los Angeles billboard rules. In 2002, the arrangement was amended and extended for another 20 years despite objections from some residents and neighboring interests. The development was also criticized for its large-scale design, limited storefront presence along parts of Highland Avenue, confusing internal circulation, pedestrian-unfriendly features, and combination of architectural styles. In 2007, Curbed Los Angeles selected Hollywood & Highland in an “Ugliest Building in Los Angeles” feature, citing these design and streetscape concerns. Ownership and strategy changed in the following years. Trizec Properties sold its interest to CIM Group in 2004 for more than $200 million. CIM repositioned the center toward higher-end tenants and conducted renovations in 2005, adding retail, signage, and escalators linking Hollywood Boulevard with the upper courtyard. The complex also helped attract investment to other parts of Hollywood Boulevard; nearby properties subsequently improved their ground floors and recruited new tenants. In 2019, DJM Capital Partners and Gaw Capital purchased the property for $325 million. The new owners announced a substantial renovation intended to update the retail levels and courtyard, introduce office space on upper floors, and remove the Babylon-themed elements. Construction began in 2020. After the redevelopment, the property was renamed Ovation Hollywood in 2022. The active complex continues to operate as a mixed-use visitor destination, with its identity centered on Hollywood tourism, shopping, dining, entertainment, hotel accommodation, events, and proximity to film-awards institutions.
- 2022
The complex becomes Ovation Hollywood
[1]The redeveloped property adopted the Ovation Hollywood name and brand identity.
- 2020
Redevelopment begins
[1]Renovation work began, including planned changes to the retail areas, courtyard, upper floors, and original decorative scheme.
- 2019
DJM Capital Partners and Gaw Capital purchase the property
[1]The two real-estate investment firms acquired the mall and announced a comprehensive renovation and repositioning program.
- 2005
First major post-opening renovation
[1]The complex added retail, signage, and escalators designed to improve connections between Hollywood Boulevard and the courtyard.
- 2004
CIM Group acquires the development interest
[1]CIM Group acquired Trizec Properties’ interest in the complex in a transaction reported at more than $200 million.
- 2002
Dolby Theatre begins hosting the Academy Awards
[1]The auditorium within the complex became the home of the Academy Awards.
- 2002
Billboard permit arrangement is extended
[1]Los Angeles amended and extended the project’s special conditional-use arrangements, including billboard-related exemptions.
- 2001
Hollywood & Highland opens
[1]The new shopping and entertainment complex opened in November after approximately three years of construction.
- 1998
Public redevelopment funding is committed
[1]The Los Angeles redevelopment agency committed at least $90 million toward the initial project, alongside subway-related infrastructure investment.
- 1956
Hollywood Hotel is demolished
[1]The historic hotel was demolished in August 1956, after which the site was redeveloped for office, retail, and parking uses.
Products and positioning
A high-visibility Hollywood visitor destination that combines shopping, dining, entertainment, events, hospitality, public space, and access to major film-industry landmarks.
Commercial retail · 2001
Retail shopping
Ovation Hollywood contains a broad collection of shops serving tourists, local visitors, and entertainment-district foot traffic. Tenants identified with the complex have included Foot Locker, Sephora, and Walgreens. Retail is integrated with the property’s restaurants, public spaces, theatres, hotel, transit access, and Hollywood Boulevard attractions rather than operating as a standalone enclosed mall.
Food and beverage · 2001
Dining and restaurants
The complex includes approximately 25 restaurants and food-service businesses. Its dining offer supports both everyday visitors and tourists attending nearby attractions and events. Wolfgang Puck has operated a regional headquarters at the property, adding a notable chef-led component to the site’s hospitality profile.
Entertainment venue · 2001
Entertainment and leisure
Entertainment facilities have included Lucky Strike Lanes bowling, a nightclub, public programming, and access to the TCL Chinese Theatre and Dolby Theatre. The complex’s courtyard and event areas also function as visitor attractions, linking commercial activity with Hollywood’s film and celebrity culture.
Hospitality and events · 2001
Event and meeting spaces
The property contains approximately 65,000 square feet of gathering space, including the Grand Ballroom. These facilities support private events, industry functions, and major Hollywood occasions. The Governors Ball following the Academy Awards has used the complex’s event infrastructure.
Cinema and landmark venue
TCL Chinese Theatre
The TCL Chinese Theatre is a historic movie palace incorporated into the Ovation Hollywood site. Its architectural and cultural importance, including its association with Hollywood premieres and celebrity handprints and footprints, makes it one of the complex’s principal visitor draws.
Awards and performance venue · 2002
Dolby Theatre
The Dolby Theatre is an auditorium within the complex and has hosted the Academy Awards since 2002. Its presence gives Ovation Hollywood a direct connection to the global film-awards calendar and reinforces the property’s positioning as an entertainment and tourism destination.
Hotel · 2001
Loews Hollywood Hotel
The 637-room Loews Hollywood Hotel forms part of the larger Ovation Hollywood development. The hotel extends the property’s role beyond retail and entertainment by providing accommodation for tourists, business travelers, event attendees, and visitors to the surrounding Hollywood district.
Controversies
2007
Architectural and streetscape criticism
The complex received sustained criticism from journalists and design commentators for its mixed architectural language, limited storefront presence along parts of Highland Avenue, confusing circulation, and perceived lack of pedestrian friendliness. Curbed Los Angeles selected Hollywood & Highland in a 2007 feature criticizing the city’s architecture.
Brand decisions
2022
Rebranding as Ovation HollywoodStrategyBackground
The property underwent redevelopment intended to modernize its retail and visitor areas and update its relationship with Hollywood Boulevard.
Action taken
Hollywood & Highland adopted the Ovation Hollywood name and a new brand identity.
Aftermath
The complex continued operating as a mixed-use Hollywood destination under its new name.
2019
Acquisition and comprehensive redevelopment planM&ABackground
DJM Capital Partners and Gaw Capital acquired the mall as the property entered a new repositioning phase.
Action taken
The owners announced plans to renovate the retail levels and courtyard, add office space to upper floors, remove the Babylon-themed decor, and rebrand the property.
Aftermath
Construction began in 2020, and the completed or substantially redeveloped complex was renamed Ovation Hollywood in 2022.
Acquisition price. $325 million (2019 acquisition)
2005
Retail repositioning and circulation improvementsStrategyBackground
After acquiring the development, CIM Group sought to reposition Hollywood & Highland and strengthen its retail offer.
Action taken
The center added stores, new signage, and escalators connecting Hollywood Boulevard more directly with the third floor of the central courtyard.
Aftermath
The changes were intended to improve visitor circulation and support a higher-end tenant mix.
2002
Extension of special billboard and land-use arrangementsOtherBackground
The complex opened under a conditional-use permit that included special exemptions from portions of Los Angeles billboard regulations. Residents and neighbors objected to the arrangement.
Action taken
Los Angeles amended the agreement and extended it for an additional 20 years.
Aftermath
The extension allowed the complex to retain its special signage-related treatment, while continuing a broader debate about the project’s impact on Hollywood’s streetscape.
Recent events
- 2022
Hollywood & Highland rebrands as Ovation Hollywood[1]
Other
Following redevelopment work, the complex adopted the Ovation Hollywood name and a refreshed identity.
- 2020
Redevelopment work begins at Hollywood & Highland[1]
Other
Work began on the redevelopment program announced by the new ownership group. The plans included changes to the retail levels and courtyard and removal of the original Babylon-themed decorative elements.
- 2019
DJM Capital Partners and Gaw Capital acquire Hollywood & Highland[1]
M&A
DJM Capital Partners and Gaw Capital purchased the complex for $325 million and announced plans for a major renovation, including retail upgrades, courtyard changes, office space, and a new identity.
- 2005
Hollywood & Highland undergoes retail and circulation renovations[1]
Other
Renovations added stores, new signage, and escalators intended to move visitors directly from Hollywood Boulevard to the upper levels of the central courtyard.
- 2004
CIM Group acquires Trizec’s interest[1]
M&A
Trizec Properties sold its interest in the development to CIM Group in a transaction reported as exceeding $200 million. CIM subsequently repositioned the center toward higher-end retail.
- 2002
Hollywood & Highland special billboard permit extended[1]
Regulation · Other
Los Angeles amended and extended the complex’s conditional-use arrangement, preserving special exemptions from parts of the city’s billboard regulations. The decision drew objections from some residents and neighbors.
- 2001
Hollywood & Highland opens as a major Hollywood redevelopment[1]
Other
The three-year redevelopment opened in November 2001 as a shopping and entertainment complex incorporating retail, restaurants, public gathering areas, transportation improvements, and access to major Hollywood attractions.
Sources2 sources
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