Tower Theatre
Historic 1927 movie theater in Downtown Los Angeles that reopened in 2021 as Apple's Los Angeles flagship store.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Tower Theatre is a historic entertainment venue and landmark in the Broadway Theater District of Downtown Los Angeles, California. Designed by architect S. Charles Lee and commissioned by businessman H. L. Gumbiner, the theater opened in 1927 on a compact site that had previously held the Garrick Theatre. Its design combined Baroque Revival architecture with French, Spanish, Moorish, and Italian influences, expressed particularly through its terra-cotta exterior and ornamental interior. The auditorium was modeled in part on the Paris Opera House, while the building's street presence was defined by a prominent clock tower. The theater opened with the silent film The Gingham Girl and quickly became associated with the transition from silent cinema to sound. It was the first theater in Los Angeles wired for talking pictures and hosted both a preview and the Los Angeles premiere of The Jazz Singer, the 1927 Warner Bros. film widely associated with the emergence of synchronized dialogue in mainstream cinema. Tower Theatre was also reported to be the first air-conditioned theater in Los Angeles, adding technological novelty to its architectural importance. The venue operated as a movie theater for much of the twentieth century, although it briefly used the name Newsreel Theater in the early 1950s. It closed as a theater in 1988 during a period when many historic Downtown Los Angeles movie palaces were underused or abandoned. The building was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 450 in 1989. During the following decades, its lobby was leased to different vendors and the auditorium was used by Living Faith Evangelical Church. Its preserved architecture also made it a recurring filming location, appearing in productions including The Omega Man, The Mambo Kings, Last Action Hero, Fight Club, Coyote Ugly, Mulholland Drive, The Prestige, Transformers, the third season of Twin Peaks, and Nike's Dream Crazy advertisement. Apple began expressing interest in the property as a retail location around 2015 and submitted renovation plans in 2018. The refurbishment adapted the historic theater for contemporary retail while retaining and highlighting important architectural features. The restored building reopened on June 24, 2021, as Apple Tower Theatre, serving as Apple's Los Angeles flagship store. In its current form, the site is no longer principally a cinema, but it remains connected to film and entertainment through its architectural legacy, location, and history as one of Downtown Los Angeles's landmark movie palaces.
History
Tower Theatre was commissioned by H. L. Gumbiner, the Los Angeles businessman who later commissioned the Los Angeles Theatre, and opened in 1927 in Downtown Los Angeles's Broadway Theater District. The building replaced the Garrick Theatre and was designed by S. Charles Lee, making it the first theater credited to the architect. It occupied a relatively narrow site measuring approximately 50 by 152 feet and originally accommodated about 900 patrons. The theater opened with the silent film The Gingham Girl, but its early identity was strongly shaped by the arrival of sound cinema. Tower Theatre became the first Los Angeles theater wired for talking pictures and hosted a sneak preview and the Los Angeles premiere of The Jazz Singer, Warner Bros.' landmark 1927 part-talking picture. It was also described as the first air-conditioned theater in Los Angeles. These innovations helped establish the venue as both an entertainment business and a showcase for new cinematic technology. Architecturally, Tower Theatre was executed in a Baroque Revival style that incorporated French, Spanish, Moorish, and Italian elements. Terra-cotta ornament gave the exterior a distinctive appearance, while the interior drew inspiration from the Paris Opera House. A clock tower was a defining feature of the façade, although the uppermost portion was removed after an earthquake. The building's ornamental character and central location later made it valuable as a surviving example of Downtown Los Angeles's historic movie-palace architecture. The venue briefly operated under the name Newsreel Theater in the early 1950s. It continued as a movie theater until closing in 1988, during a broader decline in the use of historic downtown cinemas. In 1989, Los Angeles designated the building Historic-Cultural Monument No. 450. After closure, the property remained underused for an extended period. Its lobby was leased to various vendors, while the auditorium was used by Living Faith Evangelical Church. The building also remained visible to the public through film and television production. Its exterior or interior appeared in The Omega Man, The Mambo Kings, Last Action Hero, Fight Club, Coyote Ugly, Mulholland Drive, The Prestige, Transformers, the third season of Twin Peaks, and Nike's Dream Crazy advertisement. Apple began considering Tower Theatre as a retail site around 2015 and submitted renovation plans in 2018. The project represented an adaptive-reuse strategy: rather than restore the building as a conventional cinema, Apple converted it into a contemporary retail environment while preserving and presenting significant historic features. Refurbishment was completed by 2021, and the building reopened on June 24 of that year as Apple Tower Theatre. It became Apple's Los Angeles flagship store, giving the landmark an active commercial use while maintaining its association with film history and Downtown Los Angeles's theater district.
- 2021
Apple Tower Theatre opens
[1]The refurbished building reopens on June 24 as Apple's Los Angeles flagship store.
- 2018
Renovation plans submitted
[1]Apple submits plans to renovate and adapt the historic theater for retail use.
- 2015
Apple expresses interest in the property
[1]Apple expresses interest in using Tower Theatre as a retail location.
- 1989
Historic-Cultural Monument designation
[1]Los Angeles designates the building Historic-Cultural Monument No. 450.
- 1988
Cinema closes
[1]Tower Theatre ends its operation as a movie theater.
- 1950
Temporary Newsreel Theater name
[1]The venue uses the name Newsreel Theater for a short period during the early 1950s.
- 1927
Tower Theatre opens
[1]The theater opens in Downtown Los Angeles with a screening of the silent film The Gingham Girl.
- 1927
Early talking-picture landmark
[1]Tower Theatre becomes the first Los Angeles theater wired for talking pictures and hosts the local premiere and a preview of The Jazz Singer.
Products and positioning
Historic Downtown Los Angeles theater and adaptive-reuse cultural landmark
Cinema · 1927
Movie theater
Tower Theatre's original and longest-running commercial role was as a movie theater. It presented silent films, early talking pictures, and later theatrical releases in a historic Downtown Los Angeles setting. The venue's early technical significance included its wiring for talking pictures and its pioneering air-conditioning installation in Los Angeles.
Apple retail store · 2021
Apple Tower Theatre
Apple Tower Theatre is the building's current adaptive-reuse format. Opened in 2021 after refurbishment, it operates as Apple's Los Angeles flagship store, combining retail sales and customer services with a preserved historic architectural setting. The conversion changed the site's primary function from cinema exhibition to technology retail while retaining Tower Theatre's landmark identity.
Brand decisions
2021
Reopening as Apple Tower TheatreStrategyBackground
The historic cinema building had been closed as a theater since 1988 and had subsequently been used intermittently for other commercial and community purposes.
Action taken
Following refurbishment, the building was reopened as an Apple Store on June 24, 2021.
Aftermath
The site resumed active public use as Apple's Los Angeles flagship while retaining its landmark status and historic theater identity.
2018
Conversion from theater to Apple flagshipStrategyBackground
After closing as a cinema in 1988 and remaining underused for many years, Tower Theatre was selected for adaptive reuse by Apple.
Action taken
Apple submitted renovation plans to transform the historic building into a retail store while refurbishing its architectural features.
Aftermath
The completed project reopened in 2021 as Apple Tower Theatre, Apple's Los Angeles flagship location.
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