Congrats to @GlobeTheatreLA, reopening tonight on Broadway. @josehuizar pic.twitter.com/IipN4pc1jE
— Historic Core DTLA (@HistoricCore) July 31, 2015
Last week, the newest wonderfully restored old Broadway theater reopened. The 1913 Globe Theatre, which has housed everything from swapmeets to divey clubs, was closed for about three years for comprehensive renovations by new owner Erik Chol, but now it's been remade and officially reopened as a glamorous entertainment venue. The theater's biggest and most immediately noticeable change is visible from the street: patrons can once again enter from the front of the venue on Broadway, under the relit marquee, instead of from the alley, as the previous 740 Club was required to.
The Globe's restored interior includes a completely mirrored lobby, the venue's original marble staircase and opera boxes, a revitalized ticket booth, and amazing floral designs and little cherubs everywhere, left over from the theater's 1913 interior by Alfred F. Rosenheim.
Though enormous improvements have been made inside by Chol and architects Omgivning, there's still more work to be done. The basement, which we saw back in early January, awaits its remodel, possibly as something totally different than the space upstairs (maybe a jazz club?); the third level of the theater, which requires a lot more work and permits, probably won't be opened until the middle of next year, says the Downtown News. Though the opening and an earlier soft opening gave off a distinctly nightclubby vibe, Chol hopes to host live music, movie premieres, live music, "even a choir or an orchestra."
· The 102-Year-Old Globe Theatre Returns After a Three-Year Renovation [DN]
· Touring the Secret Passages of Broadway's 101-Year-Old Globe Theatre as It Prepares to Reopen [Curbed LA]