Apple is opening a store at 100-year-old Tower Theatre, Downtown LA
Apple is establishing a new store in Los Angeles city centre on Thursday. The venue occupies the recently refurbished Tower Theatre, opened in 1927 in DTLA’s Broadway Theater District. The 900-seat theatre, which hosted the inaugural “The Jazz Singer” premiere the same year, was also the first one in LA to be wired for talkies. It was also the first air-conditioned theatre in the city.
In fact, Apple Tower Theater is the 26th store in LA. Of course, though, it takes a lot more labour to move to a 94-year-old theatre than a retail centre, say. For a number of years the shop has been under construction because of partly the need to cooperate with the city to repair the area labelled a monument.
Interestingly, an article in the LA Times in 2018 said that “space can also serve as a statement that Apple is intending to compete as an important content designer in Hollywood.” Just enough in retrospect. The next year, Apple TV+ was introduced.
The theatre has been mainly empty since 1988. Of course much more work had to be done in order to lighten the walls and make the great ancient theatre — not to mention seismical upgrades to make it more earthquake evidence — presented for this modern retail atmosphere. The business also observes that some of the most distinctive aspects of the area were maintained.
“When you see Apple Tower theatre anchor on Eighth Street and Bradway, the clock tower will soon be entirely refurbished, the Broadway marquee will be reproduced, the outside terra cotta will be clean and the bladder will be updated,” says Apple. “When guests have passed through the doors of Broadway, they encounter the colossal hall, inspired by the Paris Opera House, with its large arched staircase with bronze railings and the Corinthian marble columns.”
Apple’s new Creative Studios programme is also launched as part of its opening. The first place to receive the programme will be the LA shop and a place in Beijing. In its initial version, a group of mentors from the creative arts takes between eight and 12 weeks.
“Creativity and access to education are fundamental to Apple and we are very delighted to be launching this significant initiative this year in the Apple Creative Studios in Los Angeles and Beijing.” says SVP Deirdre O’Brien. “Creative Studios builds on our long tradition of serving as a forum for educating and inspiring local artists. This is another way we offer free arts education to those who want it most.”
In Manhattan’s Chelsea District, Google opened its first retail store last week. The venue for the Apple Tower Theater opens on Thursday 24 June at 10 a.m. local time. The firm states that the store runs with around 100 employees.