LUMENS Project - Palace Theatre

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Museum of Neon Art
Relighting of the Palace Theatre's Historic Neon
2003

Project Area: CT-Historic Core
Project: LUMENS Project - Palace Theatre
Project Location: 630 S. Broadway
Project Type: CRA/LA Initiated

Description:

Built in 1911 by architect G. Albert Lansburgh and sculptor Domingo Mora, the Palace Theatre is the oldest surviving Orpheum Theatre in the world. Styled after a French Renaissance palace, the brick and concrete building features rich sculptural decorations and figures in tinted terra cotta. The facade of the building includes four figures that represent the muses of vaudeville: song, dance, music, and drama. In 1926, the theater was renamed "The Palace" after the Orpheum moved to a larger location along Broadway. With the addition of a neon marquee and a pair of doulbe-faced vertical neon signs, the Palace Theatre was transformed into a movie theater.

The theater's two historic vertical neon signs were refurbished under the LUMENS Project which was overseen by the Museum of Neon Art.

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Artist Profiles

The LUMENS Project (Living Urban Museum of Electric and Neon Signs) was created in partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs in an effort to rescue and restore neon signs within Los Angeles County. More than 130 neon signs dating from the 1920s to the 1940s were restored thanks to the help of LUMENS.
The Museum of Neon Art (MONA) was founded to exhibit fine art in electric and kinetic media; to document, preserve, restore, and collect outstanding examples of neon signs; and to educate the public about the cultural, historical, aesthetic, and technical aspects of electric art. MONA acts as a forum and catalyst for persons interested in exploring, enjoying, and producing artwork that uses light and/or motion as its expressive language. Since 1985, the museum has hosted the MONA Neon Cruise, a nighttime bus tour of neon signs, movie marquees, and permanent installations of contemporary neon art in Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood. The Museum of Neon Art is currently seeking a permanent home and has loaned some of its collection for traveling exhibits.