The Million Dollar was the first movie house built by entrepreneur Sid Grauman in 1918 as the first grand cinema palace in L.A.[6] Grauman was later responsible for Grauman's Egyptian Theatre and Grauman's Chinese Theatre, both on Hollywood Boulevard, and was partly responsible for the entertainment district shifting from downtown Los Angeles to Hollywood in the mid-1920s.
The theater was built on the site of the Muskegon Block,[7] (built c. 1895),[8] named after Muskegon, Michigan where its developer Thomas Douglas Stimson had made his fortune in lumber. From 1905–1917, the Ville de Paris department store was located next door at the Homer Laughlin Building, and the Muskegon Block housed retail tenants such as millinery, men's furnishings, jewelry, piano and music stores,[9] as well as offices.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Fouce went on to found Spanish International Communications Corp., named after his Spanish International Theater Company (which included the Million Dollar and the Mayan Theater, also located in Downtown Los Angeles). This company comprised the first group of Spanish-language and UHF television stations in the U.S.; KMEX Channel 34 in Los Angeles (and, indirectly, the Univision television network) can trace its roots to the Million Dollar Theatre. The Million Dollar and the Fouce family were pioneers in the then-unheard-of Spanish entertainment industry.
For their efforts, Fouce was awarded El Aguila Azteca (Order of the Aztec Eagle), Mexico's highest civilian award, by President Miguel Alemán Valdés. The theater and Fouce were also honored by the Mexican actors' union ANDA for their contributions to the Mexican film, recording, and entertainment industries. In addition to its successful stage productions, the theater was also the most prominent Spanish-language cinema in the United States. Every major Mexican motion picture premiered at the Million Dollar.
The Million Dollar featured mariachi music at its best: Mariachi Vargas, Mariachi Chapala de Leopoldo Sosa y Esteban Hernandez, Mariachi Los Gallos de Crescencio Hernandez, Mariachi Los Galleros de Pedro Rey (Hernandez), Mariachi los Camperos (led by Nati Cano), Mariachi Mexico de Pepe Villa.
1970s-1990s
Gonzalo L. Checa, president of the Spanish division of the Metropolitan Theater Corporation, was responsible for the upsurge of attendance at the Million Dollar in the 1970s and 1980s due to his great expertise and keen insight of the entertainment needs of the Hispanic community. During this period, the long lines of people waiting to attend the Million Dollar would wrap around the block and cause the Los Angeles Police Department to close down Broadway to traffic.
After serving as the home of a Spanish-language church for some years, as of 2006, the Million Dollar Theatre was empty, although the office building had been recently renovated and converted to residential space. In February 2008, the theater reopened, once again showing live Spanish theatre. It closed again in 2012.[12] In 2017, the building was sold to Langdon Street Capital, and the theater and retail space were briefly leased to fashion startup CoBird.[13]
The theatre is home to special movie screenings that feature historic theatres in the Broadway district of DTLA. The series features classic films in a historical setting.
^"More New Buildings". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. May 8, 1895. p. 8. Among the building permits issued by the Building Superintendent yesterday was one taken out by T. D. Stimson for a two-story building on the southwest corner of Broadway and Third street. The building is to be in size 120x120 feet. The estimated cost of the structure is $26,000.
^"Advertisement for Parry men's furnishings, 303 S. Broadway". Los Angeles Evening Express. December 19, 1896. p. 2.; "Ad for Geneva Watch and Optical Co., 305 S. Broadway". The Los Angeles Times. January 1, 1904. p. 12.; "Ad for A. J. Riethmuller "The Rival" millinery, 309 S. Broadway". The Los Angeles Times. April 17, 1898. p. 56.; "Ad for Bauman's millinery, 309 S. Broadway". The Los Angeles Times. May 11, 1897. p. 12.; "Ad for Blair's shoe store, 311 S. Broadway". The Los Angeles Times. October 4, 1903. p. 21.; "Ad for Kohler & Chase music store, 311 S. Broadway". Los Angeles Evening Express. May 19, 1916. p. 11.; "Ad for Brown's music store, 313 S. Broadway". The Los Angeles Times. February 28, 1904. p. 12.
