Description

Begin your architectural exploration at Third Street and South Broadway at the Million Dollar Theater building. Detailed in elaborate terra cotta ornamentation, columns and a huge arch gracing the façade, the Million Dollar Theater (307 S. Broadway), built in 1918, offered movie-goers a prologue – a live stage review presented prior to the feature film sometimes including live appearances by film stars, such as Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino and the young Judy Garland. By the 1940s, the live entertainment evolved to include famous jazz and big band acts such as Billie Holiday, Artie Shaw and Lionel Hampton. As early as the 1950s, the Million Dollar became the first theater on Broadway to feature Spanish-language variety shows, including headline acts from Mexico City.