Art Deco Movie Palaces is the Historic Downtown District of Los Angeles

The State Art Deco movie theater in downtown Los Angeles

It's amazing how classic Art Deco era movie palaces are places where you can find lots activities, but have nothing to do with the movies. Here at the Catedral de la Fe nightfall turns the 1921 building into a rowdy Pentecostal shindig, bringing this part of downtown LA (Broadway and 7th) to its knees (so to speak).

Usually I don't like what they do with these signs from boarding them up to taking them down, but this one is special. I mean how many Art Deco era movie houses are churches, much less churches that have attempted to match their sign with the style of the movie house sign?

Wondering down the streets of LA inevitably will lead you to the Mexican neighborhood where Catedral de la Fe is located, which really has no name to refer to the vibrant south-of-the-border culture here, but rather the generic, meaningless label  "Historic LA."

color photos