Palm Springs Gem Shines Again

The Plaza Theatre stands as one of Palm Springs’ most iconic cultural landmarks, with a rich Hollywood history spanning nearly nine decades. Built as part of La Plaza, one of the first planned shopping centers in Southern California, the theatre was commissioned by Julia Carnell, a Dayton, Ohio businesswoman, philanthropist, and heiress to the National Cash Register Corporation fortune, who spent the later years of her life as a winter resident in Palm Springs. The theatre’s Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, designed by Palm Springs architect Harry Williams, featured elaborate facades carved into the walls and twinkling, star-like lights on the ceiling. 

 The Plaza Theatre was originally owned by Earl Strebe from its completion in 1936 through 1974. The theatre opened with the world premiere of the Oscar-winning George Cukor film “Camille.” With the rise of the film and entertainment industry, the 1940s and early 1950s marked a particularly prolific period for the theatre, during which time it hosted an array of charity events, benefit shows, live theatre and variety show performances, and several live audience radio show recordings. Local Palm Springs enthusiasts Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope were known to host and perform at the Plaza Theatre. During the 1940s, Bing Crosby used the Plaza Theatre to record several episodes of “The Bing Crosby Show.” 

 Beginning in 1974, the Plaza Theatre was leased to distributor, exhibitor, and producer Fred Stein. Stein made alterations to the original structure including new stucco interior walls and a snack bar. The theatre was then sold in 1977 to Metropolitan Theatres, a Los Angeles-based multiplex theatre corporation, which removed the theatre’s historic ticket booth and subdivided the auditorium into two smaller theatres. Metropolitan Theatres ceased operating the Plaza Theatre in 1987, and the auditorium was restored to its original one-theatre size the following year. 

 In 1989, the City of Palm Springs purchased the theatre and began an interior remodel. This included lighting, electrical, and mechanical upgrades, enclosure of the south exit arcade, alterations to the auditorium, remodeling of the control booth, and construction of a ticket booth and accessible restrooms. The renovation was largely completed between 1989 and 1992. In 1990, the Plaza Theatre began hosting the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and in 1991, the building became a Palm Springs Class 1 Historic Resource and home to a musical revue show titled The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. The Follies ran seasonally for almost 25 years until closing permanently in 2014. The revue show gained national attention through features on ABC’s 20/20, The Today Show, and other major media outlets. After the Follies closed, the Plaza Theatre was shuttered while the City of Palm Springs, and later the Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation, worked to fully restore the theatre to its former historic glory.

After completion of the renovation and restoration, the 702-seat theatre will reopen as a live performance theatre, showcasing musical, comedic, theatrical, and variety performances, along with community events. 

 The renovations will include an expanded, air-conditioned lobby area, as well as a renovated inner lobby featuring a new bar. Upgrades within the theatre itself include the installation of new seating and a leveled floor area to provide wheelchair-accessible seating, along with the repair and preservation of the historically significant atmospheric sidewalls and ceiling. The stage area will be reconfigured with an expanded apron and a new stage floor. New theatrical equipment will be installed, including lighting trusses, grid, and drapery, as well as updated audio/visual systems and a surround sound system. Dressing rooms will be modernized with new restrooms and showers, including a new accessible dressing room at stage level. Additional acoustic treatment and sound control enhancements will also be incorporated throughout the facility. Structural work has been completed and includes a seismic upgrade to the historic building and structural reinforcements to accommodate the planned theatre renovations. 

 A dedicated Plaza Theatre museum will be located in a hallway at the stage-left side of the building. The hallway includes formerly bricked-over archways that have now been reopened with windows installed. The hallway museum will include important memorabilia from the theatre’s early years, showcasing its historic connection to Hollywood.