About CPF and the Awards

The California Preservation Awards are a statewide hallmark, showcasing the best in historic preservation. The awards ceremony includes the presentation of the Preservation Design Awards and the President’s Awards, bringing together hundreds of people each year to share and celebrate excellence in preservation.

The California Preservation Foundation (CPF), a 501c3 nonprofit, was incorporated in 1978. We now support a national network of more than 30,000 members and supporters. Click here to learn how you can become a member.

Tower Theatre Team

Executive Architect – Architect of Record – Debra Gerod, Gruen Associates

Executive Architect – Architect of Record – Devon Barnes, AIA, LEED AP, Gruen Associates

Client/Owner – Confidential

Design Architect – Peter Moerland, Foster + Partners

Historic Architect – Peyton Hall, Historic Resources Group, LLC    

Lead Engineer – Structural and Seismic – Anindya Dutta, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger

Consulting Engineer – Civil – Jeff Gavazza, KPFF Consulting Engineers

Historic Preservation Consultant – Laura Janssen, Historic Resources Group, LLC

Contractor – Dan Casey, Shawmut Design and Construction

Contractor – Dan Casey, Shawmut Design and Construction

Specialty Sub-Contractor(s) – Katherine DeMercurio, EverGreene Architectural Arts

Framing and Casework Consultant – Frank Salas, PSI Builders

Historic Conservation Contractor – Dick Gee, Spectra Company

Historic Conservation Contractor – April Rabanera, KC Restoration

Electrical Contractor – Bennie Bennett, A.J. Kirkwood & Associates

Lighting Designer – Francis Krahe, Francis Krahe & Associates Inc

Mechanical Engineer – Alan Hamada, TK1SC

Electrical Engineer – Jesus Lucero, TK1SC

Tower Theatre

The Tower Theatre of Los Angeles is a winner for the 2022 Preservation Design Award for Rehabilitation. Award recipients are selected by a jury of top professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering, planning, and history, as well as renowned architecture critics and journalists. Tickets and sponsorship options are available at californiapreservation.org/awards.

About the Tower Theatre Project

The rehabilitation of the Tower Theatre in Los Angeles adaptively re-uses a 1927 motion picture theater;vacant for 35 years;as a flagship for a leading tech retailer including facilities for sales, A/V presentations, community programs, and creative classes.
The Tower Theatre is the first movie palace in LA purposefully designed for moving pictures and with built-in electric speakers for sound, ushering in the era of the “talkies.” The legacy of technological innovation continues today for presentation of the tech company’s products that have transformed filmmaking, photography, and music composition.

One of the tech company’s most significant restoration projects to date, the Tower Theatre creates a gathering place for creativity, inspiration, and presentation. Elements throughout the store honor the building’s history. The walls and ceiling of the original lobby, auditorium, decorative plaster, and balcony were retained. Decorative figures at the dome and faux bas relief paintings were restored or recreated. The exterior, glazed terra cotta was repaired and restored; the original marquees were replicated; the clock tower cap;damaged after an earthquake;was  reconstructed.

New lighting, exterior and interior, is finely-tuned for balance and compatibility with the historic atmosphere.

Featured Image Courtesy Photo by Cesar Rubio