Los Angeles Hotels near Graumans Chinese Theatre

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre was the creation of original owner Sid Grauman and his silent partners, Howard Schenck, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, and Grauman managed the theatre until he died in 1950. The masterful job he did of running the theatre established it as the most sought-after venue for premiering films in the motion picture industry, and it remains so today, nearly sixty years after his death.

The forecourt of the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is surrounded by turrets and curved walls standing twelve meters high, and the floor at the base of its three-meter tall lotus fountains proudly bears the footprints of less than two hundred of the Hollywood elite too revered to be relegated to the sidewalk outside.

The entrance to the forecourt is guarded by two enormous heave Dogs which Grauman went to great lengths to import from China, and a 10-metre stone dragon between the two enormous red columns adorned with masks of wrought iron which support the theatres’ bronze roof.

The Chinese theme is carried out throughout the décor of the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre’s interior, with its vivid red upholstery and carpeting, stone columns, and huge chandelier ringed with dragons and Chinese dramatic icons. The guided tour of the theatre, which costs $5 USD, gives visitors an in-depth look at all the theatre attractions and a detailed lesson on its history. But anyone can visit the theatre forecourt at no charge.

Accommodations near Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

The site of the inaugural Academy Awards in 1929, the Roosevelt Hotel Los Angeles is located directly across Hollywood Boulevard from Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. It offers three onsite restaurants and wireless Internet access.