El Rey Theatre
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedAn Art Deco live-music venue and former single-screen cinema in Los Angeles's Miracle Mile area.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
El Rey Theatre is a live-music venue in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles, California, within the Mid-Wilshire region. The building was constructed in 1936 as a single-screen movie theater and operated primarily as a cinema for almost five decades. Its design is associated with architect Clifford A. Balch, whose Southern California theater work helped define the region's interwar Art Deco landscape. El Rey retains substantial elements of its original architectural character, including a lobby and exterior features reflecting Zigzag Moderne and Streamline Moderne influences. After its long cinema period, the property was converted into a dance-music club during the 1980s and early 1990s. That phase operated under the name Wall Street. In 1991, the building received official recognition as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 520, preserving its significance as an example of historic theater architecture and as a notable surviving venue in the Miracle Mile area. Since 1994, El Rey Theatre has operated as a live-music venue. Its current format accommodates approximately 771 audience members and includes a rear balcony used for VIP viewing. Concert programming is exclusively booked through Goldenvoice, the Los Angeles concert promoter, although the venue's ownership and broader corporate structure are not identified in the supplied reference material. Its programming identity is therefore centered on in-person concerts and music events rather than cinema exhibition or club nightlife. The theater has also had a cultural and screen-media presence beyond its regular operation. Its exterior appeared in the 1984 film Night of the Comet, where it was associated with the workplace of the main character, Regina. The exterior also served as a recurring location and plot element in the link segments of the 1986 horror compilation film Zombiethon. In 1995, the interior and theater setting were used as the principal location for the Cowboy Junkies music video for “Angel Mine,” which featured Janeane Garofalo. In January 2008, The Aquabats filmed part of the pilot for The Aquabats! Super Show! at the venue during a partial concert for members of the band's fan club. Today, El Rey Theatre combines the functions of a working concert hall and a preserved historic building. Its significance derives from the continuity between its 1930s movie-theater architecture, its later dance-club period, its post-1994 live-music role, and its recurring appearances in film, music-video, and television-related productions.
History
El Rey Theatre was built in 1936 in Los Angeles's Miracle Mile area as a single-screen movie theater. The building was designed by Clifford A. Balch, an architect associated with more than twenty classic Art Deco movie theaters in Southern California. Its design preserves characteristics of the Zigzag Moderne and Streamline Moderne styles, and substantial parts of the original building, including the lobby, remain recognizable. The venue functioned as a cinema for nearly fifty years. During the 1980s and the early 1990s, its use changed as it became a dance-music club called Wall Street. This period preceded its conversion to a concert venue and illustrates the building's adaptation from traditional film exhibition to nightlife and music programming. On February 26, 1991, El Rey Theatre was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 520. The designation established the building as a formally recognized historic resource while it was still associated with its earlier theater and club uses. Since 1994, El Rey has operated as a live-music venue. The concert configuration has a stated capacity of 771 people and includes a balcony at the rear for VIP guests. The venue is exclusively booked through Goldenvoice. Its current identity is consequently based on live concerts staged within a preserved historic theater rather than on its former movie-screening function. El Rey has also been used for screen and music-related productions. The exterior appeared in the 1984 film Night of the Comet, in which the main character Regina works at the theater. The building's exterior was also incorporated into the linking segments of the 1986 horror compilation Zombiethon. In 1995, the venue was the primary setting for the Cowboy Junkies music video “Angel Mine,” from the album Lay It Down, with Janeane Garofalo appearing in the video. In January 2008, The Aquabats filmed part of the pilot for The Aquabats! Super Show! at El Rey during an exclusive partial concert for fan-club members. The venue's history therefore spans three principal commercial identities: a 1930s cinema, a late-twentieth-century dance club, and a contemporary concert hall. Its continued use as an entertainment venue, together with its historic designation and recognizable Art Deco architecture, makes it both an operating music business and a surviving piece of Los Angeles theater heritage.
- 2008
The Aquabats film pilot material at the venue
[1]The Aquabats shoot part of the pilot for The Aquabats! Super Show! during a fan-club concert event at El Rey.
- 1995
Hosts Cowboy Junkies music video shoot
[1]El Rey serves as the principal setting for the Cowboy Junkies music video “Angel Mine,” featuring Janeane Garofalo.
- 1994
Begins operation as a live-music venue
[1]After its period as the Wall Street dance-music club, the theater becomes a live concert venue.
- 1991
Designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
[1]El Rey Theatre receives Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 520 designation on February 26.
- 1986
Exterior used in Zombiethon
[1]The theater's exterior becomes a recurring location and plot element in the linking segments of the horror compilation film Zombiethon.
- 1984
Exterior appears in Night of the Comet
[1]The theater's exterior is visible in the science-fiction comedy film Night of the Comet and is connected with the workplace of the character Regina.
- 1936
El Rey Theatre opens as a movie theater
[1]The building is constructed as a single-screen cinema in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles.
Products and positioning
A historic Los Angeles concert venue that combines preserved Art Deco architecture with contemporary live-music programming.
Live entertainment · 1994
Live concerts
The venue's primary current offering is live music presented in a historic theater environment. Since 1994, El Rey has operated as a concert venue, with programming exclusively booked through Goldenvoice. The room has a stated capacity of approximately 771 audience members, making it suitable for established touring acts and other music events that benefit from an intimate theater setting.
Venue experience
VIP balcony viewing
A balcony at the rear of the theater provides a designated VIP viewing area for concert attendees. This feature differentiates the venue's audience layout from a simple standing-room club and makes use of the building's traditional theater configuration.
Filming and events
Historic theater and production location
El Rey's preserved Art Deco architecture and recognizable exterior have supported use as a screen and music-production location. The building has appeared in films, a music video, and television-pilot production, extending its role beyond ticketed concerts.
Brand decisions
1994
Transition from dance club to live-music venueStrategyBackground
The property had operated as the Wall Street dance-music club during the 1980s and early 1990s after nearly five decades as a cinema.
Action taken
El Rey began operating as a live-music venue, establishing the format that continues today.
Aftermath
The building became a concert hall with an approximately 771-person capacity and a rear VIP balcony; concert booking is exclusively handled through Goldenvoice.
Sources2 sources
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