Hollywood Boulevard, 1962
When H.J. Whitley laid out Hollywood in 1903, booze and theaters were prohibited. But Los Angeles, which annexed the development in 1910, had no such restrictions.
Hollywood’s commercial district followed the streetcar line along Prospect Avenue, which after annexation became Hollywood Boulevard. The first Hollywood movie studio opened in 1912, and the boulevard was transformed in the 1920s with the opening of the Egyptian Theater in 1921, Grauman’s Chinese Theater in 1926 and the Roosevelt Hotel across the street in 1927. Opened in 1928, the Warner Theater at Hollywood and Wilcox was caught in this postcard view along with Jeweler-to-the-Stars, William Stromberg’s street clock. The Warner was outfitted with a 146-degree, three-projector Cinerama screen and was playing one of only two story-feature films made for the original process, “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm.”