Yet another legendary Downtown Los Angeles landmark is closed.
In an Instagram post Monday morning, management at Mayan Theatre, at 1038 S. Hill St., announced plans to close its beloved nightclubs and music venues after 35 years of running in the current iteration.
“It’s a heavy but grateful thing that Maya announced that it will close at the end of September in 35 years,” read the statement on the venue’s Instagram page. “To our loyal patrons, communities and friends: thank you for your unwavering support, your trust, and the countless memories we created together. You’ve become truly special every night.”
Opened in August 1927, Mexican sculptor and anthropologist Francisco Conejo helped the building architects provide designs based on pre-Columbus American society, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The exterior of the venue is decorated with a massive depiction of the Mayan god Fuzziro Potchitori on top of the Earth monster. The Mayan decommissioned in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, in 800 AD, serves as an inspiration for tapered columns, and the theatre chandelier is a replica of the Aztec calendar stone near Mexico City.
The Mayan Theatre can be seen in this undated photo from LA Historic Resources Investory. The exterior of the Maya Theatre in downtown LA, seen in the photo from February 12th, 2014. (AP photo/Damiando Burgergen)
According to The Times, the theater’s first performance featured George Gershwin’s Broadway musical “Oh Kay.” Within the Great Repression, the venue was operated as an actor’s workshop theater under Works Project Management.
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Under the new management team in the late 1940s, Maya offered Spanish performers and film screenings, but by the 1970s they had changed hands again and offered pornographic films.
In 1989, Maya was designated as a historic and cultural monument in Los Angeles.
Just a year later, it’s under the current management that transformed the theatre into an incredibly popular music venue featuring artists like Jack White and bands like Panic! With disco and muse among many other people.
The theatre is also in touch with Tawdry’s history and offers themed events such as Bondage Ball, Burlesque Nights and Lucha Libre shows. It was also the background for some films.
In a farewell post on Instagram, venue management encouraged customers to enjoy the theatre dance floor from every Saturday night until September 13th, before the “final curtain call” later that month.
The future of the historic location is now unknown.
