Oscar-nominated actress Kristen Stewart has become the latest Hollywood personality to acquire a historic but dilapidated movie theater.
In an interview with Architectural Digest, the “Twilight” star revealed she is the new owner of the three-story Highland Park cinema, which opened in 1925 and was shuttered in 2024. Stewart admitted she was not planning to become a theater owner.
“I didn’t realize I was looking for a theater until this place came to my attention,” she said. “Then it was like a gunshot went off and the race was on. I ran toward it with everything I had. I’m fascinated by broken-down old theaters. I always want to see what mysteries they hold.”
The building was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1991. Stewart did not reveal the purchase price for the venue or the budget for the interior renovations, which Architectural Digest claimed would “require a herculean effort.” But Stewart insisted she was up for the challenge.
“There are so many beautiful details that need to be restored,” she continued. “I think there’s a way to bring the building back to life in a way that embraces its history but also brings something new to the neighborhood and something new to the whole LA film community. That’s the point—new ideas.”
Stewart’s acquisition is the latest by a film industry figure to save the historic theaters of Los Angeles. Director Quentin Tarantino owns the New Beverly Cinema and the Vista Theatre, while in 2024 a coalition of filmmakers led by Jason Reitman acquired Westwood’s historic Village Theatre.
Photo courtesy of LoopNet
