Designed by B. Marcus Priteca, the Fine Arts Theatre opened as The Regina in 1936.[1][2] Executed in the zigzag moderne style,[2] it was remodeled and renamed the Fine Arts Theatre in 1948, premiering The Red Shoes and playing host to guests such as Susan Hayward, Joan Crawford, Ava Gardner, and Shirley Temple.[1]
In 1993, it underwent a restoration spearheaded by Joseph J. Musil, a theater designer who also restored the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, and reopened as the Cecchi Gori Fine Arts Theatre.[2][1] In 2010, Spice Global, an Indian conglomerate, bought the theater with plans to reopen it to screen Bollywood films, though this plan never materialized; former actress, Redken co-founder, and philanthropist Paula Kent Meehan bought it instead.[1] Laemmle Theatres took over the management and operation of the theatre in September 2015.[2] In May 2017, the Beverly Hills City Council designated the theatre a local historic landmark and placed the site on the Beverly Hills Register of Historic Properties.[2]
