‘It’s Not Just For Pretentious Hollywood Cinephiles:’ Kristen Stewart Purchases L.A.’s Historic Highland Theatre

In mid-December, our team spotted **Kristen Stewart** doing a photoshoot atop the historic Highland Theatre in L.A.’s Highland Park neighborhood. Now, *Architectural Digest* has revealed that Stewart purchased the over-100-year-old [theater](https://secretlosangeles.com/los-angeles-movie-theaters/) , which shuttered in 2024, with plans to revitalize it and give it a new start in the community. Here’s a closer look at Stewart’s plans for the building. ‘Something for the community’ ----------------------------- Kristen Stewart confirmed that she purchased the Highland Theatre in a feature story for *Architectural Digest*, which explains the winter photoshoot. “I ran toward it with everything I had,” she told them. While the historic theater will need a significant restoration, Stewart asserted that her plans for the space go beyond the superficial. “... This project is about creating a new school and restructuring our processes, finding a better way forward ,” she said. “We want to make it a family affair, something for the community. It’s not just for pretentious Hollywood cinephiles ... I see it as an antidote to all the corporate bullshit, a place that takes movie culture away from just buying and selling. I think there’s a huge desire and craving for what this kind of space can offer.” Stewart plans to restore and embrace the theater’s original details , many of which have been around since it opened since 1925. According to *LAist*, many of the theater’s vintage elements were hidden by a triplex renovation in the 1980s, including the original ceiling, murals, frescoes, and moldings. This move comes soon after the actress’s feature film directorial debut , *The Chronology of Water*. Based on a memoir of the same title by Lidia Yuknavitch, the film offers a cinematic exploration of memory, trauma, and womanhood, and early reviews praise its audacity and lyrical quality. A century of film and entertainment ----------------------------------- Located at 5604 N. Figueroa Street in Los Angeles’s Highland Park neighborhood, the Highland Theatre opened in 1925 with a screening of *Lady of the Night*. The building was designed by architect Lewis Arthur Smith , known for similar elegant theaters including Hollywood’s Vista Theatre, North Hollywood’s El Portal Theatre, and the Ventura Theatre in Ventura. Under a series of owners throughout the 20th century, Highland Theatre screened everything from vaudeville to adult films . When the Akarakian family bought the theater in the 1975, they reinstated more mainstream films, and introduced Spanish language screenings and children’s movies. They later converted the theater from a single-screen venue into a triplex, and the building became a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1991. After several more owners took over the theater in the 2000s, it ultimately closed in February 2024 after struggling to recover post-pandemic. Now, under Kristen Stewart’s ownership, the Highland Theatre faces a hopeful future where it may continue to serve Angelenos for decades to come. Source: https://secretlosangeles.com/kristen-stewart-purchases-highland-theatre-los-angeles/