Wiltern Tours Begin Saturday

An afternoon of tours of the restored Wiltern Theater, Western Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard, has been announced by the Los Angeles Conservancy. Tours will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, tickets are $7, and $5 for Conservancy members, and required reservations may be made with the Conservancy.

The Conservancy described the theater as “an opulent showcase of Art-Deco design, with exquisite plaster relief work, painted murals, gold leaf and soaring spaces . . . a unique experience . . . the auditorium is ablaze with ornament, highlighted with a giant sunburst on the 80-foot ceiling.”

Opened in 1931 as a Warner Brothers Theater, it was saved from demolition by the Conservancy in 1980. Ratkovich Bowers and Perez Inc. purchased it and invested $4.6 million in its restoration and refurbishment, as well as another $5.5 million in the attached Pellissier office building. The theater is now operated by Bill Graham Presents for musical performances.