A Kodak Moment

  Photos by LIISA SPINK The Kodak Theatre, still under
construction in October, will host the 2001 Academy Awards.

By Mary Williams
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

While most “Hollywood Landmarks” have to work their
way up to that status, the new Hollywood & Highland complex,
featuring the Kodak Theatre, has been designed to take on the title
immediately, when it opens on Friday.

Built on and named after the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard
and Highland Avenue, the development includes over 70 retail shops,
a six-screen expansion of the neighboring Chinese Theatre,
renovations and additions to the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, a
28,000-square-foot ballroom and restaurants, along with the Kodak
Theatre, which will house the Academy Awards starting this
spring.

The goal of the project’s partners, TrizecHahn and
Anschutz Entertainment Group, was to turn the tourist attraction of
the Chinese Theatre courtyard into a destination for both Los
Angeles residents and visitors to the city.

“There wasn’t a lot for people to do once they got
here,” said Beth Harris, the senior director of marketing for
Hollywood & Highland, about the area before the new
development.

Friday the complex will be officially opened in a ceremony at 9
a.m., and that night the theater will present opera singer Russell
Watson with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra as the first performance.
The hotel will open in December.

The Kodak was designed with the Academy Awards show in mind,
which means it needed to hold a large crowd, have a large stage, an
excellent sound system and the capability to house the significant
size of the television film crew.

“This building is built to the specifications of the
motion picture,” said Ed Murphy, the managing director of the
Kodak Theatre.

These customizations include rows of removable seats to create a
larger orchestra pit and more room for television cameras, an
expansive backstage area and a predetermined location for the red
carpet walkway.

  Barry Manilow does a sound check on the Kodak Theatre
stage last month. “When you design something for a particular
purpose there’s always someone who’s going to have
needs,” Murphy said.

The Governor’s Ball, which follows every Academy Awards,
will be held in the ballroom next to the Kodak. The ballroom has
also been booked for movie world premiere after-parties, major
corporations’ Christmas parties and other large scale
events.

The sheer size of events taking place at Hollywood &
Highland has made it necessary for the theater to include the best
of everything, as far as production capabilities go.

The sound board is the same one used for the Grammy Awards, and
the loading dock is large enough to accommodate large sets.

“As far as a user-friendly loading area, it’s second
to none,” Murphy said.

Once the movie screen is added to the front of the theater, a
separate THX sound system will be added, even though there will not
be many movie screenings held in the theater, according to
Murphy.

After Watson’s performance in the Kodak, other acts set to
grace its stage are Melissa Etheridge on Dec. 7 and 8, Barry
Manilow on Dec. 28 through 31 and the American Ballet
Theatre’s “The Nutcracker,” which runs Dec. 14
through 23.

Murphy selects the acts which will perform ““ a list he
hopes appeals to diverse audiences.

“We’re going after some of the pop acts. It’s
a very competitive market here in Los Angeles,” Murphy said.
“I’m really looking for a variety of programs. My
vision is (to have) the best of everything.”

However, Murphy recognizes that ticket prices and eventually the
performers will attract an older crowd.

  The Kodak Theatre, the interior of which is pictured
here, was designed to house not only the Academy Awards, but a host
of other large events.

“As this building finds its niche it will probably tend to
skew to the older demographic,” he said.

In addition to the seating area of the theater, there is a
five-floor lobby with a bar on each floor. The bar will also
include food ranging from sandwiches to tiramisu supplied by
Wolfgang Puck. There is also a VIP room, named after George
Eastman.

The Kodak Theatre was designed by architect David Rockwell,
while the entire Hollywood & Highland project was overseen by
the firm Ehrenkrantz, Eckstut & Kuhn.

Harris said that the differing styles of each building was an
intentional design idea that would reflect the neighborhood.

“When we were looking at Hollywood we wanted this place to
be representative of a pedestrian street environment,” she
said. “We wanted the buildings to look like separate
buildings and to pay homage to the street.”

The buildings also pay homage to Hollywood. One of the more
picture-friendly spots is a large arch that mimics a scene in D.W.
Griffith’s “Intolerance.” In addition to
representing the large scale of Hollywood movies, the arch frames
the Hollywood sign, when one views it from the street.

The historic Chinese Theatre was also renovated in association
with the project, and an escalator from the courtyard to the
additional six movie screens was added.

The variety of the architecture is mirrored in the variety of
establishments who are moving in. They include both expensive
stores and restaurants and more inexpensive fare.

This will allow visitors to either grab a hot dog and see a
movie, or to eat food prepared by Wolfgang Puck and attend an event
in the theater or ballroom, according to Harris.

In all aspects of their design, TrizecHahn and Anschutz
Entertainment Group are trying to cater to as many people as
possible, from Angelenos looking to catch a movie, to tourists, to
the upper echelons of the entertainment industry.

“We really see Hollywood & Highland as a new American
landmark,” Harris said. “It’s the West Coast
version of Times Square.”