Furniture
Original 1930 Hollywood Pantages Theatre Art Deco Carved Mahogany Sofa and Pair of Chairs
Original 1930 Hollywood Pantages Theatre Art Deco Carved Mahogany Sofa and Pair of Chairs
This extraordinary Art Deco sofa and pair of matching lounge chairs were originally created for the lobby of the legendary Hollywood Pantages Theatre, one of the great surviving movie palaces of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Constructed of richly carved mahogany and upholstered in leather, the three piece suite combines substantial proportions with remarkable architectural detailing. Deeply carved geometric and floral motifs decorate the lower fronts and sides, while the massive stepped and fluted wooden arms give the furniture its unmistakable early 1930s character.
The Hollywood Pantages opened on June 4, 1930, at Hollywood and Vine. It was the last movie palace built in Hollywood and the final theatre erected by vaudeville impresario Alexander Pantages. Designed by noted theatre architect B. Marcus Priteca, the spectacular building cost approximately $1.25 million and featured marble, elaborate metalwork, dramatic color and geometric ornament throughout its grand Art Deco interiors.
The provenance of this suite is particularly fascinating. Howard Hughes and RKO acquired the Pantages in 1949, and the theatre became one of the most important locations in Academy Awards history, hosting the Oscar ceremonies from 1950 through 1960. The 1953 ceremony held there was the first Academy Awards presentation to be televised. During these years, Hollywood’s greatest actors, directors and studio executives passed through the Pantages lobby for premieres, performances and Academy Award ceremonies. The documented history accompanying this suite states that the furniture remained in the lobby until the 1970s.
The sofa features a broad three section upholstered back and seat framed by massive mahogany arms. Across the lower front is an elaborate carved apron incorporating repeating geometric forms and stylized floral decoration. The two matching chairs repeat the design on a smaller scale, including the stepped arms and carved fronts. Particularly impressive are the deeply carved side panels, demonstrating that these pieces were designed to be viewed from every direction within the theatre’s grand public spaces. There are two footstools as part of the suite and one of the sofa cushions does has a 4 inch tear as pictured.
What makes this set exceptional is the convergence of important Art Deco design, architectural provenance and Hollywood history. Furniture surviving from a documented period interior is increasingly difficult to find, and furniture associated with one of America’s great Art Deco movie palaces is rarer still. Today the Hollywood Pantages remains one of Los Angeles’ celebrated architectural landmarks. This magnificent three piece suite offers something considerably more personal: an opportunity to own an actual piece of the theatre’s original environment, created in 1930 when Hollywood was transforming the movie palace into an extraordinary form of architectural spectacle.
