Attention: All Associates

Essex is no stranger to revitalizing properties to give them a fresh and modern look, but one Essex property recently experienced an unusual redesign that turned back the hands of time.
 
One of Essex’s newest properties in development, Wallace on Sunset, is located on Hollywood’s bustling Sunset Boulevard. Part of the Wallace development project is the revitalization of the adjacent historic Earl Carroll Theatre.
 
The Earl Carroll Theatre was originally opened in 1938 as an “entertainment palace,” changing ownership many times throughout the years and hosting everything from rock shows by The Doors to the filming of television shows like Star Search and Nickelodeon’s iCarly. As the building’s purpose changed over time, so too did its appearance. In 1968, it became home to the Los Angeles production of the long-running Broadway musical “Hair” and was renamed the Aquarius Theater. During this era, the theater was decorated in colorful, psychedelic style.
 
It was this period of the theater’s history that was recently revived—at least on the surface. The theater made news when filmmaker Quentin Tarantino opted to use it as background in his upcoming film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The film is set in the late 1960s, so Tarantino’s team staged Sunset Boulevard to appear the way it would have during that time, painting the Earl Carroll façade in bright neon colors as part of the effort.
 
What’s next for this storied site that has undergone so many striking transformations? Now owned by Essex, the building became an LA City Historic Cultural Monument in 2016 and plans are in the works to permanently restore its façade to its original 1930s look while renting the interior to a tenant who will operate it as a performance venue once more. Until then, you can sneak a peek at the 1960s-version of the venue in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which is scheduled to be released this summer.