A 1920 Movie Palace Is Still Standing Inside a Downtown Jewelry Mart

The Warner Bros. Downtown Theatre at 401 West 7th Street, at the corner of Hill Street, opened in August 1920 as the Pantages Theatre, designed by B. Marcus Priteca, Alexander Pantages' house architect. Warner Bros. took it over in 1929, and it was renamed the Warrens Theatre on September 1, 1960 before closing in 1975.

Rather than being demolished, it was converted, first to a church and later to jewelry retail, and today operates as the Downtown Jewelry Exchange with Class C office space above. The conversion removed the main-floor seats and the wall between lobby and auditorium to create one continuous sales floor, with vendor cases occupying the auditorium and the stage itself. The balcony survives intact and unused.

The auditorium ceiling still carries its sunburst mural ringed by Egyptian, Oriental, Greek and Roman figures, along with gold-leaf plasterwork, Corinthian columns flanking the stage and a sculpted torch above the proscenium, though the mural is peeling from water-damaged plaster and a modern chandelier partly obscures it. The white terra-cotta exterior wraps both 7th and Hill with sculpted classical figures and a domed corner tower. Original seating was reported at 2,200. There is no restoration, reopening or new operator planned as of July 2026.