Kristen Stewart is restoring the Highland Theatre to bring back a place for community.
The Highland Theatre movie palace, standing since 1925, is going to be restored after it closed in 2024 and has been in decline for decades. The structure, designed by architect Lewis Arthur Smith, hasn’t been touched in years, but the beauty remains. The Los Angeles relic still stands with a stage and seats, but the rest of it will take a tremendous amount of work.
After confirming her plans in Architectural Digest, Kirsten Stewart is officially bringing back the theatre, not intimidated by its challenge. She mentioned how she wanted to bring back community to engage in the energy behind going to the movies again. In a world of streaming and the fast-evolving digital age, this would be a much-needed place for reflection and communication among moviegoers. Stewart emphasized in her interview that this building is an original piece of history that stands to remind everybody where we came from past an industry standpoint.
As a celebrity who does not hold back on her political statements and uses her platform for good, this was a project she felt she had to do. For Stewart, this project would celebrate the differences we have and provide a shelter for everyone to enjoy, without being tied down by a lack of accessibility or the stresses of profit.
The love she mentioned for Los Angeles expands into her ideas for the future of this theatre. She sees it as part of a larger responsibility to make sure everybody can be represented and included. Stewart speaks openly about supporting the Downtown Women’s Center, which is an organization that brings resources for women in Skid Row. Ultimately, bringing back the mindset that everybody should not be isolated from the city around them,
The theatre would bring a positive and respected place for more independent filmmakers to showcase their work. In an attempt to rebuild and succeed at this project, despite the risk, the theater hopes to bring a place where people can come together for the beauty and love of film all over again.