{"nrhp_refnum":"87000577","name":"Al Malaikah Temple","other_names":["Shrine Auditorium"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"655 W. Jefferson Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Los Angeles","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.023458359000074,"lon":-118.28113414199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-04-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Al Malaikah Temple, also called the Shrine Auditorium, is a large Moorish Revival auditorium and exhibition hall complex at 655 West Jefferson Boulevard in Los Angeles, completed in 1926 for the Al Malaikah Shrine organization.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it was the world's largest theatre when completed and is still the largest in the United States. It was designed by John C. Austin and A.M. Edelman with consulting architect G. Albert Lansburgh, and is noted for its acoustics, theatrical design and innovative reinforced concrete and steel construction. It has served as Los Angeles's civic auditorium and played a major role in the city's cultural life.","narrative":"Occupying nearly a full city block south of downtown Los Angeles, the Shrine Auditorium is a flamboyant Moorish Revival complex built in 1926 for the Al Malaikah Shrine organization. Its exterior features onion domes, horseshoe arches and elaborate plaster relief work, while the interior is richly stenciled and the main hall has a tented concrete ceiling. The building combines an auditorium of roughly 6,700 seats with a large exhibition hall. John C. Austin and A.M. Edelman designed it, with theatre architect G. Albert Lansburgh as consulting architect. Built of reinforced concrete with steel trusses, it was the world's largest theatre when finished and remains the largest in the United States. It replaced an earlier Shrine hall destroyed by fire in 1920. The building has hosted vaudeville, ballet, opera, religious gatherings and television productions, as well as the Academy Awards in 1948 and 1949. Some balconies and interior details have been removed over time, but much of the original design survives.","period_of_significance":"1926","architect_builder":"John C. Austin & A.M. Edelman, architects; G. Albert Lansburgh, consulting architect","architectural_style":"Moorish Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as the Shrine headquarters and public auditorium; condition listed as excellent, with some alterations such as an enclosed outer lobby, a new ticket booth and removed balconies.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.683651-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/87000577.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87000577/b7ef079b5f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87000577/b7ef079b5f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Dreamyshade at English Wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shrine_Auditorium.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Dreamyshade at English Wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shrine_Auditorium.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858909","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrine_Auditorium_and_Expo_Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q731437"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/al-malaikah-temple-87000577/"}