Shrine Auditorium

The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners.

Opened in 1926, the current Shrine Auditorium replaced an earlier 1906 Al Malaikah Temple which had been destroyed by a fire [1] on January 11, 1920. The new auditorium was designed by San Francisco-based theater architect G. Albert Lansburgh, with local architects John C. Austin and A. M. Edelman associated.

In 2002, the Auditorium underwent a $15 million renovation that upgraded the auditorium's stage with state-of-the-art lighting and rigging systems, and included new roofing and air conditioning for both the Auditorium and Expo Center, modernized concession stands, additional restrooms, repainting of the Expo Center, and a new performance plaza and parking garage. The entire complex follows a Moroccan architectural motif.

The Shrine Auditorium seats approximately 6,300 people (reseated during the 2002 renovation from the original 6,700 capacity) and has a stage 194 feet wide and 69 feet deep. The Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Emmy Awards, American Music Awards, and the NAACP Image Awards among other events, have been held there. In fact, the Auditorium is still the site of the AMAs and the Emmys, hosted most Oscar ceremonies from the mid-1980s until Kodak Theater opened, and was the site of the Grammy ceremonies held in Los Angeles until the completion of Staples Center, which has since 2000 hosted 6 Grammys (most recently in 2006). Since the 1990s it and Gibson Amphitheatre have often been used as the venue for the VMAs on years when L.A. has won the bid (mainly in years when New York City hosted the Grammys). For 33 years Shrine Auditorium was home to the University of Southern California Trojans basketball team. The Trojans' home court was on the Shrine's stage. The Shrine Circus, concerts, stage shows and other events are also held here. The Shrine Auditorium was also the venue for the 55th Miss Universe beauty pageant, held in July 2006.

The Auditorium features two boxes above the orchestra level holding 40 people each and seven loges on the balcony holding between 36 and 47 seats each (total capacity of the loges: 274). Of the remaining seats, 2,964 are on the orchestra level and 2,982 on the balcony level

Shrine Expo Center

Adjacent to the Shrine Auditorium is the Shrine Expo Center, which features 54,000 square feet of exhibit and meeting space--34,000 in the main level and 20,000 in an open mezzanine. The Expo Center has a capacity of 4,000 patrons. Trade shows, banquets, conventions and rave parties, among other events, have been held there.

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