UCLA, Boston-based Shawmut Design and Construction and San Francisco-based BAR Architects & Interiors recently completed a $24 million renovation to transform Westwood’s historic Crest Theatre into the UCLA Nimoy Theater, a revived live-performance venue.
The 299-seat, 10,500-square-foot theater is named in honor of Leonard Nimoy, the legendary Star Trek actor who made Dr. Spock into a global icon. Nimoy, who passed away in 2015, was a longtime supporter of the UCLA performing arts. He studied photography at UCLA in the 1970s, and even considered changing careers, so serious was he about photography.
The renovation was made possible by to a major gift from Nimoy’s widow, Susan Bay Nimoy, an actor, writer and director, as well as one other anonymous donor.
“The UCLA Nimoy Theater is a testament to our commitment to building not just superior structures, but vibrant, thriving communities,” Greg Skalaski, executive vice president of Shawmut’s western region, said in a statement. “This project goes beyond the preservation of an iconic venue; it builds on the vitality of the neighborhood.”
Westwood has long been a hub for artistry on the Westside. The Nimoy Theater is situated among a multitude of other cultural venues and resources associated with UCLA, such as the Hammer Museum, the Fowler Museum and Geffen Playhouse.
“The opening of the Nimoy marks an exciting new chapter for the arts in Los Angeles and further solidifies UCLA’s role in shaping the cultural fabric of our community,” said Gene Block, UCLA chancellor.
Working within the historic décor, the renovation resulted in an enlarged lobby, a new bar and lounge, as well as new support spaces designed to enhance the theater-going experience.
The Nimoy includes 150 permanent seats on risers. A ground-floor flexible seating area can accommodate 299 additional seats in more dynamic seat configurations.
The seating can be expanded or contracted, depending on a performance’s stage needs. The stage is 35 feet wide with depth of another 15 to 23 feet possible.
The building’s restoration preserved numerous features of the theater, including its art deco-inspired elements such as the historic marquee, light fixtures, decorative columns and wall-mounted interior decorative pylons.
“In both physical and metaphorical ways, The UCLA Nimoy Theater ties the history of the evolution of the performing and cinematic arts in Los Angeles to its future,” Zack Prowda, associate principal and director at BAR Architects, said in a statement.
In November 2018, the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture along with its performing arts program, the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA, acquired The Crest Theatre. Plans for renovation were first announced in March 2019.
In January 2020, the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation reviewed UCLA’s draft proposals for renovation, which included renaming it the Nimoy Theater.
The theater first opened in 1940 as the UCLAN Theatre, a movie theater and performing arts venue. In 1987, the building underwent renovation to expand and revitalize the theater.
