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Savior of downtown LA theaters, Ezat Delijani, dead at 83
Los Angeles Theatre
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LAPL
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The Tower Theater, circa 1927.
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LA Public Library/Herald-Examiner Collection
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Savior of downtown LA theaters, Ezat Delijani, dead at 83
In 1982, when Ezat Delijani bought his first endangered movie palace in downtown Los Angeles, it was an act of faith. Now, it's a given that places like the Orpheum and the Million Dollar Theatre should be preserved for posterity. Delijani, an Iran-born philanthropist, died Saturday. He was 83.
For decades, the movie palaces that line Broadway were the gems of downtown Los Angeles. Even into the 1980s, they were still well attended, used to show Spanish-language films.
But in 1982, the Los Angeles Theater was threatened with demolition, and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley asked Ezat Delijani, newly arrived from Iran, to step in.
Delijani did so literally. As Delijani's son Shahram Delijani told the LA Times, "When he first walked in, he was literally blown away by the beauty and knew he had to save the theater."
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Los Angeles Theatre, 1979. Credit: LA Public Library/William Reagh
So he bought the Los Angeles Theater. Then came the Tower, and the Palace...
The Palace, 1972. Credit: LAPL online photo collection.
... and the State.
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Loew's State Theater, 1938. Credit: LAPL online photo collection.
Linda Dishman of the LA Conservancy says the elder Delijani "grew up in an historic house in Tehran, and really appreciated the history that was imbued in that house." But – a lesson for us – she also says "when you come to a place, you appreciate historic resources more than people who have lived with them their whole lives."
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
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