El Capitan Theatre For Sale

Hollywood, Calif.’s historic El Capitan Theatre, a classic movie palace restored by the Walt Disney Co. and home to “The Jimmy Kimmel Show,” is up for sale for $31 million.

The theatre and six-story studio and office building is owned by Wisconsin-based CUNA Mutual Group, which took over the building when the previous owner abandoned it after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Located across from the Hollywood and Highland entertainment complex and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, the landmark venue built in 1926 was the host of the “Citizen Kane” world premiere in 1941.

The theatre currently showcases Disney’s children’s movies, after being brought up to safety codes with more than $10 million in restorations. Disney has confirmed that it will stay put as the theatre’s long-term tenant.

“The El Capitan has a bright history in the entertainment industry and we really want to find a buyer who will maintain its entertainment legacy for a long time,” CUNA Mutual spokesman Rick Uhlmann told the Los Angeles Times.

The theatre’s architectural features were created by designer G. Albert Lansburgh, who also planned L.A.’s Wiltern and Orpheum theatres, as well as the Shrine Auditorium’s interior.

Commercial real estate brokerage CB Richard Ellis will shop the building, according to the Times.