Apple opens its newest flagship store in an imposing 1920s theater in downtown LA, complete with balcony seating and marble columns - take a look inside

The theater still has its original balconies and embellished arched bays.Apple

• Apple has turned a 1927 movie theater in downtown Los Angeles into a new flagship store.
• The Tower Theatre was the first in LA wired for film with sound, but has been empty since 1988.
• The Apple store opens its doors at 10 a.m. local time on Thursday.

Apple's newest flagship store is in the old Tower Theatre, on the corner of Eighth Street and Broadway. It's the tech giant's 26th store in greater Los Angeles, but its first in downtown LA.

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The movie theater, designed by architect S. Charles Lee, was built in 1927 and was the first in LA wired for film with sound.

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The theater closed in 1988 ...

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... and has been empty ever since.

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Apple said it spent two years working with preservationists, restoration artists, and the City of Los Angeles to transform the theater while preserving original features.

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It's one of Apple's most significant restoration projects ever, the tech giant said.

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The project included restoring the original clocktower and recreating both its Broadway marquee and its blade sign on the side of the building.

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Customers enter through Broadway-style doors beneath stained glass ...

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... leading them through to the lobby, which Apple says was inspired by the Palais Garnier - Paris' main opera house. There's a grand-arched stairway with a red carpet, bronze handrails, and marble columns.

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This takes visitors through to the main store space, surrounded by the theater's original balconies and embellished arched bays.

The theater still has its original balconies and embellished arched bays.      Apple

Apple said nearly 100 retail workers will staff the store.

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It said it would also host free daily sessions to teach creative skills, led by both Apple employees and members of the local community. For example, rapper D Smoke will lead a session on making beat loops in the GarageBand app on July 1, it said.

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The store opens at 10 a.m. local time on Thursday, June 24. Opening hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

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