Kristen Stewart Saves Historic Highland Theatre from Closure With Surprise Purchase

Kristen Stewart has stepped in to save the Highland Theatre, a historic 100-year-old movie palace in Highland Park, Los Angeles, from permanent closure.

Built in 1925 and designed by notable architect Lewis Arthur Smith, whose other works include the Vista Theater in Los Feliz and the Rialto in Pasadena, the theater had once been a vaudeville and cinematic hub but fell into disrepair and closed its doors in 2024. Stewart’s purchase marks a significant effort to restore the theater and breathe new life into a piece of LA’s cultural history.

Stewart sees the Highland Theatre as more than just a building; she envisions it as a creative and social hub for the community. “It’s an opportunity to make a space to gather and scheme and dream together,” she explains. “This project is about creating a new school and restructuring our processes, finding a better way forward. We want to make it a family affair, something for the community. It’s not just for pretentious Hollywood cinephiles.”

She wants the theater to be an antidote to the commercial, corporate-driven side of cinema, offering a space for adventurous, independent films and cultural events that emphasize collaboration and experimentation.

While the theater still retains some of its original features, including an ornate mezzanine and stage, restoring it will be a massive undertaking. Stewart is committed to preserving its historical charm while also updating it to serve contemporary needs.

“There are so many beautiful details that need to be restored,” she says. “I think there’s a way to bring the building back to life in a way that embraces its history but also brings something new to the neighborhood and something new to the whole LA film community. That’s the point—new ideas.” Her approach blends historic preservation with innovation, aiming to make the theater both a cultural landmark and a vibrant community space.

Stewart, a native Angeleno, has deep ties to the city and its neighborhoods. She moved to LA’s Eastside in her early twenties and has long been drawn to the unique energy and diversity of the area.

She describes the city as a series of interconnected neighborhoods with their own identity, and she appreciates the creative potential and openness that Los Angeles offers. “I absolutely f***** love this city,” she says, noting that she prefers LA’s artistic and cultural environment over the East Coast’s intensity.

In addition to her work with the Highland Theatre, Stewart is involved in social causes. She is a supporter of the Downtown Women’s Center, which provides housing, meals, and other essential services for homeless women in LA. “LA is drowning in inadequacy in our response to homelessness,” Stewart notes. “The city is at odds with itself. There has to be a way to unearth a tender, empathetic approach to getting people off the streets.” Her involvement with the DWC reflects her broader commitment to using her platform to support meaningful social change.

Looking ahead, Stewart sees the Highland Theatre as part of a larger mission to reshape the film industry and Los Angeles’ cultural landscape. “The narrow path that’s been forged has to be broadened, not by tokenized diversity but by doing things really differently. We can’t keep making the same movie over and over again. And we can’t turn our backs on the people who are most in need,” she says.

Through her purchase and restoration of the Highland Theatre, Stewart hopes to create a space where history, creativity, and community intersect, offering a new model for cinema and civic engagement in LA.

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