Mayan Theater Reopens
The Mayan Theater is back!
The iconic and historic Mayan Theater on South Hill between 11th and Olympic in South Park closed “for good” recently when it’s operator for 35 years, Sammy Cho, decided to retire from the business. However, it was recently announced that the landmark venue is set to reopen under new management in January 2026.
CoStar reports that the new tenants have vowed to revive the Mayan and keep it as a cornerstone of downtown Los Angeles’s nightlife. Details on the new operator of the space are limited, but there’s already a new Instagram account for the venue, whose bio reads, “Coming Soon: Downtown LA’s All New Revamped, Reimagined, Mayan Music Venue. The Legacy Continues Inside This Historic Landmark!”
The Mayan Theater opened in 1926 and was designed by LA architectural firm Morgan, Walls and Clements and Mexican artist Francisco Cornejo. The original owners of the Mayan Theater, as well as the adjoining Belasco Theater, were oil magnate Edward L. Doheny and his partner, retired investor Nathan W. Stowell.
The theater evolved over its almost 100-year history from early comedic stage productions to Spanish language films to a brief stint as an adult film theater in the 1970s and finally to Cho who built a clubbing legacy when the Mayan night club re-established its viability as a popular nightclub and rock music venue. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1989.
Welcome back to the neighborhood!
By John Nilsson