Among the theater's features are the concrete blocks set in the forecourt, which bear the signatures, footprints, and handprints of popular motion picture personalities from the 1920s to the present day.

[1] In March 1923, a meeting occurred at the offices of Fox West Coast Theatres where Sid Grauman, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and several other executives discussed plans for a new US$1 million venue that would be dedicated to "the spoken drama" with films only being screened on rare occasions.

In that time, several of its aspects were altered, including a change in scope from play house to movie theater due to the increasing profitability of motion pictures.

Looking to build along Hollywood Boulevard, he leased the site of actor Francis X. Bushman's mansion in a deal brokered by real estate developer Charles E. Toberman.

[3][7] Los Angeles-based architecture firm Meyer & Holler, which previously partnered with Grauman on the Egyptian, designed the "palace-type" Chinese Theatre.

The accounts promised a US$5 million cost as well as a "tropical garden" in the forecourt, complete with imported flowers, trees, and fish in ponds.

[15] When they stepped up off the curb, they accidentally walked on wet cement and left a trail of footprints from the street to the front doors of the theater ...

Although replacing Klossner was initially thought to be a temporary job for Tartaglia, his dedication resulted in a 35-year career in which he last performed as the master mason/concrete artist in honor of Eddie Murphy in May 1987.

[25] In 2000, Behr Browers Architects, a firm previously engaged by Mann Theatres, prepared a restoration and modernization program for the structure.

The program included a seismic upgrade, new state-of-the-art sound and projection, new vending kiosks, and exterior signage, and the addition of a larger concession area under the balcony.

As part of the upgrade, Behr Browers also designed a new Chinese-themed six-plex in the attached Hollywood and Highland shopping center that continued to operate under the name Mann's Chinese 6 Theatre.

[3][26] In 2007, the CIM Group purchased the land on which the theater sits for an undisclosed price from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation of New York and Barlow Respiratory Hospital of Los Angeles.

Raymond M. Kennedy, a Southern California architect of the firm Meyer & Holler, designed the Chinese Theatre at the behest of owner Sid Grauman.

Plans called for an ambitious venue that would cost US$2.1 million to construct, considered a very high budget for a movie theater at the time.

The design features numerous traditional Chinese ornamentations, including a 30 foot (9.1 m)-tall stone-carved mural of a dragon on the central wall between the columns.

The theater's color scheme is primarily various shades of red – ruby, crimson, pale scarlet, and coral lacquer – with bronze, gold, stone, and silver providing accents.

The stage was divided into sections, making it possible to recess it into a 20 foot (6.1 m)-deep pit below in order to quickly change sets during live productions.

[33] Despite the grandiose nature and high construction cost of the theater, its original capacity of 2,258 was only about half of the seats that the largest movie palaces had at the time.

The lack of a proper general-admission balcony partly contributed to its smaller size; instead, the auditorium features four private box suites.

In 1957, theater ownership removed the organ and gave it to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who in turn installed most of its parts at the St. Finbar Church in Burbank.

[34] Variations of this honored tradition are imprints of Harold Lloyd's eyeglasses, Groucho Marx's cigar, Whoopi Goldberg's dreadlock, the wands used by Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, John Barrymore's facial profile (reflecting his nickname "The Great Profile"), Betty Grable's leg, and Marilyn Monroe's earring.

However, despite the increase of concrete blocks, the ones placed within the forecourt are still chosen by a special committee which selects celebrities based on their contributions to Hollywood cinema.

Practice blocks, completed inside the theater before the ceremony, are placed on the walls of the Chinese 6 Theatre lobby, which is also used as an event space.

To accommodate better sightlines and a taller screen, seating was re-arranged in stepped rows, descending from street level to the floor of the former basement.

[47] The Chinese Theater has appeared in multiple films set in Los Angeles, including Speed,[48] Austin Powers in Goldmember,[49] and Iron Man 3.