During the heyday of the movie palace, audiences were surrounded not only by architectural splendor, but also in some cases by entire worlds, like that of the Plaza Theatre in downtown Palm Springs, California. Architect Harry J. Williams designed the Atmospheric-style interior of the 1936 Spanish Colonial Revival venue to look like an outdoor village square, with little tiled-roof building facades under a starry night sky. Closed for more than a decade, the Plaza Theatre reopened in December 2025 after a $40.3 million rehabilitation partly funded by the city. "It shows what a community can do to partner with its city to hold onto its history and magic," says J.R. Roberts, president of the Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation, who estimates that the venue will generate $40 million in related spending by visitors every year.

Aided by $18 million from private donors, a $2.5 million state grant, and $7.2 million in funding from federal historic tax credits, the Plaza Theatre Foundation, which operates the 700-seat theater, was able to restore and upgrade it. The foundation provided the design team at Architectural Resources Group (ARG) with the original drawings for its signature village, which specified details down to the curtains and flowerpots. They discovered that the original proscenium, the architectural frame for the stage, was hidden behind furred plaster. "We took down all that built-up plaster to reveal the decorative cast concrete and stencil-painted original," says Jason Currie, senior associate architect at ARG. "It was wonderful to see that artistry and craftsmanship." The team also added twinkling lights to the ceiling and color-changing LEDs to create sunset and nighttime effects.