The Warner Grand emerged from a remarkable creative partnership. Architect B. Marcus Priteca, who would later design Hollywood's famous Pantages Theatre, collaborated with interior designer Anthony Heinsbergen to create something extraordinary at 478 West 6th Street. Their Art Deco-Moderne design divided seating between a main floor orchestra of 889 seats and a mezzanine loge and balcony holding 600 more. Every surface received attention: elaborate light fixtures, dramatic exit signs, and decorative elements that transformed a trip to the movies into an experience of pure fantasy.

By the mid-1990s, the Grand had fallen into disrepair despite being declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1982. The building faced possible demolition or redevelopment. In 1995, local activists formed the Grand Vision Foundation to fight for the theater's survival. Their campaign succeeded when the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs purchased the building in 1996. The Grand Vision Foundation incorporated as a nonprofit that same year, dedicated to preserving and promoting the theater. In 1999, the Warner Grand was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Though built as a movie house, the Warner Grand has adapted to new purposes. Its proscenium stage, measuring 50 feet wide by 32 feet deep, now hosts concerts, dance performances, musicals, comedy, drama, and film screenings. The theater serves as a low-cost rental venue for artists and community groups across Los Angeles. Film festivals including the Los Angeles Harbor International Film Festival and San Pedro International Film Festival call it home. The building itself has become a sought-after filming location, appearing in movies including Pearl Harbor and Babylon.

Of the three Warner theaters that once anchored Los Angeles neighborhoods, only the Grand remains true to its origins. The Warner Beverly Hills Theatre was demolished. The Warner Huntington Park has been extensively altered. In San Pedro, restoration efforts continue under the partnership between the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Grand Vision Foundation. The theater stands as both a working venue and a time capsule, proof that community action can save architectural treasures from the wrecking ball.