Engineering alumnus earns Los Angeles architectural award for renovations to historic theater
David Cocke ’80 led the revitalization of the Netflix Egyptian Theater, a Hollywood landmark, merging its architectural heritage with necessary safety upgrades.
The Netflix Egyptian Theater, a Los Angeles landmark, has been a centerpiece of Hollywood's history since its construction in 1922.
Originally built for $800,000 during the silent film era, it was designed as an all-concrete structure that hosted the very first red-carpet premiere for "Robin Hood." Over the decades, the theater became an iconic venue for film festivals and premieres. Recognized as one of the finest examples of Egyptian Revival architecture in California, the Egyptian Theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Over time, the aging theater needed rehabilitation to comply with the City of Los Angeles’ strict seismic ordinance for older concrete buildings.
David W. Cocke '80, civil and environmental engineering alumnus, is the founder and principal of Structural Focus, a structural engineering firm specializing in historical restorations. Cocke led the efforts to preserve the theater’s structural integrity while honoring its historical design. The retrofit earned the engineering firm, the grand prize at the Los Angeles Business Council’s 54th Annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards.
“Historic buildings are symbols and reminders of the past,” said Cocke. “They boost tourism, customers, and have an educational value. To restore these buildings is a more sustainable and environmentally friendly option and plays a significant role in community regeneration.”
The rehabilitation project addressed the deficiencies of the older concrete structure in an earthquake-prone region. Buildings constructed before 1980 are known to perform poorly during significant earthquakes because of inferior confinement of the reinforcing bars within concrete. The theater’s existing structure was designed to handle sideways forces, like those from wind or earthquakes, using frames made of beams and columns. However, the beams and columns in the theater didn’t have reinforcement, meaning they were not sturdy enough.
The retrofit project included infilling of the frames with new reinforced walls, strengthened foundations and roof diaphragms, lateral bracing of the heavy articulated plaster ceiling, and removal of the tall brittle hollow clay tile walls. The engineering company tackled those structural reinforcements challenges while preserving the historical interior finishes, upgrading the audio-visual systems, and addressing needed American Disability Act upgrades.
Cocke's background and expertise have been instrumental in his contributions to a number of landmark projects. In 2001, he founded Structural Focus, and under his leadership, the firm has worked on several significant projects in Southern California, including the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, and the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre. Structural Focus has garnered awards for excellence in structural design and historic preservation, and its clients include Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Entertainment, and DreamWorks Animation.
Beyond his work on high-profile projects, Cocke is a dedicated advocate for historic preservation and sustainability. His expertise in community resiliency and disaster response has led to significant contributions, including his appointment to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Mayoral Seismic Safety Task Force, which produced the Resilience by Design report. This report provided the foundation for Los Angeles' seismic retrofit ordinances, the strictest in the nation. Cocke also leads the Back to Business program, a Building Occupancy Resumption initiative aimed at post-disaster response, partnering with cities to establish rapid structural inspection programs following natural disasters.
“My degree from Virginia Tech helped me appreciate architecture and history. My engineering classes gave me insight into how to consider technical issues, and I learned to apply that training to existing buildings during my work in a structural engineering firm,” Cocke said.
In 2020, Netflix acquired the Egyptian Theater with a vision for both preservation and community engagement. “Netflix bought the building because they wanted a first-class theater to use for their own movie openings, in addition to giving back to the community by saving a local landmark,” Cocke said.
Netflix has made plans to lease the theater several nights a week to another company specializing in classic film screenings, ensuring the Egyptian Theater remains a vibrant part of Hollywood’s cultural scene. This restoration honors the building’s architectural heritage while bringing new life into it, merging history with modern safety standards to ensure it remains a memorable landmark for future generations.
