© Mitch Paluszek
The picture was taken from the corner of 3rd Ave and B Street in downtown San Diego; the building on which this is painted is at 4th and C. The building itself is a gem; the old “California Theater.” Shuttered now. – Mitch Paluszek
Saturated and hue altered to enhance text by Frank H. Jump – picture by Mitch Paluszek
This Spanish Colonial Revival theater was built in 1927 and seated over 2200 patrons. Once a premiere venue for the city, the theater has been in disuse for decades. Although the California was renovated in 1988, two years later it was again scheduled for demolition. Now, in addition to restorations, plans call for a wide redevelopment of the entire area, which should bring the theater back into the spotlight and out from the shadows of time. – Cinema Treasures
Samuel Goldwyn presents Barbary Coast – United Artists – Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery (IMPA)
From the Halls of Moctezuma to the shores of Tripoli – Marine Corps – Barbary Wars
Lahaina Printsellers – Printsellers dot com
Internet resources:
- Cinema Treasures – California Theatre
- Printsellers dot com
- Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery
Nice post. Wow…The Beatles and Elvis on the same double bill. And Elvis is the B picture, showing the shift in pop culture.
Thanks Gunnar. I was so glad Mitch sent me some pics of his San Diego trip. He said there weren’t many he could see. I remember from years ago a cache of pics someone sent me from the late 80s. The seediness of San Francisco’s Tenderloin is disappearing as well. Some look at that as progress. One hopes they preserve some of the signs to remind us of the bygone days.
The Barbary Coast in San Diego was mentioned in this article. If this is the place I remember (and the location seems to indicate so) I have many fond memories of it. As a young sailor stationed in the area, it was well known. One of my squadron mates was a bouncer there and another was the “steady” of one of the very attractive dancers. The girls were friendly, the beer was (relatively) cheap, and the atmosphere was basically hassle free.