Balboa Pavilion

	Balboa Pavilion
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	California Historical Landmark No. 959
Location	400 Main St; Newport Beach, California
Built	1906
Architect	Fred R. Dorn
Architectural style	Queen Anne Revival
NRHP reference No.	84000914
CHISL No.	959
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 17, 1984
Designated CHISL	December 15, 1983

Last updated November 02, 2024

The Balboa Pavilion in Newport Beach, Orange County, California, is a California Historical Landmark and a National Historic Place. Established on July 1, 1906, the Balboa Pavilion played a prominent role in the development of Newport Beach by attracting real estate buyers to an area formerly designated as "swamp and overflow" land.

History

Origins

On September 20, 1905, the War Department in Washington D.C. granted a group of promoters, called the "Newport Bay Investment Company," permission to construct the Pavilion as a "boat-house, bath-house, and pavilion."

The promoters built the pavilion on the Newport Harbor side of the sand spit and its sister project, the Balboa Pier, on the adjacent ocean side of the sand spit, which is today called the Balboa Peninsula. These two structures were built to attract lot purchasers to this area of Newport Beach called Balboa.

Design

The pavilion was designed by Los Angeles freelance architect Fred R. Dorn, who would later go on to work as an associate of Morgan, Walls & Clements. On July 1, 1906, the 65-foot (20 m)-high Victorian style building was fully completed to coincide with the completion of the Pacific Electric Railway Red Car Line extension to central Balboa near the Balboa Pavilion on July 4, 1906, after only 10 days of construction.

The Balboa Pavilion in 1906 Balboa Pavilion 1906c.jpg — The Balboa Pavilion in 1906

With the extension of the Red Car line, People began to flock to Balboa and some purchased lots, and, thus, the Newport Investment Company's plan worked.

The original building had a second story meeting room and a first story bathhouse. In the bathhouse, people could change from street attire into rented "bathing suits." Soon, yearly Fourth of July bathing beauty parades brought large gatherings of people to Balboa.

Big Band era

The 1930s ushered in the Big Band era. On weekends the Pavilion featured such prominent bands as Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and the Dorsey Brothers. Phil Harris and his band played regularly on weekdays. The dance step called the "Balboa" originated at the Balboa Pavilion and swept across the United States.

The Pavilion had several upstairs and downstairs card rooms where patrons would gamble.

Until the later 1930s, the Pavilion offered speed boat rides. Two speedy 35-foot (11 m) boats would take off full speed from underneath the Balboa Pavilion with sirens blaring and race out of the bay and into the Pacific Ocean.

Post World War II

Right after World War II, Newport Harbor was the center of sport fishing activity in southern California with over 100 boats and 9 landings, one of which operated out of the Pavilion. Today, only two sport fishing landings with less than ten boats survive, one of which still operates out of the Balboa Pavilion.

In 1942, the Pavilion's owners leased the upstairs of the building to a gentleman who built and operated a ten-lane bowling alley. Pinsetters hand set the pins.

Decay

Because the Pavilion is anchored on a narrow strip of sandy waterfront, about 90% of the building was supported on wooden pilings, which extend over the bay. In 1947, the wooden pilings deteriorated, and the building began to collapse into the bay.

In 1947 or 1948, the Gronsky family purchased the deteriorated Balboa Pavilion at a very low price and replaced the deteriorating original wooden pilings with large, concrete pilings. The result was a newly fortified, element-resistant city landmark.

In the later 1940s and early 1950s the Balboa Pavilion housed a "Skil-O-Quiz" bingo parlor which gave prizes rather than cash. But bingo was deemed too wicked, was outlawed, and the sheriff shut the establishment down.

Museum usage

In 1954, Gronsky instituted a shell museum upstairs. The museum displayed over 2.5 million shells. Eventually, the shell fish collection was donated to Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.

Restoration

In 1961, the Gronskys sold the Balboa Pavilion to Ducommun Realty Company of Los Angeles. Edmond G. "Alan" Ducommun's "mission" was to restore the building to its original 1906 look, and he generously invested an estimated one million dollars into the property. In 1963, Ducommun added 1500 lights to the buildings exterior which remain on the building today. These lights, along with the Cupula on top of the building, additionally serve as a navigation beacon for night boat travelers.

Purchase

In 1969, Davey's Locker Inc., a sport fishing operation, purchased the Balboa Pavilion to provide a permanent terminal for the expansion of its Catalina Island passenger service. Its president, Phil Tozer, refurbished the building's interior to reflect the early 1900s architecture.

On May 20, 1980, the Balboa Pavilion Company branched off from Davey's Locker and took over ownership of the Pavilion.

In late November 2005, the Balboa Pavilion Company sold the Balboa Pavilion to the Gugasians.^[2]

Pavilion today

Currently, the Balboa Pavilion is used as a marine recreation facility, with sportfishing boats, the transportation terminal for the Catalina Flyer to Catalina Island, small boat (skiff) and (duffy) rentals, whale watching, sunset cruises, a restaurant and upstairs ballroom for banquets, receptions and conferences.

Related Research Articles

Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime industries. Today it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island draws visitors with a waterfront path and easy access from the ferry to the shops and restaurants.

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The place of First water-to-water flight was designated a California Historic Landmark (No.775) on September 25, 1962. On May 10, 1912, 26 year old Glenn L. Martin flew a self-built seaplane from Balboa Bay at Newport Bay, California to Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island, then back across the channel. His amphibian biplane, the Avalon Zipper, broke the earlier English Channel record for over-water flight. Martin's total distance was 68 miles (109 km), with the Newport-Avalon leg taking 37 minutes. Avalon Zipper had a 15-horsepower Model V Ford gasoline engine donated by Henry Ford. He picked up a bag of mail on the island on the way, and was presented with $100 prize for his achievement. The trip made headline news around the world. Soon regular seaplane passenger and freight services started between Catalina and the ports of Balboa, Long Beach, Wilmington and San Diego, like: Catalina Air Lines. Jim Watson, an aviation historian made a television documentary Wings Across the Channel, the Golden Age of Seaplanes on Catalina., starting with Glenn L. Martin trip.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McFadden Wharf</span> California historic landmark

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The Peyton Company, also called Peyton Marine Service and Supplies, was a wooden shipbuilding and dry dock company in Newport Beach, California.

Lyle C. Hess (1912–2002) was an American naval architect, particularly known for his Aquarius and Balboa series of boats, built by Coastal Recreation.

References

↑ "Balboa Pavilion". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks.
1 2 Edwards, Andrew (December 6, 2005). "Balboa Pavilion gets a new owner". Daily Pilot . Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2012.

External links

33°36′10″N117°53′56″W / 33.60278°N 117.89889°W / 33.60278; -117.89889

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[CHL-1] "Balboa Pavilion". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks.

[dp20051206-2] 1 2 Edwards, Andrew (December 6, 2005). "Balboa Pavilion gets a new owner". Daily Pilot . Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2012.

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