California Theatre (Pittsburg, California)

Last updated
California Theatre
California Theatre in Pittsburg.jpg
California Theatre (2014)
California Theatre (Pittsburg, California)
Location351 Railroad Ave,
Pittsburg, California, US
Coordinates 38°01′59″N121°53′00″W / 38.0330°N 121.8834°W / 38.0330; -121.8834
Public transit Bart-logo.svg Pittsburg Center station:   eBART  
Bus-logo.svg Tri Delta Transit: Pittsburg Route 381
OperatorAnthony Lane-Cotroneo [1]
TypeIndoor theatre
Seating typeOrchestra, Balcony
Capacity 981
Construction
Opened1920
Renovated2008, 2022
ArchitectAlbert W. Cornelius
Website
pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com

The California Theatre is a historic theatre in Old Town Pittsburg, Callifornia.

Contents

History

Designed by architect Albert W. Cornelius, the California Theatre was built by G.E. Seeno and Columbo at a cost of $200,000. The theatre opened on May 4, 1920, as a venue for live vaudeville performances and silent films. It was owned and operated by local theatre moguls Sylvester and Salvatore Enea. Adults paid $0.25 for entry, while admission for children cost $0.15. [2] [3] [4]

During its heyday, notable performers included Flash Gordon and cowboy heroes Ray "Crash" Corrigan, Tim Holt, Tex Ritter and Fred Scott. The theatre would often host national touring acts the evening before their opening night in San Francisco. [4]

The theatre featured a Leatherby-Smith pipe organ that was originally installed in 1924, and played during silent films and between shows. [5] It was later replaced in November 1928 with Robert Morton style 23N organ, which remained on-site until 1948. [6] [7]

The theatre showed its last film in February 1954 before closing.

The City of Pittsburg bought the theatre in 1971. [8] Over the years, the building fell into disrepair through years of neglect and sustained heavy water damage. [9] [10] The ceiling subsequently collapsed into the abandoned auditorium. [2] The original marquee was removed in 1975. [11]

Restoration

In 1994, the City began a major clean up and stabilisation of the deteriorating theater.

In 2008, a $7.6 million renovation was undertaken. Restoration artist Beate Bruhl restored the artwork throughout the theatre. Fixtures were fabricated to match historical photographs of the original building. [12] A replica of the 1920 marquee was installed in 2010. The theatre reopened on January 19, 2013.

In January 2019, after an absence of 70 years, the 1928 Robert Morton organ was restored.

An additional $2 million restoration of the balcony area was completed in 2022.

Today, the auditorium features a 981 seat capacity. [4] It hosts theatre productions, concerts, comedy shows, films, dance performances, community events, and is rented for private events.

Architecture

The theatre was designed in classic revival style, featuring Corinthian columns, sculpted urns and figurative sculptures. It is claimed that the design of the theatre was inspired by the Palais Garnier, albeit on a much smaller, less grand and ornate scale. [13] The theatre was later modernised to incorporate many of the Art Deco features present today. The auditorium features a large art-deco chandelier with a beaux-artes style ceiling decoration and a grand balcony.

Productions

In July 2023, the City of Pittsburg approved a new three-year agreement for the operation of the theatre. The theatre is currently operated by Anthony Lane-Cotroneo of Entertainment Lane Inc. [14] [15]

Recent performances have featured Tony Danza, Pete Escovedo, Pasquale Esposito, Taye Diggs, Christopher Titus, John Witherspoon, George Lopez and Sinbad. [16] [17] [18] [19]

Pittsburg Theatre Company

In 2012, the Pittsburg Theatre Company was designated as the resident theatre company of the California Theatre. [20]

Now in its 44th season, the Pittsburg Theatre Company continues its annual performances at the California Theatre. Productions have included Steel Magnolias, Fiddler on the Roof , The Addams Family and It Shoulda Been You . [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburg, California</span> City in California, United States

Pittsburg is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is an industrial suburb located on the southern shore of the Suisun Bay in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, and is part of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta area, the Eastern Contra Costa County area, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 76,416 at the 2020 United States Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castro Theatre</span> Historic movie palace in San Francisco

The Castro Theatre is a historic movie palace in the Castro District of San Francisco, California. The venue became San Francisco Historic Landmark #100 in September 1976. Located at 429 Castro Street, it was built in 1922 with a California Churrigueresque façade that pays homage—in its great arched central window surmounted by a scrolling pediment framing a niche—to the basilica of Mission Dolores nearby. Its designer, Timothy L. Pflueger, also designed Oakland's Paramount Theater and other movie theaters in California during that period. The theater has more than 1,400 seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Theatre</span> United States historic place

The Tennessee Theatre is a movie palace in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. The theater was built in 1928 in the 1908 Burwell Building, considered Knoxville's first skyscraper. The theater and Burwell Building were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and the theater was extensively restored in the early 2000s. The Tennessee Theatre currently focuses on hosting performing arts events and classic films, and is home to the Knoxville Opera and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. The theater is managed by AC Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama Theatre</span> Movie theatre in Birmingham, Alabama, USA

The Alabama Theatre is a movie palace in Birmingham, Alabama. It was built in 1927 by Paramount's Publix Theatres chain as its flagship theater for the southeastern region of the United States. Seating 2,500 people at the time, it was the largest in the Birmingham theater district. The district was once home to many large theaters and movie palaces that featured vaudeville, performing arts, nickelodeons and Hollywood films. Built to show silent films, the Alabama still features its original Wurlitzer theater organ. The Alabama Theatre and Lyric Theatre are the district's only remaining theaters, and as of 2024, both are in operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Theatre (Detroit)</span> Theater and former movie theater in Detroit, Michigan, US

The Fox Theatre is a performing arts center located at 2211 Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, near the Grand Circus Park Historic District. Opened in 1928 as a flagship movie palace in the Fox Theatres chain, it was at over 5,000 seats the largest theater in the city. Designed by theater architect C. Howard Crane, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan Theater (Ann Arbor, Michigan)</span> Theater in Michigan, United States

The Michigan Theater is a movie palace in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, near the Central Campus of the University of Michigan. It shows independent films and stage productions, and hosts musical concerts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pellissier Building and Wiltern Theatre</span> Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument

The Pellissier Building and adjoining Wiltern Theatre is a 12-story, 155-foot (47 m) Art Deco landmark at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The entire complex is commonly referred to as the Wiltern Center. Clad in a blue-green glazed architectural terra-cotta tile and situated diagonal to the street corner, the complex is considered one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the United States. The Wiltern building is owned privately, and the Wiltern Theatre is operated by Live Nation's Los Angeles division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coronado Theatre</span> Theatre in Rockford, Illinois, US

The Coronado Performing Arts Center, in Rockford, Illinois, is a 2,400-seat theatre, designed by architect Frederic J. Klein. The theatre cost $1.5 million to build, and opened on October 9, 1927.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bay Theater</span> Movie theater in California

The Bay Theatre is a single-screen movie theater in Seal Beach, California, United States. It is best known for its screenings of foreign and independent films, and for its revival screenings. The Bay Theatre is also home to a Wurlitzer organ, which is used for concerts and silent film screenings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlington Theatre</span> Theater in Santa Barbara, California

The Arlington Theatre is a historic movie theatre in Santa Barbara, California, United States. Combining the Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival styles of architecture, it the largest movie theater and principal performing arts venue the city. In addition to regular screenings and artists, it is home to many events associated with the annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catalina Casino</span> Entertainment facility in California, US

The Catalina Casino is an entertainment facility in Avalon on Santa Catalina Island, off the coast of Los Angeles in California, US. It is the largest building on the island and the most visible landmark in Avalon Bay when approaching the island from the mainland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Theatre (Saginaw, Michigan)</span>

The Temple Theatre is a historic theater, located on the banks of the Saginaw River in Saginaw, Michigan. The Temple was built in 1927 for the Elf Khurafeh Shriners, and operated for 50 years by W. S. Butterfield Theatres. The theatre complex also contains the former clubhouse of the Elf Khurafeh Shrine, now in use as event space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redford Theatre</span> Movie theater in Detroit, Michigan, United States

The Redford Theatre is an atmospheric theatre in the Old Redford neighborhood of Detroit. The theatre opened in January 1928, advertised as "Detroit's most unique suburban theatre," due to its grand design, featuring Japanese and Chinese motifs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atmospheric theatre</span> Type of movie theater

An atmospheric theatre is a type of movie palace design which was popular in the late 1920s. Atmospheric theatres were designed and decorated to evoke the feeling of a particular time and place for patrons, through the use of projectors, architectural elements and ornamentation that evoked a sense of being outdoors. This was intended to make the patron a more active participant in the setting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Morton Organ Company</span>

The Robert Morton Organ Company was an American producer of theater pipe organs and church organs, located in Van Nuys, California. Robert Morton was the number two volume producer of theatre organs, building approximately half as many organs as the industry leader Wurlitzer. The name Robert Morton was derived not from any person in the company, but rather from the name of company president Harold J. Werner's son, Robert Morton Werner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yost Theater</span>

The Yost Theater is a concert and events venue in Santa Ana, California. It is a National Register of Historic Places-listed building located in Santa Ana's Downtown Historic District. Under the ownership of the Olivos Family it became a movie house for the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. In recent years it housed various church organizations and underwent renovation in 2007. It is currently an event venue that hosts such functions as concerts, Ted Talks, school dances, and weddings.

The Capitol Theatre is a theatre operating in Rome, New York. It opened December 10, 1928 as part of the Kallet chain of movie houses, presenting first run films until it closed in 1974. After extensive renovation, the theatre re-opened in 1985 as the non-profit Capitol Civic Center, offering classic films, live theatrical performances, and concerts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Theater (Meridian, Mississippi)</span> United States historic place

The Hamasa Shrine Temple Theater, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, is a historic theater located at 2320 8th Street in Meridian, Mississippi. The Temple Theater was constructed in the Moorish Revival style and began screening silent films in 1928. The theater features a Byzantine motif, a swirl of marble fountains, and large bronze chandeliers. At the time of its construction, the theater contained one of the largest stages in the United States, second only to the Roxy Theater in New York City. The theater houses one of only two Robert Morton theatre organs still installed in their original locations in the State of Mississippi – the other being installed at the Saenger Theater in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Both organs are under the care and restoration efforts of the Magnolia Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanford Theatre</span> Movie theater in Palo Alto for classic films

The Stanford Theatre is a classical independent movie theater in Palo Alto, California. It was designed and built in the 1920s as a movie palace styled in neoclassical Persian and Moorish architecture. Today it specializes in films produced between 1910 and 1970 and seasonal programs typically include film festivals for various genres, directors, and actors, such as Alfred Hitchcock, Bette Davis, and Cary Grant. The Stanford Theatre frequently accounts for as much as twenty-five percent of all classic film attendance in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Cinema, Stockport</span> Cinema in England

The Plaza is a Grade II* listed art deco single-screen cinema and theatre in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1932, its construction having involved the excavation of the sandstone cliff behind it. After an initial closure in 1966 and a subsequent period in use as a bingo hall by Rank Leiure, it has now been restored as a cinema and theatre, showing films and staging live shows.

References

  1. "About the Theatre". pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  2. 1 2 "About Us". Pittsburg California Theatre. Archived from the original on September 13, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  3. "California Theatre Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  4. 1 2 3 Pittsburg Historical Society, City of Pittsburg (2023-03-27). "Old Town Path of History". ArcGIS StoryMaps. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  5. Marion, Douglas (1960). "The Smith Unit Organs" . Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  6. "Theatre Organ". Journal of the American Association of Theatre Organ Enthusiasts. 5 (1). 1963.
  7. "Pittsburg theater's restored pipe organ to accompany silent film". East Bay Times . 2017-10-16. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  8. Hoge, Patrick (2006-04-23). "BIG-SCREEN REVIVAL / Cities around the Bay Area invest in vintage Art Deco theaters in hopes of touching off cultural, even economic, renaissance". SFGate . Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  9. Mitchell, Eve (2012-06-15). "A restored California Theatre to open in the fall". The Mercury News . Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  10. "2016 Governor's Historic Preservation Awards: California Theatre" (PDF). California State Office of Historic Preservation. 2016. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  11. "Since Reopening, The California Theatre in Pittsburg Going Strong". East County Today. 2013-09-18. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  12. Gottesman, Kyra (2021-09-21). "Artist continues State Theatre restoration". Chico Enterprise-Record . Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  13. "2113 Kittredge Street – California Theater: Landmark application" (PDF). City of Berkeley. 2022-05-05. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  14. "Historic East Bay theater gets new operator". The Mercury News . 2023-07-19. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  15. "Pittsburg Selects New Operator of the California Theatre". Contra Costa News. 2023-07-19. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  16. "On Tap: Tony Danza's 'Standards and Stories' show coming to Pittsburg". East Bay Times . 2024-01-20. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  17. Mitchell, Eve (2016-12-11). "Pittsburg: Pete Escovedo returns home for New Year's show". East Bay Times . Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  18. "On Tap: Taye Diggs, Chris Titus coming to Pittsburg". East Bay Times . 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  19. "State Support for Historic Theatre Renovation Project". City of Pittsburg. 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  20. "About Us". Pittsburg Theatre Company. 2018-07-01. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  21. "Past Seasons". Pittsburg Theatre Company. 2018-07-01. Retrieved 2024-02-04.