Balboa Pavilion

Balboa Pavilion

Infobox nrhp
name =Balboa Pavilion
nrhp_type =


caption =
location = 400 Main St
Newport Beach, California
nearest_city =
lat_degrees =
lat_minutes =
lat_seconds =
lat_direction =
long_degrees =
long_minutes =
long_seconds =
long_direction =
area =
built =
architect =
architecture =
added = May 17, 1984
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
refnum = 84000914
mpsub =
governing_body =
The Balboa Pavilion in Newport Beach, Orange County, California, is a state landmark. 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.

The Balboa Pavilion is one of California's last surviving waterfront recreational pavilions from the turn of the century. The Pavilion continues to serve the public today as a marine recreational facility and is Newport Beach’s most famous landmark, as well as its oldest standing building.

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-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.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 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 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 1940’s and early 1950’s 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 closed 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.

Pavilion Today

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

Frequently, this building is misspelled "sic|Balboa Pavillion."

Address:Balboa Pavilion:400 Main Street:Newport Beach, CA 92661:(949) 675-1905

ee also

* Balboa Fun Zone (Est. 1936). Rides, food, shops, merry-go-round, and Ferris wheel.
* Balboa Island Ferry (Est. 1919). Transports vehicles and people from Balboa Island to the Balboa Peninsula.
* Balboa Pier (Est. 1906).
* The Wedge (surfing). A fun place to go to watch crazy surfers on rare giant south swell days.

External links

*http://www.balboapavilion.com/history.html
*http://www.balboapavilion.com/Photospavilion.html
*http://www.balboapavilion.com/animals_at_Balboa_Pavilion.html


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Balboa Pavilion — Der Balboa Pavilion am Abend Der Balboa Pavilion ist das älteste Gebäude in Newport Beach im US Bundesstaat Kalifornien.[1] Die 1906 errichtete Holzkonstruktion ist im National Register of Historic Places verzeichnet und als California Historical …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Balboa Island, Newport Beach, California — Balboa Island is an area of Newport Beach, California actually comprising three modified or artificial islands in Newport Harbor: Balboa Island (coord|33|36|23|N|117|53|40|W|), the largest; the smaller Little Balboa Island… …   Wikipedia

  • Balboa Pier — Der Balboa Pier ist eine der zwei Seebrücken in Newport Beach im US Bundesstaat Kalifornien. Das historische Bauwerk liegt zentral auf der sogenannten Balboa Peninsula und ragt weit in den Pazifischen Ozean hinein. Die Seebrücke ist ein beliebter …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Balboa Fun Zone — Blick auf den Park Ort Newport Beach, Kalifornien, USA …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Balboa Island Ferry — The Balboa Island Car Ferry is a ferry service in Newport Beach, California.The ferry boats travel under 1,000 feet from Balboa Island to the Balboa Peninsula (Fun Zone area) and vice versa, reaching a top speed of four miles per hour. The speed… …   Wikipedia

  • Balboa Peninsula, Newport Beach, California — The Balboa Peninsula (also referred to as Balboa ) is a subsection of the city of Newport Beach, Orange County, California. The word Balboa, came from the famous Spanish explorer, Vasco Núñez de Balboa.Balboa is primarily residential but has some …   Wikipedia

  • Balboa Pier — The Balboa Pier is one of two piers located in the city of Newport Beach, Orange County, California. It is located in a part of Newport Beach called the Balboa Peninsula.The Balboa Pier was constructed in 1906 as a sister project of the Balboa… …   Wikipedia

  • Balboa Inn — Infobox nrhp name = Balboa Inn nrhp type = caption = location = 105 Main St. Newport Beach, California nearest city = lat degrees = lat minutes = lat seconds = lat direction = long degrees = long minutes = long seconds = long direction = area =… …   Wikipedia

  • Balboa Park, San Diego, California — Infobox nrhp | name =Balboa Park nrhp type = nhld caption = La Laguna de Las Flores in 1915 nearest city= San Diego, California locmapin = California area = built =1915 architect= Multiple architecture= Mission/spanish Revival, Other designated=… …   Wikipedia

  • Spreckels Organ Pavilion, San Diego, California — Spreckels Organ Pavilion is home of the world s largest outdoor pipe organ.Spreckels Organ Pavilion was constructed for the 1915 Panama California Exposition in Balboa Park. It is located at the corner of President s Way and Pan American Road… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”