Balboa Pavilion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Balboa Pavilion
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| Location | 400 Main St Newport Beach, California |
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| Built | 1906 |
| Architect | Fred R. Dorn |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 84000914 |
| Added to NRHP | May 17, 1984 |
The Balboa Pavilion is a famous building in Newport Beach, Orange County, California. It's a special place because it's a California Historical Landmark and also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Pavilion opened on July 1, 1906. It helped Newport Beach grow by bringing people to an area that used to be just "swamp and overflow" land.
Today, the Balboa Pavilion is one of the last old waterfront buildings of its kind in California. It's still used for fun activities on the water. It's Newport Beach's most famous landmark and its oldest building still standing.
Contents
History of the Balboa Pavilion
How the Pavilion Started
In 1905, a group of people called the "Newport Bay Investment Company" got permission to build the Pavilion. They wanted to create a place for boats, a bathhouse, and a general pavilion.
They built the Pavilion on the side of the sand spit facing Newport Harbor. They also built the Balboa Pier on the ocean side. These two buildings were meant to attract people to buy land in the area, which is now called the Balboa Peninsula.
Building Design and Opening
The Pavilion was designed by an architect named Fred R. Dorn from Los Angeles. It's a Victorian style building, about 65 feet (20 meters) tall.
It was finished on July 1, 1906. This was just in time for the new Pacific Electric Railway Red Car Line to open on July 4, 1906. The Red Car line brought many people to Balboa. Because of this, many people bought land, and the company's plan worked!
The original building had a meeting room upstairs. Downstairs, there was a bathhouse where people could change into rented "bathing suits." Soon, big parades with "bathing beauties" on Fourth of July brought huge crowds to Balboa.
The Big Band Era
In the 1930s, the "Big Band" music era began. On weekends, famous bands like Count Basie and Benny Goodman played at the Pavilion. Phil Harris and his band often played during the week.
A dance called the "Balboa" even started at the Balboa Pavilion. This dance became popular all across the United States!
The Pavilion also had card rooms upstairs and downstairs where people could play games. Before the late 1930s, you could even take fast speedboat rides. Two speedy 35-foot (11-meter) boats would zoom out from under the Pavilion, sirens blaring, and race into the Pacific Ocean.
After World War II
After World War II, Newport Harbor was a major spot for sport fishing in Southern California. More than 100 boats and 9 fishing docks were there. One of these docks operated right out of the Pavilion. Today, only a few sport fishing boats remain, and one still leaves from the Balboa Pavilion.
In 1942, the upstairs part of the Pavilion became a ten-lane bowling alley. Back then, people called "pinsetters" had to set up the pins by hand.
Repairs and Changes
The Pavilion is built on a narrow strip of sand, so most of it stands over the bay on wooden poles called pilings. By 1947, these wooden pilings were falling apart. The building started to sink into the bay!
Around 1947 or 1948, a family bought the damaged Pavilion for a very low price. They replaced the old wooden pilings with strong, new concrete ones. This made the building much stronger and able to stand up to the weather.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Balboa Pavilion had a "Skil-O-Quiz" bingo game. Players won prizes instead of cash. But bingo was later made illegal, and the sheriff closed the game down.
Museum and Restoration
Shell Museum
In 1954, a shell museum opened upstairs in the Pavilion. It showed off more than 2.5 million shells! Later, this huge shell collection was given to the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.
Restoring the Building
In 1961, a company bought the Balboa Pavilion. The new owner, Edmond G. "Alan" Ducommun, wanted to make the building look like it did in 1906. He spent about a million dollars to fix it up.
In 1963, Ducommun added 1500 lights to the outside of the building. These lights are still there today. Along with the dome on top, they also help guide boats at night.
New Owners
In 1969, a sport fishing company called Davey's Locker Inc. bought the Balboa Pavilion. They wanted a permanent place for their boat service to Catalina Island. The company's president, Phil Tozer, updated the inside of the building to look like it did in the early 1900s.
In 1980, the Balboa Pavilion Company took over ownership. Then, in late 2005, they sold the Pavilion to the Gugasian family.
The Pavilion Today
Today, the Balboa Pavilion is still a busy place for fun on the water. You can find sportfishing boats there, and it's the main stop for the Catalina Flyer ferry to Catalina Island. You can also rent small boats, go whale watching, or take sunset cruises. The Pavilion also has a restaurant and an upstairs ballroom for parties and meetings.
