Golden State Theatre

417 Alvarado Street,
Monterey, CA 93940

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Showing 26 - 50 of 58 comments

Patsy
Patsy on February 4, 2006 at 4:17 am

After viewing the present angled marquee I prefer the original squared off marquee AND the vertical STATE sign. If you go to the following website you’ll see what recently appeared at the Shea’s in Buffalo after being missed by so many loyal patrons.

http://preserve.bfn.org/archives/shea/

tomdelay
tomdelay on February 3, 2006 at 1:53 pm

Sorry for the semi-double posting. The website is acting nuts tonight. My first post was sent and a reply claimed “page not found”; but, obviously it did. With all the hits, Cinema Treasures is “desperate with success.”

tomdelay
tomdelay on February 3, 2006 at 1:23 pm

Patsy

Unfortunately for the GST, Mat (Matt) is no longer the manager, hence the rosy-looking ad that appeared in today’s front page version of Cinema Treasures.

Any theatre that catches Matt for a staff member will have a real PLUS on their side. Matt is a superb person to work with who quietly went about his job in fine order. Matt worked under conditions at the theatre that I will only go into via “private” e-mail.

tomdelay
tomdelay on February 3, 2006 at 1:13 pm

Patsy;

Unfortunately for the GST, Mat (Matt) is no longer at the theatre as manager, hence the rosy-looking ad that appeared on the front page of the Cinema Treasures for today.

Matt was a superb person to work with who did his job superbly under circumstances that I will only discuss under private e-mail! Any theatre that gets Matt as a manager will have a real PLUS for their staff.

Patsy
Patsy on February 3, 2006 at 9:34 am

Mat: The Golden State Theatre website is very well done and very complete! After viewing many of the photos it would be nice to see the vertical STATE sign back in its original location.

BradHarlan
BradHarlan on June 9, 2005 at 6:02 pm

Exciting times yesterday and today. Progress is being made again on opening the stenciling on the vaulted ceiling of the mezzanine. Truly amazing patterns, and surprisingly well-preserved under the layer of blah white paint.

Just as exciting is the installation of new atmospheric lighting in the auditorium! Using LED light bars, the original lighting patterns can be generated once again, at a tiny percentage of the power usage it took when the theatre originally opened. My favorite pattern so far is a “sunset” behind the proscenium arch, an effect we know is original to the theatre by the placement of the colored bulbs behind the false front.

By the way, Tom DeLay played the Wurlitzer for my 50th birthday party. He may not be comfortable with playing in public, but he sure is good at it!

tomdelay
tomdelay on May 2, 2005 at 8:58 am

Yes, that line was great to see again. We had this happen when the organ was restored in 1994; when Tom Hazleton returned home to Monterey. It happened again in 1996 when we presented the original “Phantom of the Opera” silent with Dennis James accompanying. Of course, the auditorium held only 700 people then.

No, I was not at the organ. I am not comfortable playing theatre organ music in public. The organist was John Christopher who lives in Monterey and teaches at the music store where Abinante’s used to be.

I do not know about the ticket situation for “Grease”. I would call the theatre (831) 372-4556 for info.

The organ will be used as pre-show music for the entire run of classic films over the next several weeks.

dj1mtry
dj1mtry on May 2, 2005 at 12:40 am

Tom, were you on the Wurlitzer? Yes, it was a great night and I am so glad there was such a great turn out. When I got there at 6, there was a line all the way down the block. However, promptly at 6 the doors opened and the line went quickly. I actually ran across the street to get coffee. By the time my coffee was ready, the line was gone. Thanks to everyone that made this possible and I look forward to many more performances and movies. Can you tell me if there will be assigned seating for Grease?

David

tomdelay
tomdelay on May 1, 2005 at 11:21 pm

“Gone With the Wind” was a great success! It was a trip to see the theatre filled with nearly 1000 people again. The balcony had the largest group of people in it for the first time in 29 years. The projection was first rate, the sound was superb, and it was great to hear the public response to the Wurlitzer roaring away. Even with a capacity audience, the room’s acoustic did not change and remained bright, live, and totally natural.

BradHarlan
BradHarlan on April 27, 2005 at 8:27 pm

Thank YOU for the kind comments, David! We’re all very excited about GWTW this weekend. Tickets have been selling at a healthy clip for both shows.

The big news today is the installation of the new loge seating…very cushy and plush. Next on the seating agenda: refurbishment of the upper balcony seats, which came from the long-ago Carmel Theatre in Carmel-by-the-Sea. New seat buckets and reupholstered backs are on the docket. When the upper balcony rows are filled in, seating capacity of the theatre will be just shy of 1,000.

Fun thing: many moons ago, the indirect niche lighting in the auditorium was softened by milk glass panels in each of the small window openings. Guess what? In most cases, the milk glass was still there, but so filthy that no light was shining through. A couple of members of the restoration gang have removed, SCRUBBED and replaced all those they could reach, and the effect is breathtaking. It really highlights the openings without the extra light being offensive.

Another fun thing: the large urns above each of the balcony exits have been backed by plywood since time immemorial. Tom discovered that these, too, were originally backed by milk glass sheets measuring about two feet by three feet! This would illuminate the urns in silhouette. While none of us want to handle glass sheets that large, the plywood will be replaced by white lucite, giving the same effect without the weight or the danger. Can’t wait!

dj1mtry
dj1mtry on April 20, 2005 at 12:27 pm

I was just in the theatre today buying tickets to Gone With the Wind. It is truly stunning! I hope the community appreciates and supports what is going on here. I was almost brought to tears when I walked into the main theatre. Congratulations and thank you to everyone involved in making this possible!

BradHarlan
BradHarlan on March 13, 2005 at 6:15 pm

The pipe organ artistry, and composition and conducting skills, of Mr. Robert Israel were well-evident this last Friday as he and the all-female Golden State Theatre Orchestra performed for the screening of Harold Lloyd’s “Grandma’s Boy” at GST. An enthusiastic crowd of 600 attended this latest “work in progress” as restoration continues. A definitive calendar of events will be forthcoming on goldenstatetheatre.com, so remember to check there for details. Better yet, sign up online for email updates!

The next major step…loge seating. The floor in this portion of the balcony has been reclad and carpeted…truly stunning.

tomdelay
tomdelay on February 20, 2005 at 11:22 pm

More minutia dept. Yes, since 1926, the baseboard colors appear to have been the original light terra cotta, then the forest green (probably the 1934 redecoration), rust red, yellow, ivory, neon green, green, and now back to the likely 1934 forest green.

It was also discovered that several rough plaster ceiling surfaces were applied with an Ebersonian sponged-on maze of light blue, rust, brown, gold, and Lord knows what else.

All of the original stencils and painted surfaces were done by the Fagioni Studios of San Francisco. As of this point, it is not known what company did the original, spectacular, lobby celing painting.

Evergreene Studios of New York is to be commended for the wonderful work they did to bring this space back to “life”. Thanks Jackie and Walter!

BradHarlan
BradHarlan on February 20, 2005 at 7:14 pm

Thanks for correcting the theatre’s name!

BradHarlan
BradHarlan on February 19, 2005 at 5:46 pm

Pardon me while I gloat. For all practical purposes, the lobby is DONE! Carpet is in, plaster baseboards are repainted in the original forest green, all ornament is clean, and velvet drapes have been hung in the storage space opening behind the late-but-not-lamented 1970s concession stand. This wall will eventually be restored to its original appearance, but that will require a permit, which is a ways down the road.

(Baseboards note: These baseboards have been four different colors…white, red (!), pale green and forest green. I think I also saw yellow (!!) but I won’t swear to it.)

With the ticket counter and the aforementioned concession counter gone, the lobby is huge, and the original three spaces are now very evident…vestibule, grand lobby and inner lobby. The new carpet pattern, much like the 1934 version, increases the perception of space. The new reproduction furniture looks right at home.

And I vacuumed that space today. I’ll never gripe about vacuuming my own home again!

BradHarlan
BradHarlan on February 11, 2005 at 6:52 pm

Change o' plans. The show will be March 11, and the title is Lloyd’s “Grandma’s Boy” with a 20-piece orchestra AND the Mighty Wurlitzer!

Amazing discovery department: while workers were restringing security camera cables, they discovered that the original lobby walls and ceiling are still intact! They’ve been photographed, and the 1926 design, while interesting, is nothing to write home about…really very plain and dungeon-like. One theory is that when the Golden State Theatre chain built Reid Bros.‘ Merced Theatre, the chain owners were so taken with the lobby design of the Merced that they decided to replicate it in Monterey’s Golden State. This 1934 remodel removed about a foot of width from the lobby and about three feet of height…and saved a ton of cleanup!

It appears that the theatre’s original seat annunciator and in-house telephone systems may still be intact! More on those if discoveries warrant.

Carpet installation continues, and the meticulous pattern matching is well worth the time. Gorgeous!

The staff of the Golden State Theatre is preparing to launch a new website. I’ve seen the prototype and it’s beautiful. I’ll post the address here as soon as it’s completed.

New 4K lamp housings are now operational and the new giant screen has been flown.

Now, how does one change this listing’s title from “State Theatre” to “Golden State Theatre”?

BradHarlan
BradHarlan on February 5, 2005 at 10:36 pm

EverGreene Studios completed the restoration/preservation of the Golden State’s lobby beams and ceiling today! Exciting note: those of us who have volunteered at the theatre for the past umpteen years could see ghosts of stenciling on the flat panels between the beams. EverGreene opened one of these, and they were stunning. So the theatre’s new owner, Warren Dewey, contracted with the studio to reproduce all seven of these giants as an add-on to the project, and they’re probably being applied even as I write this! Whatta guy!

Two of our volunteers have opened the original design in the four balcony “window” niches. They are paintings of highly detailed roman shades, raised about 1/3 of the way up from the “sill” of the niche. One is completed; three to go.

The new carpet has FINALLY arrived, and installation begins Monday.

Next show: Robert Israel on the Mighty Wurlitzer for Harold Lloyd’s “Safety Last” on March 12.

BradHarlan
BradHarlan on January 25, 2005 at 11:43 am

The traveling exhibition of Murnau’s silent classic “Faust” was a triumph. The evening featured the live original score by Gatto Marte (www.gattomarte.com) and the performance was both a sellout and a knockout. This was due in part to the new larger screen and the ultra-brilliant 4K projector lamp housings. Of additional interest was the debut of one of the three electrical lighting circuits (amber) powering the atmospheric coves, so all were illuminated for the first time in about 25 years.

The crew from Evergreene Studios continues its restoration of the water-damaged lobby beam stencils, and the new carpeting is being installed this week.

Of particular note in the world of movie palace entertainment is that I will celebrate my 50th birthday at the Golden State in March! ;–)

tomdelay
tomdelay on January 19, 2005 at 8:34 pm

Mr. Bell;

The Regency (ex Strand/Rio) Theatre directly across from the State is around +300 seats and is managed from the State team. The theatre is vastly better under the new management than it was under the earlier chain-owned situation.

The MIIS is a nice concert/lecture hall environemnt, but I have never heard of any films being shown there.

Tom DeLay

Dana
Dana on January 19, 2005 at 2:06 pm

Mr. Bell, for theater space, you might try contacting the Monterey Institute of International Studies. The have a theater about the size you’re looking for and I know they have held similar events there in the past.

Dana Russell

BradHarlan
BradHarlan on January 7, 2005 at 6:02 pm

New Year’s Eve was HUGE. More than 4,000 people looked through the building and/or stayed for classic cartoons, the mighty WurlitZer, and live stage entertainment. The new seats were very well received, as was the restoration to date.

Sweet story: the new owner was conversing with a local woman, and he introduced me as one of the painting volunteers. She turned to me, and on the verge of tears said, “I can’t thank you enough. I remember leaning back in my seat when I was a little girl and pretending I was in a castle.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, made the last 10 years of work well worth while!

Next on the to-do list: carpet replacement (on the looms as I write this); loge seat replacement (after the new carpet is installed) and restoration of the atmospheric cove lighting (already in progress.)

BradHarlan
BradHarlan on December 13, 2004 at 9:05 pm

December 13, 2004 update:

Evidently the previous owners of the theatre were sold a bill of goods by a company that swore they could reduce the various aromas in the building by putting DIRT under the wooden floor. We discovered enough soil to farm beans. Two brave, thin young men crawled into the space beneath the wooden floor and shoveled out yards of the stuff. The difference in the atmosphere of the building is amazing! It still smells old, but it no longer smells musty. Very refreshing.

In other news, a new top layer of finished birch plywood has been applied to the existing floor and painted. New design discoveries have been made in various niches and coves and are in the process of being uncovered and restored. The original exhaust fans, disconnected for years or blocked entirely by the balcony theatres, have been found to be in working condition and are pumping fresh air through the building for the first time in almost three decades. New carpet has been ordered. Gold washing of the walls in the lobby and on the mezzanine is nearly completed. A water pipe which came out of the auditorium floor and snaked over the orchestra pit wall was replumbed today…UNDER the floor, where it belongs.

And the best news? The new main floor seats arrive TOMORROW and they are SPECTACULAR!

Join us for a sneak preview New Year’s Eve!