El Campanil Theatre
602 W. Second Street,
Antioch,
CA
94509
602 W. Second Street,
Antioch,
CA
94509
4 people
favorited this theater
When it opened in 1928, the El Campanil Theatre served as a venue for both vaudeville and movies. It was built at a cost of $500,000. Among the performers to appear at the theater were Roy Rogers, Mary Pickford, Sally Rand, and Donald O'Connor.
Its Spanish Colonial/Spanish Gothic style facade was unusual because as the theater’s name suggests, it had three archways, each with a bell inside it, with the largest arch and bell being in the middle over the main entrance, three stories up. The auditorium still has its original ornate painting and Moorish chandeliers and wall sconces. The dressing rooms are adorned with hundreds of autographs that date back to the theater’s opening.
After decades serving as a movie house, the Campanil closed, but later was reopened, serving as a church. The theater was purchased by a non-profit foundation in 2003.
Contributed by
David Brink, Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 17 comments)
Here is a more recent photo.
Two more photos are here and here.
i been to this theater twice to see 2 really good shows in late 2007 i seen a mexican folk band from richmond ca called Los Cenzontles and they rocked the house and in march of 2008 i seen another very good band from los angeles called mariachi divas they played to a sold out Audience and also rocked the crown i had such a good time .
but as a theater it has that classic charm i really enjoyed this place i’m glad this cinema gem was restored …..
Here is a 1981 photo:
http://snipurl.com/gjt97
1986 night photo of the Campanil Cinema.
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2005 photo of the El Campanil Theatre courtesy of Tom Spaulding.
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When the theatre was “rehabilitated” in 2004, the stage was extended, new lighting, sound, marquee and 700 new (vintage style) seats were installed.
Visit the website at: www.elcampaniltheatre.com
A few 2011 photos can be seen here and here.
Described in this two-page 1929 trade article: archive
There are five photos of this theater on this webpage; clicking on them will enlarge the thumbnails.