Balboa Theatre

The WONDERFUL, MAGNIFICENT Balboa! Back in the ‘70’s I remember going to see a double bill there with my dad, of “Blue Max” and “Dirty Dingus McGee.” And just before it closed, I went to see “Purple Rain” there just to have the chance to go into the theatre. I remember looking up at the balcony, which was closed to the public, and seeing these enormous, tall, standing sound baffles, which looked like Easter Island statues looming silently over the auditorium. I could never have guessed that twenty years later I would be standing on that stage singing the role of Valens in Georg Frederick Handel’s oratorio/opera “Theodora” with the Bach Collegium San Diego under the baton of Richard Egar. The Balboa Theatre is one of the finest concert halls on the west coast, and a GREAT SAVE for the people of San Diego. Thanks primarily to Jan Manos, who forced the recalcitrant City’s hand. Well done, Jan, and thank you.

The Balboa Theatre has lost another hero.

Leo Schario passed away at the age of 92 last week. He was a wonderful friend and mentor and one of our earliest “Save Our Balboa” crusaders. His theatre knowledge and experience was unsurpassed and he was an instrumental player in our efforts to save the Balboa Theatre from being gutted. In the beginning, it was a very small band of activists that persevered in our efforts to save the Balboa Theatre from destruction. It started with an army of powerful detractors and ended with an army of supporters. Few are aware of what a tremendous struggle it was. Thank you Leo for caring and always being generous with your time, your knowledge, your experience and most of all your friendship. Sincere condolences to your long time friend and partner Hugh Chandler.

Steve Karo

Closed from 1985, the Balboa Theatre, a movie palace built in 1924 in
downtown San Diego, reopened in January 2008 after a $26.5 million dollar
restoration. See the difference in the “before” photo (from
November/December Preservation magazine of the National Trust for Historic
Preservation) http://www.flickr.com/photos/28011786@N03/
and the photo “after” restoration by Evergreene Architectural Arts of the original paint scheme:
View link

Since reopening, the Balboa has welcomed more than 131, 000 patrons, servingagain as a economic engine and cultural oasis of downtown.

LM, it is so nice to see older pictures when the theatre wasn’t encompassed by Horton Plaza.

Here is a photo of the Balboa I took earlier this month:
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I went to the Balboa Theater for the first time last Saturday night. They were showing a colorized (yes, you read that right) version of Plan Nine From Outer Space on the big screen with members of the cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000 live on the stage commenting on the movie. It was a hoot with some of the people from Comicon showing up in costume as part of the audience.

The interior of the theater is gorgeous, not overdone or ostenacious. It probably looks much like it originally did. They oddest features are the faux waterfall scenes set into alcoves on each side of the stage. The lobby area is minimalist to say the least, but the 1300 plus seat interior is worth a look see. Of course, since it is a live venue now, you won’t get in for the cost of a movie ticket. You’ll have to pay a minimum of $25 to see anything there — even Plan Nine from Outer Space (colorized no less).

Here is a photo taken shortly before the opening in 1924. On the right, you can see a few of the letters for the eventual marquee:
http://tinyurl.com/2z63gz

The restored Fox Theater (formerly Balboa Theater) organ had its debut last Friday and Saturday night when it was played during intermission of a presentation of the silent version of “Robin Hood”. It is staying at the Fox (now Copley Symphony Hall).

The theatre hasn’t opened yet. I probably won’t be attending any of the events. My job is done. Here is the latest:

The first free public previews of the theatre will be on Jan. 11, 12, and 13th. These will be “ticketed” events, but the tickets will be free. The exact method of distributing the tickets is still being discussed. The stage performances on those days are still being finalized.

The Gala on January 31st will also be a ticketed event with ticket prices possibly in the vicinity of $250. Tickets are not yet available. The intent is that the proceeds from the event (the amount over and above the cost of the event) will be put in an endowment fund with the San Diego Foundation. The endowment will be used to provide grants to local non-profit users of the Balboa to assist them with the rental fee of the theatre.

Happy Holidays to all.

I stand corrected. Yes, the facades for the organ echo chambers are still there. The air chutes are gone, therefore no organ pipes, and the one on the right side is merely a passage from the booth to the manager’s office. My mistake.

For the person who wanted to volunteer at the Balboa, a good way might be to join the:

Balboa Theatre Foundation.
PO Box 371461
San Diego, CA 92137
(619) 233-1333

Here is a link to a video news story about the restoration. I don’t know if it is just my computer, but the video is very choppy and the sound is messed up but there are some good shots of the interior.

http://video.nbcsandiego.com/player/?id=189798

Hi Dan,

I doubt if there will be any projection equipment in the booth (don’t know, for sure); mostly digital equipment, follow spots, etc. for live performance. Other than that, the booth is fully restored, even the toilet. The managers office will be directly across from it on the 4th St. side with a door and walk directly to the booth. The organ echo chambers are gone.

Here’s a photo I took last weekend of the Balboa with its new paint job. I wonder if some type of marquee will be replaced.

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