Balboa Pavilion - Citizendia

Balboa Pavilion
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Location:	400 Main St Newport Beach, California
Added to NRHP:	May 17, 1984
NRHP Reference#:	84000914

The Balboa Pavilion in Newport Beach, Orange County, California, is a state landmark. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP is the United States government's official list of districts sites buildings structures and objects deemed worthy of The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP is the United States government's official list of districts sites buildings structures and objects deemed worthy of Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Orange County is a county in Southern California, United States. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. 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. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting

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.

1 History
2 Museum usage
- 2.1 Restoration
- 2.2 Purchase
3 Pavilion Today
4 See also
5 External links

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. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D ”

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. In Architecture a pavilion (from French, "pavillon" from Latin "papilio" has two main significations The Balboa Pier is one of two piers located in the city of Newport Beach, Orange County, California. The Balboa Peninsula (also referred to as "Balboa" is a subsection of the city of Newport Beach, Orange County, California. 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. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Dorn, who would later go on to work as an associate of Morgan, Walls & Clements. Stiles Oliver Clements ( March 2, 1883 &ndash January 15, 1966) was a Los Angeles Architect trained at the École 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. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The term Victorian architecture can refer to one of a number of Architectural styles predominantly employed during the Victorian era. The Pacific Electric Railway, also known as the Red Car system was a Mass transit system in Southern California using Streetcars, Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting

The Balboa Pavilion in 1906

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. In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July (or the Fourth) is a Federal holiday commemorating the adoption

Big Band era

The 1930s ushered in the Big Band era. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. A big band is a type of Musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late On weekends the Pavilion featured such prominent bands as Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and the Dorsey Brothers. William "Count" Basie ( August 21, 1904 &ndash April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, Organist The Dorsey Brothers consisted of a studio group fronted by musicians Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Phil Harris and his band played regularly on weekdays. Phil Harris (born Wonga Philip Harris) ( June 24, 1904 – August 11, 1995) was an American Singer, The dance step called the "Balboa" originated at the Balboa Pavilion and swept across the United States. Balboa today is commonly used as a general term for dances that come from southern California during the 1920s and 1930s

The Pavilion had several upstairs and downstairs card rooms where patrons would gamble.

Until the later 1930s, the Pavilion offered speed boat rides. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. 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. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is Fishing for Pleasure or Competition. 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. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Bowling is a Game / Sport in which players attempt to score points by rolling a Bowling ball along a flat surface either into objects called pins 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. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

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. Bingo is a Game of chance in which randomly selected numbers are drawn and players match those numbers to those appearing on 5x5 matrices which are printed or electronically 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. Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) The museum displayed over 2. 5 million shells. Eventually, the shell fish collection was donated to Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. The Bowers Museum is a museum in Santa Ana California, in Orange County. Founded in 1869 Santa Ana ( is the most populous city in Orange County California and is the County seat and a city of about 353184 people.

Restoration

In 1961, the Gronskys sold the Balboa Pavilion to Ducommun Realty Company of Los Angeles. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 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. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 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. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. , a sport fishing operation, purchased the Balboa Pavilion to provide a permanent terminal for the expansion of its Catalina Island passenger service. Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky Island off the coast of the U 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. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar)

In late November 2005, the Balboa Pavilion Company sold the Balboa Pavilion to the Gugasians. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

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. Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky Island off the coast of the U

Frequently, this building is misspelled "Balboa Pavillion. ^[sic] "

Address

Balboa Pavilion

400 Main Street

Newport Beach, CA 92661

(949) 675-1905

External links

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