Since Reopening, The California Theatre in Pittsburg Going Strong

In January, the California Theatre in Pittsburg re-opened its doors  after being closed for 59-years. After the completion of a $7.6 million restoration the theatre has and those involved have not looked back.

Picture the year 1920. Think Gatsby.  Warren G. Harding was the President of the United States.  The decade marked the Jazz Age, Age of Intolerance, Art Deco and some say nonsense.  The 18^th Amendment to the Constitution was passed, banning the production and consumption of alcohol.  The 19^th Amendment followed, giving women the right to vote.  The Red Scare fueled suspicions in society. The Ford Model T was parked on many street corners and the first commercial radio station was broadcasted.  The New York Yankees signed Babe Ruth.   Albert Einstein worked on his theories of physics which would win him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1921.  Walt Disney produced his first Cartoon, Alice in Wonderland.  Silent film star Charlie Chaplin was a hit. It was a time filled with flappers, bootleggers, families moving from farms to the city, and a time in which everyone wanted to be entertained. It’s a time that we all look back on with wide eyes and wonderment.

1920 was also the year that the California Theatre in Pittsburg opened its doors on May 4^th.  You can feel still feel the history and excitement from the Jazz age beckoning you in as you walk through the theater’s doors today.

Sylvester and Salvatore Enea constructed the theater. The brothers were early entrepreneurs who showed silent movies and welcomed Vaudeville acts such as comedians, acrobats, singers, dancers and magicians.  Jill Hecht, Assistant to the city manager, in Pittsburg notes that , “The auditorium featured a large art-deco chandelier with a beaux-artes style ceiling decoration, the carpets were thick and luxurious, and the balcony was grand.” She also adds that “Pittsburg residents from that time remember that even the bathrooms were richly appointed. It was always a special treat to catch a show at the California Theatre. Adults paid 25 cents, children 15 cents.”

The building was constructed by architect A.W. Cornelius who also designed The California Theatre in Richmond and the Fox Theatre in Salinas. According to Pittsburg resident, and historian Tom La Fleur, The California Theatre “was the grandest theater in Contra Costa County.”

During World War II the California Theatre transformed.  Pittsburg was home to Camp Stoneman, which was the main debarkation point for the military to the Pacific. At the time, the theater held close to 1,000 people, and soldiers would come to the theater while they were on leave or had a day off. The theatre would show movies and news reels of what was happening overseas.  At the time, it was how most people got their news.

The introduction of the television changed entertainment itself. People stayed in their homes more and theaters across the country suffered.  The California Theatre closed its doors in 1954. A roof leak damaged the ceiling, which collapsed into the abandoned auditorium. The city of Pittsburg bought the property in 1970.  In 1975, the original marquee was removed.  Over the years, local theater groups and downtown businesses urged its restoration. The task was seen as overwhelming.  

In 1994, the City of Pittsburg began the project of cleaning up and stabilizing the deteriorating theater. In 2008, City planners approved designs for renovation of the theater exterior, and by 2009, the project that eventually became a $7.2 million restoration began in earnest.

After being closed for half a century, on January 19^th, 2013, The California Theatre opened its doors for business yet again.  Beate Bruhl, restoration artist, recovered or recreated artwork in the entryway, the balcony and the auditorium, recapturing the grandeur of the original.  “Her painstaking work refurbished or replaced vivid paintings, original sculptures and murals, including images of winged nymphs dancing on clouds alongside the stage,” says Hecht.  “Light fixtures and handrails were restored, and when necessary, fabricated to match photographs from a half century ago.”  The chandelier, stair bannisters and many of the lights and sconces are original.

“It is a pleasure to see not just a resto-mod but a full restoration performed on the crown jewel of downtown Pittsburg,” noted Carol Schapkeron, a Pittsburg resident.

The Theater is presenting the comedy, The Odd Couple, October 25^th and 26^th.  In December they will be presenting Disney’s Aladdin Jr. for two weekends. The musical South Pacific will be in March and in May the Agatha Christie’s drama, The Mousetrap. With support from the community, the theater will be able to expand the programs.

Crystal Watts, manager of the theatre encourages couples, friends and families to visit the theatre.  “It’s an old, classy theatre from the Art Deco Age,” she said.

You can purchase tickets in person or over the phone. 2013. Season tickets can still be purchased via mail from Pittsburg Community Theatre. For more information regarding the pricing of tickets and season passes visit http://www.pittsburgcommunitytheatre.org/

The California Theatre is located at 351 Railroad Avenue in downtown Pittsburg.

For more information about the theater visit https://www.facebook.com/cnn/posts/10151939373196509#!/califtheatre

By Amy Schrader
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Email: [email protected]