Golden State Theatre
417 Alvarado Street,
Monterey,
CA
93940
417 Alvarado Street,
Monterey,
CA
93940
12 people
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Showing 51 - 59 of 59 comments
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!
I suggest you contact the theatre at 831/372-3800 or 831/372-4556.
Ask for Matt.
Tom DeLay
Hi All,
I need a theater in Monterey to premiere the documentary I am producing. We followed 8 pro mountain bikers for about 6 months as they tried to make the Olympic team. More info can be found at www.offroadtoathens.com
They date is Friday April 15th. Need at least 300 seats. Digital video projection capability preferred.
Any help would be great.
Thanks,
Ken Bell
UPDATE: All traces of the balcony theatres are now gone, including the floor platforms. All main floor seats are removed. Restoration painting continues. (If anyone has info on how to remove “acoustical sealant” easily, post it here! We’ve tried everything from canned air to olive oil!) Grand piano has taken residence on the mezzanine. Eight-foot lobby chandelier is being repaired. Original balcony chandeliers have been purchased from a sympathetic collector. Reproduction lobby furniture and lighting has been purchased. Several local musical groups have already asked to use the stage for rehearsals, so the new owner ordered music stands for them, and they arrived today! 70s lobby ticket booth has been demolished. Electrician has been hired and was on-site today. Think good thoughts for him :–)
This past Monday was my first work session at the theatre—decorative paint restoration—since the triplex partition walls came down. Not only is it wonderful to see the auditorium “reunited,” but the acoustics are phenomenal. Tom DeLay played for a time on the organ so that myself and a few visitors could hear the change in sound quality. This organ already sounded great back when the balcony was walled off. Now the result is nothing short of breathtaking. While I was there, a local member of Monterey’s operatic commiunity went onstage and sang part of “Se Vuol Ballare…” from “The Marriage of Figaro.” He sounded superb. One can talk at normal conversational level, or a stage whisper, and be heard perfectly well from the top of the balcony.
The old single screen, the 1917 Strand/Rio/Regency/State IV will probably remain a theatre for the time being. I have heard many different proposals for the space, most of which lean toward keeping the theatre for now. The building is to undergo massive renovation in the spaces above the theatre. There is virtually nothing left of the 1917 theatre interior save for some water damaged stencils above the mirror in the lobby.
What will become of the single screen across the street?
As of October 1, 2004, this theatre was purchased by an investor from the Los Angeles area who plans to restore the building. The first major project will be the removal of the walls dividing the balcony into two small cracker-box auditoriums. The entire auditorium has not been seen since 1976. New seats will follow. It is planned to have the theatre reopened by January 1, 2005.
The theatre will be having a combination of classic films, silent films, live performances, periodic programs on the Wurlitzer organ, conferences and as an adjunct facility for the Monterey Conference Center two blocks away.
Tom DeLay
The web site for this theatre can be found at:
http://www.stpg.org/History/history.html