San Gabriel Mission Playhouse

Joe Vogel on March 19, 2005 at 9:16 am

I lived within a couple of miles of the San Gabriel Civic most of my life, and visited it many times, and had no idea that it had ever been used as a regular movie theater. By the time I was born, it had become the Civic Auditorium, and only showed movies once in a while, usually travelogues or special features such as Bruce Brown’s surfing movies. It really is a splendid building. I’m glad to see that they repaired the severe damage it suffered in the Whittler Narrows earthquake, rather than just demolishing it, as was the fate of many other historic buildings in the area.

tomdelay on October 8, 2005 at 9:59 pm

In reality, the Wurlitzer organ in the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium is a 3 manual now 17 rank instrument. This organ was never of 4 manuals and 21 ranks. The Brooklyn Albee organ was known as a style 260-special. The organ was originally 16 ranks—15-ranks in the two chambers at the front of the auditorium and a single rank Vox Humana “Echo Organ” at the back of the balcony. When the organ was dedicated in San Gabe in 1971 or ‘72, the “Echo Organ” concept had been done away with and the parts from the Echo organ were installed with the main body of the instrument at the front of the San Gabe Auditorium. I have climbed about the insides of this organ many times through the years and know it well.

Wurlitzer opus 870 was shipped to the Albee from North Tonawanda, NY on 5/8/24.

This Wurlitzer was not the first pipe organ for the SGVA. When the auditorium first opened, a 2 manual 21-rank Aeolian residence style organ was installed and remained in the auditorium until the Wurlitzer was brought in from NY. Late local LA area organist Paul Beaver bought the Aeolian pipe organ, but it was never installed by Mr. Beaver due to his death. I do not know what became of the Aeolian on Mr. Beaver’s death circa 1974.

Also, a name is missing from “lostmemory’s” list above; Bruce Skovmand did yeoman’s duty to get the organ lift installed and operating for the grand opening of the organ in either 1971 or 72.

Point of fact, the facade of the SGCA was designed to resemble the San Antonio Mission in rural southern Monterey County. This was one of the 21 Spanish Missions in California built in the late 1700s to early 1800s.

kencmcintyre on July 1, 2008 at 12:19 pm

Here is an undated triptych from the LA Library:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics08/00023833.jpg

kencmcintyre on July 1, 2008 at 4:47 pm

Here are more photos from the LAPL:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics08/00023830.jpg
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics08/00023829.jpg
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics08/00023828.jpg
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics08/00023827.jpg
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics08/00023822.jpg
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics08/00023813.jpg

Joe Vogel on August 26, 2010 at 7:32 am

Arthur Burnett Benton drew the original plans for this Mission Playhouse in 1921, and the cornerstone was laid in 1923, but the progress of construction was slow and the building was not completed until 1927, when it opened on March 5.

I’ve come across several sources (a scholarly tome by William Deverell, published by the University of California, for one) claiming that, by 1926, Benton had become too ill (he died in 1927) to complete the project, and it was taken over by William J. Dodd and the firm Dodd & Richards (architects of the Kinema Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, later to become the Fox Criterion.)

Dodd is said to have substantially altered the design, so he should probably be credited along with Benton as the architect. Dodd & Richards also designed a 1929 addition to the playhouse, a project that added a curio shop and exhibition gallery.