Balboa Theatre: 95th Birthday Bash, May/June 2019

Balboa Theatre: 95th Birthday Bash!
By Amie Hayes
May/June 2019

Balboa Theatre at night. Photo by Amie Hayes

I attended Balboa Theatre's 95th Birthday Bash, a Salute to the USO, on March 25. The evening was very enjoyable, the historic theater a pleasure to be in. This experience brought to mind something SOHO often talks about: There are many ways we can support historic preservation in our daily lives, and one is to attend events at historic locations. This prominent historical resource is operated by the Balboa Theatre Foundation, whose mission is "to protect, preserve, and promote the Historic Balboa Theatre as a live-performance venue for all San Diegans to enjoy." I highly recommend the beautifully restored Balboa for an evening performance or event.

The c. 1924 Balboa Theatre was designated as a local historic site in 1972. In 1985, preservationists, including SOHO, formed a group to lobby to preserve the interior. Two years later, the Balboa Theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and after twenty years, the City's redevelopment agency finally funded its restoration, which concluded in 2008. Read The Balboa Theatre: An 18-year redevelopment battle and Balboa Theatre: Anatomy of a Restoration.

Now, at 95 years old, the Balboa Theatre once again houses a Wonder Morton Theatre Organ that was purchased, stripped, restored, and installed by the foundation and their donors who, the foundation says, "believe in the power of music, the power of theatre, and the power of historic preservation."

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