Casino Point Avalon Catalina Island
The Catalina Casino epitomizes everything glamorous about Santa Catalina Island. You’ll see the extraordinary Art Deco murals and a classic 1929 pipe organ inside the Avalon Theatre. A short film is shown highlighting the history of this iconic building and its Hollywood connection. Our Avalon, Catalina Island hotel is within walking distance to most of the attractions, restaurants, beaches, and tour buses in the city of Avalon. From the iconic Catalina Island Casino Building and Avalon Theater to scenic hikes and beautiful gardens, Catalina Island has it all. Explore the Avalon Dive Park with this guided Catalina Island snorkel adventure! It's time to feel the Nature! This guided snorkel tour in the Casino Point Dive Park is a must for any one who loves the ocean. You will be engulfed by local aquatic life, kelp & schooling fish while an informative guide shows off Catalina's fascinating marine world. One of the most impressive and easily identifiable landmarks in Avalon, California on Catalina Island is known as the Catalina Casino. But don’t be fooled by its name. There isn’t actually a gambling hall here, but you will find a ballroom, museum and theater. This stunning example of architecture continues to be a focal point on the island. The Catalina Casino is a large gathering facility located in Avalon on Santa Catalina Island, off the coast of Los Angeles in California. It is the largest building on the island and the most visible landmark in Avalon Bay when approaching the island from the mainland.
| Catalina Casino | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Ballroom and movie theater |
| Architectural style | Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival |
| Town or city | Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, California |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 33°20′56″N118°19′34″W / 33.34887°N 118.32601°W |
| Construction started | February 1928 |
| Opened | May 29, 1929 |
| Cost | $2 million |
| Owner | Santa Catalina Island Company |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | round, cantileveredreinforced concrete column |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Walter Webber and Sumner Spaulding |
The Catalina Casino is a large gathering facility located in Avalon on Santa Catalina Island, off the coast of Los Angeles in California. It is the largest building on the island and the most visible landmark in Avalon Bay when approaching the island from the mainland.
The large building contains a movie theater, ballroom, and formerly an island art and history museum.[1] The Catalina Casino gets its name from the Italian language term casino, meaning a 'gathering place'. Contrary to the current common usage of casino, this has never been a facility for gambling.[2]
History[edit]
The Catalina Casino was built on a site formerly known as Sugarloaf Point. The site was graded for the planned construction of the Hotel St. Catherine, which was instead eventually built in Descanso Canyon. When chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. bought the controlling stake in Catalina Island in 1919, he used this cleared site to build a dance hall he named Sugarloaf Casino. It served as a ballroom and Avalon's first high school, until it became too small for Avalon's growing population. In 1928, the Sugarloaf was razed to make room for a newer casino building. Sugarloaf Rock was further blasted away to enhance the Casino's ocean view.[1][2]
On May 29, 1929, the new Catalina Casino was completed under the direction of Wrigley and David M. Renton, at a cost of $2 million.[3] Its design, by Sumner Spaulding and Walter Weber, is in the Art Deco and Mediterranean Revival styles. The casino's movie theater was the first to be designed specifically for films with sound ('talkies'). It received the Honor Award from the California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, as 'one of the outstanding architectural accomplishments'.
With a height equal to a 12-story building, it was built to serve as a theater on the main floor and a ballroom and promenade on the upper level.[1][2]Movie studio moguls such as Cecil B. DeMille, Louis B. Mayer, and Samuel Goldwyn frequently came by yacht to the Casino to preview their newest cinema productions. It also serves as the island's civil defense shelter, large enough to accommodate Catalina's entire year-round population. Within its walls is stored enough food and water for all Avalon's residents for two weeks.[4]
The steel structure of the predecessor Sugarloaf Casino can still be found in Avalon's abandoned bird park. The bird park was conceived by Mrs. Wrigley in the 1930s, and at the time it was one of the largest aviaries in the world.
In 1993 the movie theater was photographed by Hiroshi Sugimoto for his art series 'Theatres'.[5]
In 1994, the theater underwent a $750,000 restoration that reupholstered all of its seats and cleaned its murals.[3]
In September 2008, the Catalina Casino had the first live full production of a musical on its stage, when the Santa Catalina Island Company presented Grease!.
In December 2019, The Catalina Island Company stopped screening first run showings of movies, essentially ceasing its function as a traditional film venue.[3] They cite the rise of streaming services and large use of satellite television in the small town of 4000 as contributing factors to the theater's low attendance.[3][6] However, the theater remain available for daily tours and special events such as the Catalina Film Festival and Silent Film Benefit.[7][3]
Structure[edit]
Surrounded by sea on three sides, the circular structure of the Catalina Casino is the equivalent of 12 stories tall. It has a movie theater on the first level and a ballroom on the top level. The building interiors were decorated in the Art Deco style, including with sterling silver and gold-leaf accents.
Movie theater[edit]
The Avalon Theatre is a movie theater on the first level, with a seating capacity of 1,154.[8] It has a single massive screen.[9] The theater has its original 4-manual, 16 rank pipe organ built by the Page Organ Company of Lima, Ohio.[8]
Casino Point Avalon Catalina Island Hotels
The theater is sound insulated so that patrons do not hear the band or up to 3,000 dancers in the ballroom above. The circular domed ceiling has notable acoustics and has been studied by acoustical designers, due to its repute. A speaker on the theater stage can speak in a normal voice without a microphone and be heard clearly by all in attendance.
The theater's interior walls retain the original Art Deco murals by John Gabriel Beckman. The theater's facade had a painted mural of an Art Deco-style underwater world scene, which was later replaced with replications of Beckman's design created in Catalina Pottery-style tiles. The lobby has walnut wood paneling.
Ballroom[edit]
The upper-level houses the 20,000-square-foot Catalina Casino Ballroom. It is the world's largest circular ballroom, with a 180-foot (55 m) diameter dance floor that can accommodate 3,000 dancers.[1] French doors encircle the room connecting the dance floor with the Romance Promenade, an open balcony that runs around the building.
To reach the ballroom on the top level, the Casino building has two ramped walkways, both in enclosed towers that extend out from the circular building. Wrigley took the idea to use ramps instead of stairs from Wrigley Field, his Chicago Cubs stadium. The ramps allowed the large numbers of people using the ballroom to quickly move to and from their destinations. They each have a small lobby area just below the dance floor level.
Catalina Island Museum[edit]
In 1953, Philip K. Wrigley established the Catalina Island Museum on the first level, to preserve the history of the island from the pre-Columbian indigenous Tongva (Gabrielino) peoples through the pre-war 20th-century development by his father. The museum featured a large and comprehensive collection of original Catalina Pottery ceramics, produced by Catalina Clay Products between 1927 and 1937.[1]
On June 18, 2016, the museum relocated to a new building, located approximately one half mile from its original location in the Catalina Casino. The Ada Blanche Wrigley Schreiner Building is located at 217 Metropole Avenue.[1]
The museum continues documenting Catalina Island history, adding from World War II to the present day, and a research institute. It is the repository for all archeological digs on the island, and has one of the largest collections of Tongva artifacts in the world. There are now more than 10,000 photographs and negatives documenting island life from the early 1880s until the present day in the museum's photography collection.[1]
In popular culture[edit]
- A portion of the 1974 film Chinatown was filmed on Catalina Island,[10] featuring cinematic shots of the Casino.[11]
- In 1984, Catalina Island and the Casino were filming locations for the Airwolf episode 'Sins of the Past'.[12] A replica of the Casino was set ablaze in the episode.[13]
- After players complete the 2020 action-adventure video game The Last of Us Part II, the main menu screen changes to a beachfront with a rowboat in the foreground and the Casino in the background, implying that Abby has finally reached the Casino to reunite with her former group.[14]
References[edit]
- ^ abcdefgCatalina Island Museum
- ^ abcVisitcatalinaisland.com: Catalina Casino
- ^ abcdeArellano, Gustavo (2019-12-01). 'This theater has attracted movie stars and Catalina Island residents for 90 years. Now, it may call it a night'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
- ^Baker, Gayle (2002). Catalina Island, HarborTown Histories, Santa Barbara, CA, p. 62, ISBN0-9710984-0-9 (print) ISBN978-0987903808 (on-line)
- ^'Hiroshi Sugimoto Avalon Theatre, Catalina Island'. www.metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^Rubin, Rebecca (2019-11-12). 'Avalon Theatre Owner Blames Streaming Services for 'Upside-Down' Attendance'. Variety. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
- ^'Silent Film Benefit'. catalina-museum. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
- ^ abVisitcatalinaisland.com: Avalon Theater
- ^Visitcatalinaisland.com: Avalon Theater walking tour
- ^Chinatown (1974) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-07-07
- ^Kudler, Adrian Glick (2014-06-19). 'The ultimate 'Chinatown' filming location map of Los Angeles'. Curbed LA. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
- ^Sins of the Past, retrieved 2020-07-07
- ^'YouTube'. www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
- ^'The Last Of Us 2: Here's What The New Game Plus Menu Screen Means'. GameSpot. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
Avalon Weather
External links[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Catalina Casino. |
- Catalina Island Museum – formerly located in the Catalina Casino.
- Cinematreasures.org: Avalon Theatre – article by movie theatre preservation organization.
Snorkeling and diving around Catalina draws thousands of visitors every year from around the globe. They come to explore our clear clean water teeming with life and enjoy the unique kelp forest seascape. The Casino Point Dive park is a key feature unlike any other in southern California. A protected area of coastline that is absent of boat traffic thanks to a barrier created by a series of buoys and floating line. In August, the town of Avalon is bustling. A constant exchange of visitors arriving or departing after experiencing their special time on this magical isle. There is also a constant cycle of life to witness in the marine environment. Juvenile fish mature and seasonal migrations pass by. Much of this can be witnessed from this easily accessible shore dive right in Avalon.
Surface Interval
One thing is for sure, the underwater world is never boring, nor are the topside activities you can enjoy in Avalon. August is the last full month that most islanders will consider to be part of summer. Soon children will be heading back to school and the crowds in town will begin to thin. Life will take on a slower pace and hardworking islanders will again have time to enjoy their island home themselves.
Food and Fun
Entertainment
Avalon’s food and entertainment game has been experiencing some significant upgrades over the past few years. All this month the Cafe Metropole hosts live music every Friday and Saturday night. Do you like to sing, or just enjoy the show and/or train wreck of others on the stage? Either way, there is nightly karaoke available at El Galleon located on what locals call front street a.k.a Crescent Ave.
August 23rd offers an opportunity to sample a variety of local musical talent. Hot off the Range has been a local favorite in Avalon for two decades. They have a unique style & repertoire that encompasses just about every genre. Leaning towards Americana, western swing, folk rock, and bluegrass their sound is one-of-a-kind. A free, family friendly show will be presented by Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce on the Wrigley Plaza Stage from 6:00-8:30pm.
Happy Hours
The Avalon Grille will be featuring several options to wine and dine at a discount this month. A daily happy hour will run Monday through Thursday 4:00-6:00pm, and Friday through Sunday from 3:00-6:00pm. Signature starters are also available daily from 3:00-5:00pm. Wine lovers, check out Wine Down Wednesday to take advantage of half-off select bottles of wine from open to close. They also offer an extended brunch on Saturday & Sunday 11:00-2:00pm. You’ll find them on the corner of Crescent Ave. and Catalina Ave. just before the base of the Green Pleasure Pier.
Dining Indulgence
Not everyone knows about the hidden gem within the Holiday Inn hotel. Off the beaten path, nestled in the canyon above the golf course is the Seaport Bistro. Chef Greg Wenger puts forth a diverse menu and also offers up some great deals. Monday features a take-out or dine in special combo of pizza and friend chicken with sides for $25! There are also a variety of all-you-can-eat nights depending on what day of the week you are ready to indulge your senses. These include Chinese buffet Tuesday, Prime Rib Thursday and Fried Chicken Sunday; all of which are delicious.
Summer Sightings
Avalon is a special place for so many reasons and the Casino Dive Park tops the list. The occasional large bat ray can be found camouflaged in the sandy shallows. There are also schools of young barracuda outside the kelp line frequently spotted on our snorkel tours. Of course, there are the local fish friends that stick with us year round. The agressive Garibaldi darts to and from their algae patch chasing off any possible threat including the passing fins of divers. Schools of blacksmith,Chromis punctipinnisof the family Pomacentridae swim together in large numbers usually towards the eastern edge of the park.
Referral Dives
Referral dives, also known as certification dives, are needed to get your SCUBA diver certification. If you want to get certified but can only come to Catalina for a few days there are options. You can complete your online (or classroom) training and your pool (or training) dives at another location. You can then finish your open water training dives with us in the Casino Point Dive Park! In order to complete your Open Water Diver certification, you need to complete four checkout dives. These dives must take place in an open water environment.
The Casino Dive park is the perfect place for this and SCUBA shops all over southern California journey to Avalon every weekend for this purpose. But remember, these dives can only take place after you have completed your online/classroom training and pool portion of the Open Water certification class. These final four dives take place over two days where you will be tested on the skills that you learned during the pool portion of your class. Once you complete the Checkout dives, you will be issued your Open Water Certification Card. Our staff is certified to teach SSI, PADI, and NAUI Checkout dives. Schedule yours today!
Your Next Step
Of course, we can take you through every step of the process to complete your entire SCUBA course instruction on Catalina Island. If you are already certified and interested in increasing your skills, we offer Advanced Diver certification. You can take specialty courses like night diver or dry suit diver to get ready for lobster season this October! You can take it a step farther and complete the Rescue Diver certification course and gain the knowledge of how to best help others in need. What ever your level or interest, Diving Catalina is ready to help you further your love of the ocean and reach your next goal. Visit our home page for a list of our available services.