California Theatre
The California Theatre, or more completely California Theatre of the Performing Arts, is a 1,718 seat auditorium in historic downtown San Bernardino. John Paxton Perrine designed the building in the California Churrigueresque style for the West Coast Theatre chain. It opened in August 1928 as a vaudeville house and movie palace. The original Wurlitzer 2 manual/10 ranks, Model 216 theatre organ remains in place. It served the film industry as a site for many premier shows. Most notably, the theatre hosted the last performance of Will Rogers before his death in a plane crash in 1935. Taken over by Fox West Coast Theatres, the theatre hosts a wide range of performance types including legitimate theatre, musicals, plays, concerts and more. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
San Bernardino, San Bernardino County
Photographers: Al Russell, John Bare