Tom Fudge: In 1924, San Diego was a very different place. But one thing it did have in common with today's city is the Balboa Theater , located downtown at 4th and E Street. 1924, in fact, was the year the theater opened. It thrived as a venue for live shows during its early years. It was largely taken over as housing for troops during World War II, and in the latter part of the past century it became a movie theater.
But eventually it closed down and began to fall apart. Luckily for the Balboa, it had some devotees who prevented it from being demolished. They eventually succeeded in getting it listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Today, following nearly 20 years of lying empty, the Balboa Theater is about to reopen. Tonight, in fact, it will be the venue for Mayor Jerry Sanders' annual State of the City address.
On January 31st there will be a 1920's era grand opening gala and fundraiser. Visit the theater's Web site sdbalboa.org for more information.
Guests
- Nancy Graham, president of the Centre City Development Corporation .
- Gary Bosse, senior project manager working on the restoration of Balboa Theater.
