Gina Fabiola & Anna Forosisky

Historic Preservation

Prof. Kristin Pipal-Keehne

Tuesday, 6pm, Spring Term

Statement of Significance

Balboa Pavilion, Newport Beach, CA

A grand ode to Newport Beach’s beginnings, the Balboa Pavilion still stands tall.

Its artful placement at the end of Main Street lends to views from the bay and

neighboring Balboa Island. This wooden beacon holds a strong historic presence

amongst its ever-changing surroundings. As one of California’s last waterfront pavilions,

its significance should be recognized under Criteria #1 – “The property is associated

with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of American

history”. The Balboa Pavilion was instrumental in the early development of the Balboa

Peninsula and the community that quickly followed. This included having an important

role in the development of transportation. The Pacific Electric Red Car Line was

constructed mainly to provide access to this location.

The Balboa Pavilion was built on 210 feet of water frontage in the year 1905 due

to the legwork of the Newport Bay Investment Company who saw the potential for the

area as a recreational hub. Its completion complimented that of the Pacific Electric Red

Car Line, which brought beach going visitors from Pasadena, Los Angeles, and Long

Beach. The Pavilion’s expansive style gives to boat and bath houses of this time, built

up on wooden pilings. It featured a long sloping roof which adorned a charming

Victorian cupola. The architect, Fred R. Dorn, worked primarily in Los Angeles in the late
1800s and the building took shape by the means of contractor Chris McNeil, recognized

for his leadership in the construction of the red sandstone courthouse in Santa Ana. The

site was a challenge to access during early years as roads were not yet in place. It was

only accessible by boat or a problematic sandy road. Not just a bathhouse, the

Pavilion’s second floor held an 8,000 square foot meeting room. This space took on

many different uses in the ensuing years.

As the area began to develop, the Pavilion itself saw diverse operations. For ten

years starting in 1910 the post office ran from the pavilion, acting as a mail station due

to lack of roads to connect Corona del Mar and Newport Beach. The 20’s saw the era of

bathing beauty parades and the place of business for infamous barber Lucky Tiger

Jack, until a remodel occurred that made the Pavilion more suitable for dancing. It

hosted many musicians in the Big Band era of the 1930’s such as Count Basie, Benny

Goodman, the Dorsey’s, and Phil Harris. Also, during this decade, sport fishing boats,

speedboats, and sightseeing boats were coming and going from underneath the

pavilion. Not too many years after a 10-lane bowling alley was built inside, in 1947 the

Balboa Pavilion was starting to collapse into the bay due to the narrow sandy strip and

deteriorating pilings. It was sold for a low price and the original pilings (26 in total) were

painstakingly replaced with 8 concrete pilings. The pavilion continued to operate as a

boat house and harbor bait provider below as a bingo parlor ran upstairs. After the

parlor was outlawed by the sheriff, it then housed an impressive 2.5-million-piece

private shell collection. The 1960’s saw a new owner, Edmond G. Ducommun, whose

intention was to restore the exterior of the pavilion to its original look, later adding

upwards of 1,500 lights.

 In 1968, the Balboa Pavilion named a California State Historic Landmark and

added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was purchased by Davey’s Locker

Inc. to offer a station for the expansion of a passenger service to Catalina Island. Under

this ownership, it saw a large restoration to the interior, however with no architectural

plans used. The intention was to restore it to its 1905 glory by adding architectural

debris of Victorian charm – oak doors, an impressive oak staircase, detailed tin ceilings,

chandeliers, and a saloon room with a solid oak back bar.

Today, The Balboa Pavilion continues to operate as a terminal for marine

recreation, ferry transportation, and at times an event space. It has seen many changes

to its exterior and interior, a nod to all of its inhabits and environmental changes in its

almost 120 year lifetime. This landmark of Newport Beach hosts a twinkling of lights to

offer a warm glow for the present and honors the past.

1
Figure 1 - Annual "Bathing Girl Parade". June 20, 1920.

1 Weaver, Miles F. Annual “Bathing Girl Parade”. The Huntington, June 20, 1920,
https://hdl.huntington.org/digital/collection/p15150coll2/id/16609/. May 26, 2023.
 2
Figure 2 - Balboa Pavilion

Figure 3 - Balboa Pavilion, 1906 3

2
Balboa Pavilion. The Balboa Pavilion.com, htp://www.balboapavilion.com/. May 26, 2023.
3
Balboa Pavilion. Date 1906. The Balboa Pavilion.com, htp://www.balboapavilion.com/. May 26, 2023.
 Letter dated September 20, 1905. The War Department in Washington granted

Newport Bay Investment Company permission to construct and maintain a building for

purposes of a “boat-house, bath-house, and pavilion” with 210 feet of water frontage.

Figure 4 - Letter from War Dept of Washington, Sept. 20, 1905

 Works Cited

“00079522.” Tessa2.Lapl.org, tessa2.lapl.org/digital/collection/photos/id/112771.

Accessed 27 May 2023.

Balboa Pavilion. The Balboa Pavilion.com, http://www.balboapavilion.com/. May 26,

2023.

“Balboa Pavilion.” CA State Parks, ohp.parks.ca.gov/listedresources/Detail/959.

Accessed 27 May 2023.

“Balboa Pavilion.” Preserve Orange County, 19 Apr. 2018,

www.preserveorangecounty.org/places/2018/4/19/balboa-pavilion. Accessed 27

May 2023.

“Balboa Pavilion - Irvine - LocalWiki.” Localwiki.org, localwiki.org/irvine/Balboa_Pavilion.

Accessed 27 May 2023.

“Balboa Pavilion, circa 1906.” Calisphere, 1906,

calisphere.org/item/c92b4e5ab6cd1312017b63310c14b273/. Accessed 27 May

2023.

“Balboa Pavilion Historical Marker.” Www.hmdb.org, www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=50338.

Accessed 27 May 2023.

“History.” Www.balboapavilion.com, www.balboapavilion.com/history.html. Accessed 23

May 2023.

“PCAD - Frederick Rice Dorn.” Pcad.lib.washington.edu,

pcad.lib.washington.edu/person/969/. Accessed 23 May 2023.

Weaver, Miles F. Annual “Bathing Girl Parade”. The Huntington, June 20, 1920,

https://hdl.huntington.org/digital/collection/p15150coll2/id/16609/. May 26, 2023.