California
Before Santa Rosa Plaza, a beloved theater stood in its place
Fifty years ago, a determined group of local citizens formed a committee in an attempt to “save the Cal,” Santa Rosa’s historic California Theatre threatened by the city’s downtown urban renewal.
The old theater was built just over a century ago, with construction beginning around mid-1923 on B Street.
“It will be one of the finest theaters in any small city in the country,” said general contractor A. M. Hildebrandt in a Nov. 16, 1923, article in The Press Democrat. “In construction it meets every requirement set by San Francisco standards, the highest in the country, and in other ways it will compare favorably with any like theater.”
Originally called the Reavis G & S Theatre, the $200,000 playhouse would include 2,000 seats, blue velvet drapes, a heating and ventilation system, 17 fire-proof dressing rooms, a $20,000 Wurlitzer organ and other elaborate, modern fixtures (save for the “asbestos curtains”).
The grand opening was held on Dec. 3, 1923, with a showing of the play “Blossom Time,” to which 2,000 people crowded the theater to see, according to the next day’s Press Democrat. The theater offered varied types of entertainment over the years, from plays and vaudeville performances to films and music concerts.
In January 1926, the G & S Theatre had been redecorated, refurnished and renamed as the California Theatre under new management, West Coast Theaters, Inc.
Over 3,000 people attended the Jan. 21 reopening of the renovated theater, which included a song and dance revue called “Salad Ideas” by dancing duo Fanchon and Marco, as well as a “Charleston Contest” and screening of the Constance Talmadge film “Her Sister From Paris,” according to the Jan. 22, 1926, Press Democrat.
The California Theatre was remodeled again in 1932 as “now one of the finest (theaters) on the Pacific Coast,” boasted the Sept. 20, 1932, Press Democrat. Sen. Herbert W. Slater gave the dedication address at the gala reopening, which included a showing of the film “Guilty as Hell.”
After years of entertaining the local masses, the Santa Rosa Urban Redevelopment Agency made plans in the early 1970s to raze the landmark theater along with other old buildings on B Street to make way for a new shopping center. According to santarosahistory.com, locals formed a committee and launched a “Save the Cal” campaign on July 18, 1974, to get a proposition on the November ballot to preserve the historic buildings, which also included the city’s old post office and the Scottish Rite building.
An ad from the committee in the July 21, 1974, Press Democrat urged readers to “voice your desire and interest in saving and renovating this theatre” and “to decide the future character of their city.” In addition to saving the Cal, the citizens’ committee hoped to integrate it with a cultural arts center.
“Saving the Cal may mean saving the city from becoming a concrete jungle,” the ad pleaded.
After some years of public debate, inspections, petitions and lawsuits, Superior Court judge Joseph P. Murphy Jr. made a ruling blocking referendums from both pro-mall and pro-Cal groups due to a conflict with state law on redevelopment. The public wasn’t allowed a vote on whether they wanted to preserve the historic B Street buildings or to build a shopping mall.
The California Theatre held its last show on July 5, 1977, and the following month it sold its organ, seats, ticket booth and other items in a liquidation sale. The Cal was torn down in November 1977 and the Santa Rosa Plaza mall began construction in its place. In 1981, Macy’s department store, the first of the mall’s shops, opened where the Cal once stood.
Santa Rosa’s current, nonprofit California Theatre opened on Seventh Street in September 2022 to continue the legacy of the city’s original Cal Theatre.
California
Jamie Lee Curtis fights back tears on ‘Tonight Show’ over California wildfire ‘catastrophe’ near her home: ‘It’s f–king gnarly, guys’
Jamie Lee Curtis fought back tears as she detailed the “catastrophe” of the Palisades Fire near her California home when she appeared on “The Tonight Show” Wednesday.
“As you know, where I live is on fire right now. Literally, the entire city of the Pacific Palisades is burning. I flew here last night. I was on the plane and started getting texts. It’s f–king gnarly, you guys,” Curtis said.
“It’s a catastrophe in Southern California. Obviously there has been horrific fires in many places. This is literally where I live. Everything.”
Curtis said she had “many, many, many” friends who have lost their homes in the devastation of the fires.
“It’s a really awful situation,” she added.
The 66-year-old added she was flying home first thing Thursday to be with her family and friends.
The Academy Award-winning actress, who lives in Los Angeles with her husband Christopher Guest, took to Instagram earlier Wednesday to share with her followers that her home was “possibly” on fire.
“My community and possibly my home is on fire,” the actress wrote in the post. “My family is safe. Many of my friends will lose their homes. Many other communities as well.”
“Take care of each other,” she told her followers. “Stay out of the way and let the firefighters do their work. Pray if you believe in it and even if you don’t, pray for those who do.”
Stay up to date with the NYP’s coverage of the terrifying LA-area fires
The Emmy winner is one of tens of thousands of people who have been forced to flee their homes in Pacific Palisades and neighboring areas.
Four fires have exploded in Los Angeles County, taking over 27,000 acres of land with zero containment in the Palisades, Eaton and Sunset fires.
The Hurst Fire is 10 percent contained, officials announced.
The fires are being fueled by strong winds, “dry fuels” and low humidity.
The “Halloween” star isn’t the only Hollywood figure whose home is under threat due to the fires.
Harrison Ford was seen talking to police as he attempted to get through to check on his $12.6 million Brentwood home he had evacuated because of the raging blaze.
Ford’s “Star Wars” co-star Mark Hamill was forced to flee his Malibu home Tuesday as the fire bore down on the area.
The 73-year-old actor detailed his hour-long “last minute” evacuation from Malibu as he experienced the most horrific fire since 1993.
Other LA-based celebrities have been forced to evacuate their homes amid the crisis, including “This Is Us” star Mandy Moore, “Schitt’s Creek” star Eugene Levy and “Once Upon a Time in America” actor James Woods.
Multiple major wildfires are leaving a trail of destruction and death in the Los Angeles area.
A handful of wildfires kicked up Tuesday, powered by high winds and dry conditions , and have exploded in size. As of Tuesday afternoon, 2 people have been killed and more than 80,000 people have been evacuated.
Follow live coverage here.
The maps below show the size and status of the fires. They will be updated frequently.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Aerial video from AIR7 on Wednesday morning offered one of the first overhead glimpses at the devastation caused by multiple wildfires in Los Angeles County.
Footage from the helicopter showed the destructive path of the Eaton Fire near Altadena, which resulted in at least two fatalities while destroying more than 100 structures and burning more than 2,200 acres.
Shortly after 9:30 a.m., the aircraft’s perspective showed several two-story homes burning in the area of Lilac Canyon Lane, located in a residential neighborhood near the north end of Lincoln Avenue. Many nearby houses were smoldering.
Meanwhile, another ABC7 helicopter was over Pacific Palisades, where massive plumes of smoke continued to rise above burning homes in the foothills. Other structures were completely destroyed.
Houses were also on fire near Topanga Canyon Boulevard, the major artery that stretches from the San Fernando Valley to Pacific Coast Highway.
Media and fire department aircraft were mostly grounded Tuesday due to dangerous conditions caused by a powerful windstorm in the region.
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