I noticed today that the demolition of downtown San Diego’s historic California Theatre building is underway. A crew was cleaning out the interior of the long vacant building.
It’s hard to believe the once-elegant 1927 building has stood neglected (directly next to the Civic Center) since 1990.
The California Theatre in its heyday was called the “Cathedral of the Motion Picture.” Its beautiful old marquee and exterior decoration have mostly vanished. Graffiti and broken windows have been an eye sore for years.
The Prebys Foundation purchased the property in July and are having the condemned structure removed. Hopefully this leads to a revitalization of downtown’s C Street corridor.
In 2013 I took photos of the large Caliente advertising mural on the building’s west side. That was before it became defaced. See those past photographs here.
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