2/10 Wurlitzer - California Theatre

Originally with 1,850 seats, the California Theatre was opened by Fox West Coast Theatres on August 15, 1928, with Janet Gaynor in “Street Angel” on the screen and a Fanchon and Marco show, “Monkey Shines Idea,” starring Charlie Chase on the stage. It is now managed by Theatrical Arts International as a performing arts theatre. It hosted Will Rogers's last public performance before his death in a 1935 plane crash, and in Hollywood's early years, filmmakers would test-screen their movies at the California Theatre. Audiences first saw classic films such as King Kong and The Wizard of Oz at the theatre in the 1930s.

The theatre was closed on June 2, 2025, for a seven-million-dollar refurbishment and reopened in the spring of 2026. Restoration of the theater’s Wurlitzer Style 216 pipe organ (by the Herman Organ Company) was the first part of the project.