Spreckels Theatre is a

performing arts center Performing arts center/centre (see spelling differences), often abbreviated as PAC, is used to refer to: * A multi-use performance space that is intended for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music and theatre. :The ...

located in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. It was touted as "the first modern commercial playhouse west of the Mississippi". It was designed for philanthropist

John D. Spreckels John Diedrich Spreckels (August 16, 1853 – June 7, 1926), the son of German-American industrialist Claus Spreckels, founded a transportation and real estate empire in San Diego, California, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The entrepr ...

, and was meant to commemorate the opening of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

. Built in 1912, it was originally created to host live theater performances, but was converted to allow motion pictures in 1931. It has been in continuous operation since its opening, with a few brief intervals for refurbishing.

Architecture

Architect

Harrison Albright Harrison Albright (May 17, 1866 – January 3, 1932) was an American architect best known for his design of the West Baden Springs Hotel in Orange County, Indiana. Biography Born in the Ogontz neighborhood of North Philadelphia, Pennsylvan ...

designed the Spreckels Theater for the city's premier philanthropist, sugar heir

. The building, which opened on August 23, 1912, was constructed to commemorate the opening of the

. As with many west coast buildings from this era, it is constructed of reinforced concrete and concrete panels with

architectural terra cotta Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...

manufactured by

Gladding, McBean Gladding, McBean is a ceramics company located in Lincoln, California. It is one of the oldest companies in California, a pioneer in ceramics technology, and a company which has "contributed immeasurably" to the state's industrialization. During ...

. The six-story building has a marquee over the main entrance. The theater is a 1,915-seat auditorium with an ornate

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

interior. The auditorium is open with no pillars or columns to obstruct sightlines. The number of seats was chosen to correspond with the Panama-California Exposition year (1915). The stage is 82 feet x 58 feet, and was one of the largest stages ever constructed.

History

The theater originally presented live theatrical productions. Notable performers at the Spreckels included

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...

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Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

, and

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. In 1931, it was converted into a first-run motion picture house by its then-owner Louis B. Metzger. In 1976, owner/operator Jacquelyn Littlefield (Metzger's daughter) restored it to a live theater format, bringing touring

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

shows to San Diego in cooperation with the

Nederlander Organization The Nederlander Organization, founded in 1912 by David T. Nederlander in Detroit, and currently based in New York City, is one of the largest operators of live theaters and music venues in the United States. Its first acquisition was a lease on ...

. When fire destroyed San Diego's

Old Globe Theatre The Old Globe is a professional theatre company located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons. Plays are performed in three separate theatres in the complex, which i ...

in 1978, the Spreckels hosted the Globe's 1978-79 season. Every July since 2015 (except for 2020), TBS has rented the theater for a week for

Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (19 ...

to host his self-titled talk show from the theater to correspond with that year's San Diego Comic Con. There are four tapings that occur, which each episode airing the following evening. Casts from several big name television shows have appeared such as

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, Top Gun: Maverick,

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, and

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Today

San Diego's Spreckels Building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1975. It continues to operate as a theater.

Past Performers

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* Ronald Coleman *

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* Eva La Gallienne *

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* Carol Shelly * Jean Pierre Rampal *

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* Chris Issak *

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* Todd Rungren *

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* Bela Flek *

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* Lisa Lampenelli *

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* The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company * The Martha Graham Dance Company *

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* The Moscow Art Theatre, Ballet Folklorico de Mexico * The Paul Whiteman Orchestra * The Kirov Ballet * The Alvin Alley Dance Company * The Harlem Boys Choir

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures in San Diego National Register of Historic Places in San Diego Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in California Culture of San Diego Event venues established in 1912 1912 establishments in California Performing arts centers in California