History of the Del Mar Theatre • History of Friends of the Del Mar

The Theatre Del Mar originally opened on August 14, 1936. On the bill was a Mickey Mouse cartoon called The Alpine Climber a Paramount newsreel featuring Jesse Owens' triumph at the Berlin Olympics and the world premiere of the Warner Brothers' film China Clipper.

Built by the Pacific States Amusements and Realty Corporation, the Del Mar was built as a shining example of the theater itself being part of the show. Outside, a wild convergence of decorative styles -- typical of Art Deco -- partied on the face of the building. Vertical cement ribbing soared heavenward toward the water motif moldings (a theme echoed throughout the building) lacing the top of the facade. The suspended canopy marquee dripped with colorful neon animation. Underneath, golden stars and white lights welcomed the public, while the blinking vertical blade above spelled out D-E-L-M-A-R in three colors of neon. The Del Mar marquee became such a part of downtown architecture that in the late 1960s it was declared exempt from the street's sign abatement ordinance.

Inside the lobby, interior designer William Chevalis, who had designed a number of California theatres, dazzled theatregoers right as they entered. The majestic cathedral ceiling, two stories high and embellished with real gold leaf, informed the ticketholder they had left the cares of the everyday world behind.

The water theme could be found everywhere: in the seashell pattern of the carpet, with the nude figures in bas relief bearing urns, and through wave-like patterns in the tiling. Sheaves of wheat and five-pointed stars were other motifs to be found throughout, particularly in the lighting fixtures and decor of the main auditorium.

Hailed as one of the best-equipped theatres in the state, the Del Mar featured state-of-the-art projection and sound systems. The main theater held 950 seats, with additional seating of 350 in the balcony. General admission cost 25 cents; loge seats in the balcony 30 cents. The phone number: 80.

Well into the World War 2 era, the Del Mar was open daily from 2 to 11 pm. Patrons simply showed up at their convenience, and they would be ushered to their seats in the middle of the feature if they so desired. Or they could wait in the nicely-appointed mezzanine lounging area, smoke, and listen for the announcement that the film was about to start.

The ushers and usherettes wore rust-colored uniforms. The ushers wore white gloves and developed a series of hand signals to communicate with the usherettes who would escort people to their seats. At one time there was a blondes-only policy for the usherette position. At least one former usherette recalls pouring peroxide on her hair for the job, much to the dismay of her mother.

Operated by the Golden State Theatres chain, whose management properties also included The Santa Cruz Theatre at the corner of Walnut and The Rio on Soquel at Seabright, the Del Mar was such an attractive theater that a near-identical twin was built in Redding. The Cascade, like the Del Mar, is currently being restored by a non-profit community group.

In the 1940s, admission prices soared to a whopping 35 cents general admission; 40 cents for loges. Children could get in for 10 cents. The DelMarette soda fountain opened next door and stayed open to midnight. The Sentinel reported soldiers dancing on the countertops to the sounds of the diner's jukebox until closing time.

With the 1950s came several disasters that affected the movies in general and the Del Mar in particular. First came television. The novelty of this newfangled stay-at-home entertainment severely affected box office numbers nationwide.

In 1955, Santa Cruz suffered from a terrible flood. Water from the San Lorenzo rose to the tops of parking meters along Pacific Ave. The damage to the Santa Cruz Theatre was so severe the theatre closed for good. It is now memorialized by a historic plaque on the Walnut Avenue wall of the East-West shop. The downstairs auditorium and lobby of the Del Mar were flooded. The theatre was closed for several weeks for clean-up and carpet replacement.

In spite of the challenges, The Del Mar rallied and survived. A concessions stand was added to generate additional income. In the late 1960s, the bucolic Pacific Garden Mall was constructed along Pacific Avenue. With wide, park-like sidewalks, the main street of downtown became more friendly to foot traffic than to cars. The Del Mar demolished its original free-standing box office; surrounded by so much sidewalk, the ticketsellers seemed adrift in a sea of concrete.

In the 1970s, the Del Mar was purchased by United Artists. The original redwood doors were replaced by modern glass and chrome. Thin, bile-green veneer tile was applied to the exterior of the building, replacing the original ceramic tiles. Inside, the building was left to deteriorate. No upgrades were made to the theater's heating or plumbing. Tears in the seats and carpets were band-aided with utility tape. The Del Mar became a second-run house specializing in minor movies, slasher films and horror flicks. The once-elegant mezzanine was closed off to public and used as office space, the balconies closed for insurance purposes.

Live concerts helped keep the theater alive in the 1970s. Duke Ellington played there in 1972, Jerry Garcia in 1975, The Tubes annually. In 1978, the Del Mar was chopped into a fourplex. Matilda the story of a boxing kangaroo, was the last film to play at the still-intact Del Mar. Fewer than 10 tickets had been sold the entire week. Walls went up at the site of the old balcony railings. The grand chandelier was removed then it disappeared, rumored to reappear in the home of some UA executive.

The Del Mar was spared major damage during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, though the theater did shut down for a year for remodeling and clean-up work. Unfortunately, much of downtown Santa Cruz suffered. So many old structures were destroyed that Pacific Avenue lost its status as a National Historic Downtown. Thus, the Del Mar lost its protection under the National Trust. The Del Mar's future looked bleak when the operators, Star Cinema of Pasadena, suddenly closed the theatre without warning on November 4, 1999.

For a time, the future of historic theatre was in doubt. Rumors abounded that it would be turned into shops or offices. In 2000, efforts to save and restore the Del Mar Theatre began to succeed. The City of Santa Cruz Re-Development Agency purchased the building and leased it to a joint-venture between developer George Ow and Barry Swenson Builders. A local, independent movie theatre company, the Nickelodeon, sub-leased the Del Mar. All these parties contributed to the renovation and upgrades needed in order to run the Del Mar again as a movie theatre. In March 2001, the Del Mar opened again to movie-goers, exhibiting independent movies.

In the process of preparing the theatre for its re-opening, it became apparent that some of the restoration would need to wait until further funds were available. Friends of the Del Mar was formed to raise these funds and carry out further restoration of the theatre. Today, the Del Mar is again a successful movie theatre, as well as a beloved Santa Cruz landmark. Please take a look at our current projects and consider donating to ensure that the on-going restoration process continues.

History of Friends of the Del Mar

By Catherine Graham, President Emeritus of Friends of the Del Mar

Early in 2000, when renovation and reconstruction of the Del Mar was under way, Chuck Volwilder asked me to start Friends of the Del Mar (FODM). Chuck was the co-partner (with Jim Schwenterly) in the Nickelodeon, the locally-owned exhibition company that includes the little theatre ono Lincoln Street by the same name and, now, the Del Mar.

Chuck's heart and soul went into the re-opening of the Del Mar. He was at the construction site every day and a part of every decision affecting the re-opening. The Santa Cruz Re-Development Agency had purchased the building, a joint partnership was formed between developer George Ow and construction mogul Barry Swenson (the building's current landlords), and the Nickelodeon, the subleasors of the building, also anted up for up-to-date projection and sound.

It was evident early that the available funds and timetable to get the theatre open again would not allow for the fine details, the hitorical touches that would really ice the cake. That's where Chuck thought that a community group could come in and help.

Friends of the Del Mar had its first Board of Directors meeting in November 2000. We had obtained 501C3 non-profit status by piggy-backing onto the status already obtained by the city's Friends of Parks and Recreation group (which is why all checks are made out to Friends of Parks and Recreation; they are our "fiscal managers").

The grand re-opening of the Del Mar was held on March 2, 2001. Much of the early energy of FODM was directed to the gala celebration. The highlight of the re-opening was the evening presentation of China Clipper, the first film shown at the Del Mar when it originally opened in 1936, and the live appearance by the film's lead actress, Beverly Roberts.

After the re-opening, FODM had to get down to brass tacks about which projects to tackle first. With the funds generated by ticket sales from the grand re-opening, we were able to buy one of the theatre's long-lost chandeliers. A matching second chandelier was donated by local historical consultant and FODM Vice President, Ross Gibson.

During the renovation, hints of a hidden ceiling mural on the mezzanine were uncovered. FODM had enough of the ceiling scraped to reveal the original stencil pattern and a beautifully hand-painted medallion.

FODM also cleaned 30 of the auditorium's oringal seats, which are now available for dedication and use on the mezzanine.

Sadly, Chuck Volwiler was diagnosed with kidney cancer and passed away in 2002. FODM's continuing efforts to make the Del Mar a beautiful and viable part of the community are dedicated to him. In addition, the first of the restored auditorium seats was paid for by FODM funds and dedicated to Chuck's memory. It is on display -- and available for use -- on the mezzanine of the theatre.

In November 2003, members of Friends of the Del Mar's board of directors met with representatives of the city Re-Development Agency, the Swenson-Ow partnership and the Nickelodeon to discuss how to proceed with the ceiling mural and other FODM projects. With this meeting, I feel that FODM has entered a new phase of maturity.