Catalina Casino, Art Deco movie theater in Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, US.
The Avalon Theatre sits on the lower level of the Catalina Casino and features a 50-foot domed ceiling with Art Deco murals. The auditorium holds more than a thousand viewers in rows that run from entrance to screen.
William Wrigley Jr. had the building erected in 1929 to replace an earlier venue on the island. Construction took about a year and the cinema opened as part of a larger entertainment complex.
The name comes from the Spanish word casino, meaning a gathering place; the building has never housed gambling. Its walls carry Art Deco murals by John Gabriel Beckman, and the entrance loggia holds nine panels of an underwater scene. Since 2019 it has hosted tours, the Catalina Film Festival and a Silent Film Benefit rather than first-run films.
Entry is through the main entrance of the large round building visible from the bay. The cinema sits on the ground floor and is reached by stairs or ramps.
The theater's domed ceiling has acoustics studied by acoustical designers: a speaker on stage can talk in a normal voice without a microphone and be heard by all 1,154 seats. The room is sound-insulated from the ballroom above, where up to 3,000 dancers once moved.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,790 contributors worldwide.
