Spreckels Theater, Historic theatre in downtown San Diego, United States
Spreckels Theater is a theatre in downtown San Diego that takes up an entire city block near the center of town. The auditorium has three seating levels: orchestra, mezzanine, and a second balcony.
Designed by Harrison Albright for sugar heir John D. Spreckels, the building opened on August 23, 1912, to mark the opening of the Panama Canal. It began as a live playhouse, was converted to a first-run movie house in 1931 by owner Louis B. Metzger, and returned to live shows in 1976 under Metzger's daughter Jacquelyn Littlefield. It has been closed since its sale in 2021, with renovation plans pending.
The theatre's name honours John D. Spreckels, the sugar heir and philanthropist who commissioned it to mark the opening of the Panama Canal. Its 1,915 seats were chosen to match the year of the Panama-California Exposition, 1915. The auditorium has an ornate Baroque interior, and the stage measures 82 by 58 feet.
The theatre has been closed since its sale in 2021, so there are no performances to attend and no visiting hours; plans to renovate the building have been announced but not completed. The entrance with its projecting marquee and reader board sits at street level, beside a Citibank sign and the Sugar Baby storefront, so the facade can be seen from the sidewalk.
The ceiling of the auditorium is held up by massive steel trusses, so there is not a single supporting column anywhere in the seating area. This means that no seat in the house has an obstructed view, which was a rare feat when the building was constructed.
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