Golden State Theatre
417 Alvarado Street, 93940 Monterey
About
The Golden State Theatre in Monterey, California, opened on August 6, 1926.ArchitectureDesigned by the noted San Francisco architectural firm of Reid & Reid, the Golden State Theatre is a "budget" atmospheric movie palace. The interior features walls inspired by a Castillian castle and the ceiling has a fresco of a "canopy" with slight borders of "sky" showing around the perimeter. This gives the feeling of sitting in an open-air courtyard. The theater was originally equipped with lighting to simulate sunrises and sunsets.Also notable, the theater originally had 1,600 seats at a time when the population of Monterey was just around 6,000. For a long time the Golden State Theatre was the largest theater between San Francisco and Los Angeles.In addition to the theater, the building has a number of leasable commercial spaces. Four storefronts face Alvarado Street and one larger space faces Tyler Street at the rear of the building. Historically there was also a small medical office in the second floor of the building, above and to the left of the marquee.Transition, Decline and MultiplexingIn the late 1960s United Artists Theatres acquired the building. As with many movie palaces during the 1960s and 1970s, the theater fell on difficult financial times. In 1976 the main auditorium was split into a three screen multiplex.Restoration EffortsIn 1990, State Theatre Preservation Group was formed as a public-benefit corporation to acquire and restore the building.A replacement Wurlitzer pipe organ was installed beginning in 1992. The organ is the "twin" of the organ originally installed in the Golden State when the theater opened in 1926.
