BGuthrie Photos: CA -- San Diego -- Spreckels Theater

CA -- San Diego -- Spreckels Theater:

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Description of Pictures: Most years Conan O'Brien had the place reserved for a comic-con tie-in but the theater was closed due to COVID.

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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[1] SPRECK_220719_06.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[2] SPRECK_220719_10.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[3] SPRECK_220723_02.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[4] SPRECK_220723_11.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SPRECK_220719_06.JPG: In previous years, Conan O'Brien's crew would rent out the Speckels and do a live broadcast during San Diego Comic-Con. His show went off the air in 2021 though and he wasn't here this time.
2. SPRECK_220723_11.JPG: Spreckels Our curtain will rise again soon Until then Stay safe * Social distance * Stay well
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Wikipedia Description: Spreckels Theater Building
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Spreckels Theater Building was built in San Diego, California in 1912. It was touted as "the first modern commercial playhouse west of the Mississippi". It has been in continuous operation since its opening, with a few brief intervals for refurbishing.

Architecture

Architect Harrison Albright designed the Spreckels Theater for the city's premier philanthropist, sugar heir John D. Spreckels. The building, which opened on August 23, 1912, was constructed to commemorate the opening of the Panama Canal. As with many west coast buildings from this era, it is constructed of reinforced concrete and concrete panels with architectural terra cotta manufactured by Gladding, McBean. The six-story building has a marquee over the main entrance. The theater is a 1,915-seat auditorium with an ornate Baroque 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. Even by today's standards, the theater meets most criteria to be considered state-of-the-art.

History

The theater originally presented live theatrical productions. Notable performers at the Spreckels included Enrico Caruso, John Barrymore, Al Jolson, Will Rogers, and Abbott and Costello.

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) returned it to a live theater format, bringing touring Broadway shows to San Diego in cooperation with the Nederlander Organization.

When fire destroyed San Diego's Old Globe Theatre in 1978, the Spreckels hosted the Globe's 1978-79 season.

Today

San Diego's Spreckels Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It continues to operate as a theate ...More...
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Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (CA -- San Diego -- Spreckels Theater) directly related to this one: [Display ALL photos on one page]:
- 2019_CA_SD_Spreckels: CA -- San Diego -- Spreckels Theater (7 photos from 2019)
- 2018_CA_SD_Spreckels: CA -- San Diego -- Spreckels Theater (3 photos from 2018)
- 2016_CA_SD_Spreckels: CA -- San Diego -- Spreckels Theater (2 photos from 2016)
- 2015_CA_SD_Spreckels: CA -- San Diego -- Spreckels Theater (12 photos from 2015)
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- 2010_CA_SD_Spreckels: CA -- San Diego -- Spreckels Theater (2 photos from 2010)
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2022 photos: This year included major setbacks -- including Putin's invasion of Ukraine and the Supreme Court imposing the evangelical version of sharia law -- but also some steps forward like the results of the midterms. This website had its 20th anniversary in August, 2022. Equipment this year: I continued to use my Fuji XS-1 cameras but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000. Trips this year: (February) a visit to see Dad and Dixie in Asheville, NC with some other members of my family, (July) a trip out west for the return of San Diego Comic-Con, and (October) a long weekend in New York to cover New York Comic-Con. Number of photos taken this year: about 386,000, up 2020 and 2021 levels but still way below pre-pandemic levels.
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