Balboa Theatre

The Balboa Theatre features a tall, vertical blade sign that spells out its name in glowing bulbs, rising high above the sidewalk. Opened in nineteen twenty-four, this building served as a grand vaudeville and movie house designed by William Wheeler. During the second World War, the Navy leased the auditorium to provide entertainment for thousands of sailors passing through San Diego. The interior remains decorated with ornate, Spanish-inspired plasterwork, even after decades of threatened demolition and a major renovation during the early two thousands.