{"nrhp_refnum":"86003523","name":"Ventura Theatre","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"26 S. Chestnut","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ventura","county":"Ventura County","state":"CA","lat":34.28061710500003,"lon":-119.29144416599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-12-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two- and three-story Spanish Colonial Revival movie palace at 26 S. Chestnut Street in Ventura, California, built in 1928 as the theatre half of a two-building theatre-office complex.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the only luxury movie palace of the 1920s built in Ventura County. It kept its ornate original character, including a sunburst ceiling and elaborate lobby, and represents a type of theatre that could not be duplicated today. It was financed by Principal Theatres and managed by Charles B. Corcoran.","narrative":"Built in 1928 at 26 South Chestnut Street, the Ventura Theatre is a long concrete movie palace in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, with red tile hipped and shed roofs, arched windows and entrances, and a recessed triple-arched balcony divided by double Corinthian columns. Architect L. A. Smith designed it for Charles B. Corcoran and Principal Theatres, Inc., and Robert E. Power Studios of San Francisco created the interior, including a blue ceiling with a large silver sunburst. The lobby and auditorium were finished with gold leaf, carved figures, chandeliers and stenciled beams. The theatre opened on August 16, 1928, with 1,190 seats and a program that included the first talking picture shown in Ventura. It is recognized as the only luxury theatre of its kind built in Ventura County in the 1920s. Only the marquee has changed significantly. The neighboring office building, altered in 1958, lies outside the nominated boundary.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific date 1928)","architect_builder":"Los Angeles Contracting Co./L.A. Smith (1958 work: Macleod Construction Co./Kenneth Hess)","architectural_style":"Spanish Colonial Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in good condition; the interior has been restored and the marquee was changed in the 1950s. The adjacent office building was heavily altered in 1958 and is excluded.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.076519-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/86003523.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003523/18b6e1d50a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003523/18b6e1d50a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Los Angeles","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ventura_Theater.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ventura_Theater.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123862374","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ventura_Theatre","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14684237"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/ventura-county/ventura-theatre-86003523/"}