{"nrhp_refnum":"91000917","name":"King City Joint Union High School Auditorium","other_names":["King City High School Auditorium","Robert Stanton Theater"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"N. Mildred Ave., NW of jct. with Broadway St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"King City","county":"Monterey County","state":"CA","lat":36.210286164000024,"lon":-121.13292126199997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-07-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five-story Moderne-style high school auditorium on North Mildred Avenue near Broadway Street in King City, Monterey County, California, constructed in 1939 of reinforced concrete with a copper roof.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant as an outstanding example of the W.P.A. Moderne style, designed by architect Robert Stanton, who judged it better than his earlier Monterey County Courthouse. It is also notable for the bas-relief sculpture by artist Joseph Jacinto Mora and for its acoustics. It remains essentially unaltered and retains a high level of integrity.","narrative":"Completed in 1939 on the King City high school campus, this auditorium rises five stories, including the stage house, and is built of cream-tinted reinforced concrete with steel framing. Architect Robert Stanton shaped the main mass as an ellipse, a form that suited the poured concrete, improved acoustics and lowered costs. Sculptor Joseph Jacinto Mora added a large bas-relief triptych on the entrance facade, capitals on the side elevations and Pegasus panels flanking the proscenium. The interior seats 596 on the main floor and 387 in the balcony, with a blue, cream and vermilion color scheme. The project was funded in part by the Works Projects Administration and built after a 1936 school election approved the grant application. Stanton had used a similar approach on the Monterey County Courthouse in Salinas two years earlier, and the auditorium is described as the clearer design. Few changes have been made, and the building is considered a strong example of its style in the county.","period_of_significance":"1939","architect_builder":"Stanton, Robert, Architect; Stolte, F.C. Co., Builder","architectural_style":"Moderne (W.P.A. Moderne / Art Moderne)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as essentially unaltered and in excellent condition; still used as an auditorium. Alterations include resealed roof drains (1988), felt and tar roofing over the copper roof (1989), a raised balcony railing (1988) and replaced seat upholstery.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.737675-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/91000917.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000917/90db37f19c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91000917/90db37f19c-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Binksternet","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KingCityHS-RobertStantonTheater.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Binksternet</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KingCityHS-RobertStantonTheater.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859925","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_City_High_School_Auditorium","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15238512"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/monterey-county/king-city-joint-union-high-school-auditorium-91000917/"}