Avalon Casino

"What?  It's not really a casino?"  We chuckled as we overheard this comment from another tourist.  Because of this iconic structure's name, we had mistakenly thought the same thing.  We were thinking pre-Castro Cuba--thousands of well-dressed party-goers sailing over the channel to Catalina Island from L.A. to dance and gamble the night away.  But the Avalon Casino has never been a gambling venue.  We learned from the tour we took that the etymology of casino is Latin for "place of gathering."  We can thank Las Vegas for changing its meaning.

But party-goers sailing the channel?  I was right about that one.  From its very beginning, thousands of people came over to hear the Big Bands and dance the night away in the casino's ballroom.  The ground floor also houses the most beautiful movie theater I have ever seen.  

The Ballroom

 

 

The Movie Theater

It is the beauty of the architecture and the artwork, however, that astounded me.  From the graceful Moorish windows above to the murals and bronze chandeliers at the entrance, it is indeed a structure worthy of all those travel brochures about California.  More likely than not, the Avalon Casino is on the front cover.

William Wrigley, Jr. hired John Gabriel Beckman in 1929 to design the nine gigantic murals that frame the entrance.  The artist created an underwater fantasy of kelp forests, flowers and exotic fish.  Its crown jewel is the mermaid in the center, which was redone in tile in 1986 by Richard Keit, under Beckman's supervision. 

The pink and red murals in the movie theater are spectacular, as well.  Beckman interwove California history with Greek and Roman mythology.  I highly recommend taking the tour, but at the very least, take in the 7:30 nightly movie.  Look up at the silver dome-shaped ceiling filled with stars.  Look around at the murals.  No matter what movie you're seeing, the Spanish Galleons at full sail, the Art Deco geometric shapes and the angular Native Americans hunting on horseback are all worth the price of a ticket!