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San Gabriel Civic Auditorium
Proscenium arch
The historic San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, was built specifically to present The Mission Play, a 4 1/2-hour production about the history of California, is a magnificent and opulent theater with genteel side boxes offering "a place to be seen," and chandeliers which replicate the lanterns used on Spanish galleons which sailed around the tip of South America en route to California in the 1800s .
Dedicated on March 5th, 1927, this lavish facility was built by John Steven McGroarty for his famed "Mission Play." The world-renown production told the dramatic story of the founding of the California missions by the Franciscan Fathers under the leadership of Father Junipero Serra. After the end of the 1932 season and an astounding 3,198 performances, the effects of the depression plus an attempt to produce it on Broadway ended the long run of the play that told the story of the romance of early California. This landmark structure was soon returned to the holders of the mortgage where its future was in doubt. During the ensuing decade, the Mission Playhouse, as it was known then, served as a movie theater. Also, during the severe housing shortage during the war years the playhouse dressing rooms were converted into apartments.
It was in the mid-40's that a group of San Gabriel residents formed a citizen's committee whose goal was to see the playhouse purchased by the City. Although the first initiative was turned down by the voters in April of 1945, it was successfully passed in August of that year at which time the City purchased the Mission Playhouse and renamed it the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium and on September 26, 2007 the City renamed the Theater again back to the original name. It is now called the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse. Today the Auditorium looks much as it did while "The Mission Play" was in production
