The California Theatre in Downtown, located at 4th & C, is one of the two last, still standing "movie palaces" in San Diego. This "hipster art" is plastered on the North wall, near the front sidewalk.
It was built in 1927. It was a movie theatre, with offices in the building above, for a long time. Then boarded up for a long time. In 1988 a lot of money was spent renovating it, to its original lustre.
Instead of movies it was a place to see national touring acts. I remember seeing The Ramones there; also saw Alice Cooper there. Probably others, but cannot remember (I went to a lot of shows back then).
It failed as a business, however. It was boarded up again, slated for demolition in 1990. Oddly, it never was. 23 years later, it is still standing, awaiting..?
