Introduction
The Avalon Casino
Catalina's Landmark of Entertainment
The Santa Catalina Island Company, under the direction of William Wrigley Jr.
and David M. Renton, built the Casino building in 1928 and 1929. Mr. Wrigley had
built a smaller version of the building, called Sugarloaf Casino, in the same
spot eight years earlier to serve as an entertainment and gathering place for
the Island’s visitors but soon realized that the building was too small to
accommodate the growing visitation to the Island.
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The Construction
In early February of 1928 the Sugarloaf Casino was torn down and construction of the new Casino began. Architects Sumner A. Spaulding and William Webber designed the building at Mr. Wrigley’s request with a ballroom over a movie theatre in the Moorish Alhambra style with Art Deco fixtures, furnishings and artwork. The construction of the building lasted 14 months with crews working around the clock.
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The Murals
 John Gabriel Beckman, a well-known artist best known for his work at the Mann’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA was hired by William Wrigley Jr. based on a design rendering submitted by Beckman with a distinctively Greek theme. His design later evolved to reflect the underwater surroundings of the Island and local historical and landscape motifs. Beckman along with a team of artists worked day and night for three months to execute the murals in time for the building’s grand opening.
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The Page Theatre Organ
 In the 1920s, no movie theatre was complete without a pipe organ, for these magnificent instruments supplied the background music and sound effects that accompanied silent films. Avalon Theatre’s organ was ordered from the Page Organ Company in Lima, OH and was installed along with 16 ranks of pipes (73-85 pipes per rank) in the ceiling lofts of the theatre. The organ was used for movie accompaniment until motion picture sound was firmly established, but it is best remembered for the concerts given before films and during the afternoons. Today, the organ is one of only four working Page Organs in the world.
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The Dance Floor
 The ballroom dance floor was carefully constructed of maple, white oak and rosewood that rest on a layer of felt and acoustical paper. The felt and paper are installed over a subfloor of pine that floats above the support beams on strips of cork. Such careful attention was given to the dance floor to ensure a smooth and comfortable dancing experience for the building’s many visitors.
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The Big Bands
A long list of notable Big Bands entertained visitors in the Casino Ballroom over the years. Maurice Menge and his El Patio Orchestra had the honor of officially opening the building on May 29, 1929 and since that day Big Band sounds have echoed through the building. Many of the bands would play four to six week engagements at the Casino, filling the ballroom every night during the summer season. Visitors had the opportunity to dance to the impressive sounds of Jan Garber, Kay Kyser, Bob Crosby, Dick Jurgens, and Jimmy Grier, just to name a few.
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Broadcasting from the Casino
 Beginning in 1934, Philip K. Wrigley along with close friend Les Atlas of the Columbia Broadcasting Company arranged for nightly broadcasts of Big Band music from the Casino Ballroom. The broadcasts continued with a few interruptions through the 1950s. Throughout this time, listeners from across the nation heard “From the beautiful Casino Ballroom, overlooking Avalon Bay at Catalina Island, we bring you the music of…” The names of the bands changed regularly, but the magical sounds of the era’s most notable Big Bands introduced the nation to the Casino Ballroom and Catalina Island.
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