One of California’s last remaining waterfront pavilions

NEWPORT BEACH—Balboa Pavilion is one of Newport Beach’s most famous landmarks and is one of California’s last surviving waterfront recreational pavilions from the turn of the century. Construction of the wooden Victorian design building was completed in 1906 and coincided with the completion of the Pacific Electric Red Car Line, which began near Pasadena, wound down through Los Angeles and Long Beach, and ended in central Balboa.

The original building consisted of a large 8,000-square-foot meeting room on the second story and a simple bathhouse on the first floor where people could change into bathing suits. Over its history, a post office, barber shop, ten lane bowling alley and art museum all once operated in the building. Currently, the Pavilion is used as a marine recreation facility, with sport fishing boats, a passenger catamaran to Catalina Island, harbor sightseeing cruises, boat rentals, whale watching, and the Harborside Restaurant and Grand Ballroom.

The Pavilion was named a California State Historic Landmark in 1968.

Orange County Archives photo