The Tabernacle

Locust and 3rd Long Beach, CA 90802 | map |

Opening: This building, considered Long Beach's first theatre, was constructed on the northeast corner of Locust and 3rd sometime in the 1880s. The c.1900 photo from the California Historical Society appears on the USC Digital Library website. They call it the Methodist Episcopal Chautauqua Tabernacle Church.

A Cal State Long Beach page about the building had these comments:  

"This was Long Beach's first major public assembly space. According to Claudine Burnett at the Long Beach Public Library, Long Beach’s enthusiastic involvement with movies began at the turn of the century. In Burnett’s chapter, 'Long Beach Motion Picture Industry: 1911-1923,' she explains that the first motion picture was shown, June 22, 1900, in the old Tabernacle, at the northeast corner of Third Street and Locust Avenue. It was an Edison picture with a combat, along with marine scenes. 

"The Tabernacle was also an historical building, erected in the 1880s by the Chautauqua Assembly of Long Beach. In 1900, the Tabernacle was the only assembly hall in Long Beach, a small town then with a population of 2,252 inhabitants. For a small town, the Tabernacle could serve and did serve many functions at the same time—theatre, lecture hall, and church." 

 

An undated view of the building from the Ronald W. Mahan Collection. Thanks, Ron! 

 

A detail from a 1908 Sanborn Map appearing courtesy of Ronald W. Mahan. By this time the premises were being occupied by a sign painter and bill poster. Note the "not used" stage on the 3rd St. end of the building. Also see a larger section of the map.

Status: The building was demolished at some unknown date. 

 

Looking east on 3rd toward what had been the northeast corner, site of the Tabernacle. Locust no longer extends north of 3rd. and it's now called The Promenade. The artwork is the mosaic that was once on the 1932 Municipal Auditorium. Photo: Google Maps - 2017

More Information: There isn't any yet. The La Petite Theatre on Pine Ave. is the venue in Long Beach that gets the nod as the first theatre in town built expressly for showing films.

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