Resurrection of the Bay Theatre signals hope of renaissance on Main Street in Seal Beach
Malicious apparitions lurk in the depths of the Bay Theatre on Main Street in Seal Beach’s Old Town, at least according to the scientific rigor of YouTubers who’ve built a following by spooking themselves on camera. And although developer Paul Dunlap has heard a few things go bump in the night, the only confirmed evidence of spirits he’s ever come across during an eight-year restoration process of the nearly 80-year-old building have been empty bottles of vintage whiskey hidden between the studs of its walls, conveniently discarded decades ago by the workers who plastered them.
“If there are entities here, they’re here by their choice,” Dunlap told the Daily Pilot during an interview in the theater’s auditorium Wednesday. “And I’m preserving something they obviously like. So I’ve always felt like I’m getting a pass. They must like me if nothing bad’s ever happened to me.”
The single-screen theater had become a ghost of its former self, left vacant for five years before Dunlap purchased it in 2016. But on Jan. 25, it will finally reopen its doors to the community, beginning with a sold-out screening of “Harbour Chronicle: Shaping the Legacy,” a documentary about local surfboard maker Rich Harbour.
Seal Beach Councilman Joe Kalmick represents the district that includes Old Town and noted that another developer could have easily turned a quicker profit by tearing down the Art Deco building and replacing it with office space. He has fond memories of catching foreign films and art house flicks at the Bay Theatre and thanked Dunlap for bringing the historic landmark back to life.
The theater was in disrepair by the time Dunlap got his hands on it. Its roof leaked rainwater and the seats were worn out. There was a gaping hole in the stage where a pipe organ had once been. The entire floor of the auditorium had to be ripped out down to the structure’s foundation and re-sloped in order to bring the building in compliance with current health and safety codes.
Dunlap personally poured over historical accounts and photos in order to faithfully recapture the building’s former glory. The large gold sconces shaped like loose bundles of flowers on its walls are the same ones that were hanging when Dunlap purchased the space, lovingly restored and polished. Crews stripped away layers of decades-old paint to rediscover the original teal and burgundy color scheme. Its new plush folding seats were sourced from old stock made at around the time the theater first opened.
Dunlap said he’s enamored by vintage architecture and likely to pull over whenever he comes across an old empty building. He’s passionate about preserving the history embedded in well-loved structures and is known for developing Villa Del Sol. That retail space and special event venue in Fullerton was known as the California Hotel when it originally opened in 1922, and it retains the former establishment’s colonial Spanish features, including tiled fountains and roofing.
“Architects are artists with buildings,” Dunlap said. “I’ve always tried to stand back and, if you could, read their mind. What was their mindset when they were designing this? What did they really want it to be and look like?”
For decades he dreamed of owning a theater and previously made unsuccessful bids to purchase the Fox Fullerton Theatre as well as the Celebrity Theatre in Anaheim. Acquiring the historic building in Seal Beach made it seem like his wish might finally come true, but not without more hard work and tenacity.
Dunlap initially thought it would take about two years to revitalize the Bay Theatre, but unexpected setbacks delayed the process. He had to replace one of the first contractors he had hired after they appeared to pad an invoice with services they didn’t actually perform. And Dunlap was dissatisfied with the designs presented by architects he began the renovation with, so he wound up letting them go and finding another firm.
The first structural engineer he brought on to reinforce the building was a longtime friend the developer had previously worked with. But after missing deadlines for months, he had to admit to Dunlap that he was unable to complete the project because his eyesight was failing due to old age.
“There’s so many cooks in the kitchen and you have to coordinate,” Dunlap said. “One wants to do one thing, has to check with the other to see if it’s OK. Just coordinating all of that is really time consuming. It was frustrating.”
At one point midway through the theater’s restoration, Dunlap fell at his home and injured several of the vertebrae in his neck. That left him temporarily bedridden, and it took him about six months to regain the ability to walk.
The developer said everything he went through was worth it to achieve a goal he’s had in mind for decades.
“It’s exactly what I wanted it to be, exactly what I thought it could be,” Dunlap said.
The developer plans to stay on board to personally manage the Bay Theatre for at least another year. He’s already hard at work lining up unique screenings, musical performances, plays and other live events.
On Jan. 29, they’ll screen the documentary “Lucy & Desi: A Home Movie,” which dives into the lives of classic Hollywood couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, followed by a Q&A session with their daughter Lucie Arnaz, who is also one of the film’s directors and producers. A portion of the event’s proceeds will be donated to the New Life Beginnings Shelter for Mothers & Children in Long Beach.
Tickets for a followup screening of “Harbour Chronicles” on Feb. 8 are available for those who weren’t able to snag one for its opening weekend. Performances by singer-songwriters Izaak Opatz, Joe Robinson and Owen Temple are scheduled for March, April and May, respectively.
Those who attend screenings or concerts at the Bay Theatre will find vintage charm coupled with state of the art audio, projection and lighting, all in an intimate 330-seat venue. Tickets for most movies are expected to cost $18.50, while admission to live events at the intimate 300-seat venue may start at around $30. Dunlap hopes to invite audiences in four nights a week, possibly expanding to five during the summer.
Kalmick hopes the reopening of the Bay Theatre becomes a catalyst reinvigorating night life along Main Street, which has made a sluggish recovery in the years since the pandemic. He pointed to plans for the conversion of a former Bank of America branch across Main on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway into a restaurant and other projects as additional signs of a burgeoning renaissance in Old Town Seal Beach.
“We need to have a venue like that as a draw to the city that brings people in,” Kalmick said. “It’s an important economic driver for the city and a historic place.”
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