The theatre that simulated clouds with vents

The Merced Theatre is a significant architectural landmark in Merced, California. It served as the social and cultural center of the city from the Depression through the post World War II era. The building features a mix of Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 1, 2009.

The Golden State Theatre Company hired the Reid Brothers to design the building, who also designed the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. The theatre used the most modern projection and sound technology available at the time of construction, and it was only the second building in Merced to have an air conditioning system. To create atmosphere, the architects included castle facades and ventilators that sent clouds floating across a star-bespeckled ceiling.

Builder Gian Battista Pasqualetti constructed the multi-level, white stucco coated steel framed reinforced concrete building. The structure used steel from the Golden Gate Iron Works, ornamental iron from the San Jose Iron Works, and ornamental tiles from the Hispano Maresque Tile Company in Los Angeles. A 100-foot tower rises above the marquee, which features orange neon block letters proclaiming MERCED.

The lobby includes a mural of Spanish exploration by artist Antoon Bonaventure Heinsbergen and features original Spanish style wooden sofas and chairs. The theatre originally seated 1,645 people for filmed and live performances. While the theatre was divided into four sections in the early 1980s, cutting off the balcony, it later underwent a full restoration to return it to its original single full stage and screen design. Today, it continues to host a full season of touring shows and films.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons