Over the past two years, Paul Dunlap has become intimately familiar with the Bay Theatre – investigating its every sconce, flower-etched window pane and vintage exit sign. Should it stay or should it go? Has it resided here since World War II or is it an expendable latecomer?
Like a detective hot on the trail, Dunlap, 64, talks about forensics – as in: “I did the forensics on the original colors of the neon lights because I want to keep everything authentic.”
Yet even still, each visit to his precious treasure brings a new wave of wonderment.
“This is the coolest place in the theater,” Dunlap excitedly proclaimed as he showed off the dusty projection room. “Look at the size of this reel!” Frozen in time, the cluttered loft still houses silent films that were old even when shown in 1945.
Before Dunlap bought it for $2.2 million in late 2016, the Seal Beach theater sat idle for four years. Dunlap plans to reopen it within a year after restoring what he can and adding what he must. In the latter category, he already has earthquake-proofed the building and soon will make its entryways wheelchair-accessible.
The Fullerton developer, who calls himself a history buff and patron of the arts, specializes in rescuing elderly structures from the wrecking ball. One of his proudest accomplishments, Dunlap said, is his hometown’s elegant Villa Del Sol – opened in 1922 as the California Hotel.
Dunlap estimated he will put $2 million into the Bay Theatre. By the time it debuts, the theater will be ready not only for movies, but also musical and theatrical productions.
While much work remains, passersby can see progress in the brightly lit marquee. Illuminating Main Street just in time for December’s holiday parade, the eye-catching placard – much of it original – features vibrant blue, red and yellow neon.
Still to come on the exterior: Pushed out walls to expand the lobby, an old-fashioned ticket booth and sea-green tiles like the ones there prior to a drab remodel.
Inside, a massive undertaking awaits. Pieces of some 400 heavy iron seats lay stacked in the back of the dark and cavernous theater. Dunlap plans to refurbish the seats, slightly widening the space between arm rests. “To replace them, we’d have to go plastic,” he said. “I don’t want to do that.”
Up front, in addition to a movie screen, the space will offer a stage and modular seating that can be removed for an orchestra pit.
Any objets d’art that remain from the 1940s will continue to remain – including the curly metal ferns hanging on the walls. “When I first saw them, I said, ‘Those have to go – they’re from the ’70s,’” Dunlap said. “But then I learned they’ve been here since the start.”
Originally, the Bay Theatre was part of Fox Film’s national theater chain. Libby Beam Appelgate, 83, fondly recalls working in its ticket booth while attending Long Beach City College in the late 1950s.
“After closing the booth, I would rush inside the lobby and start selling popcorn,” she said. “The popcorn was in bags in the storage room – it wasn’t fresh, like today.”
Her boss, manager Kenneth Cobb, came up with a “great idea,” Appelgate said: “He started showing foreign films on Wednesday nights. Since mostly adults came, he served coffee instead of popcorn. He brought culture to little Seal Beach.”
The Bay was purchased by Richard Loderhose in 1975. He removed some of the seats for his 1928 Wurlitzer organ – a whimsical flair that was relocated after Loderhose’s death in 2008. His family put the theater up for sale, asking $3.3 million. But it languished without a buyer for nearly a decade, raising concerns among locals that their icon would be demolished.
Then along came Dunlap, who received a standing ovation at a City Council meeting when he promised to preserve the building in its intended use.
“I got it for a deal because other potential buyers didn’t want to bother with a theater,” Dunlap said. “They knew they’d be the town pariah if they tore it down.”
With the days of stale, precooked popcorn long gone, theatergoers will enjoy the options of light meals, beer and wine, Dunlap said. He has worked out a deal with Chase Bank across Pacific Coast Highway to lease its parking lot during off-hours.
Dunlap said he might even relocate from Fullerton to the apartment above the theater, currently getting a face lift. The third-story pad opens onto an expansive deck with a sweeping view of Old Town Seal Beach.
“Paul is a visionary,” said Robert Howson, owner of the Harbour Surfboard shop directly across Main Street. “It didn’t seem to make sense for someone to put a lot of money into something that might not offer much return on the investment. But Paul is resurrecting the Bay as a multidimensional theater, an entertainment center.”
Still, the question lingers: What if Dunlap’s fabulous dream turns out to be a pipe dream?
“Oh, well,” he shrugged. “Let’s just say, worst case scenario, the community doesn’t support it or for whatever reason it fails. I’ll still have a great piece of real estate I can convert it to retail.”
However, Dunlap confidently concluded, “That’s not going to happen.”
