A LOOK BACK:The incarnations of the Pavalon through the years

I recently received a note from Kathy Van Dorn saying she enjoyed my column about Russell Henry and the Pavalon at the pier, but she wished I had finished the history. I have written other columns about the more recent history of the Pavalon, but I thought it would be a good idea to fill in some more gaps for readers like Kathy.

As the 1950s drew to a close, there was less demand for big band music, and the Pavalon was turned into a roller-skating rink.

In 1968, Howard Lutz and Paul Renius held the lease on the Pavalon and decided to turn the aging building into an upscale seafood restaurant. They spent $200,000 on a new façade for the Pavalon.

They held a three-day grand opening on May 13, 1968, that included city and county leaders on the first day and invitation-only events for the remainder.

Charles Rivezzo acquired the lease and restaurant Nov. 11, 1976. Paul Wimmer bought the restaurant and ran the chic eatery until December 2001, when it was closed and padlocked by the IRS. The city then demolished the building and built Duke’s restaurant.

The original Pavilion (later known as the “Pavalon”) opened in 1938 and became a showplace for events and big bands through the 1940s.

But the idea of having a grand pavilion and auditorium was not new.

City officials had been talking about building a pavilion and auditorium on the beach as far back as World War I. City leaders talked about the plan during a Chamber of Commerce meeting on April 10, 1919 inside the old Carnegie Library at Eighth and Walnut.

Dr. George A. Shank reported that the Huntington Beach Co. was willing to sell 100 feet on each side of the pier to the city for $75 per front foot. Shank argued that the pavilion and auditorium should be built so the city could take advantage of a rising number of beach visitors.

Shank also wanted a committee considering the pavilion plan to add two members from the city’s finance department.

City Trustee Richard Drew and R.H. Chapin were added to the committee that included Dr. Shank, Dr. F.E. Wilson, C.E. Lavering, W.D. Seely and Daniel W. Huston. Thomas Talbert noted that the pavilion should be big enough to handle a wide variety of uses. Judge Louis Copeland agreed.

Trustee and former Mayor Ed Manning pointed out it was important that the city build one that was good or better than pavilions in other beach cities.

H.T Dunning said that he thought it was about time Huntington Beach had a good permanent pavilion and auditorium.

John McDonald told of his experience at Atlantic City’s glass pavilion where, he noted, the acoustics were good.

F.H. McElfresh said he wanted one that would be a credit to the community and large enough to house large events.

Chapin liked the idea that the pavilion would attract more tourists.

Jesse Armitage of Sunset Beach told the chamber that the price for the land was much less than similar beach property in other beach towns along the coast from Santa Monica to San Diego. But he questioned on which side of the pier the pavilion should be built or whether it should be on both sides.

Wilson favored a three-story building with a banquet room large enough for 300 to 400, making it the largest in Orange County.

City Clerk Charles Nutt agreed the pavilion should be three stories and added it was a good time to improve the beach.

City Attorney Lewis Blodget observed that most visitors to Seal Beach’s pavilion went there more to enjoy the dancing than the booze.

City Trustee Joseph Vavra liked the idea of a quality pavilion but thought it should be built elsewhere in the city.

B. Earl Farrar thought it was about time the citizens of Huntington Beach wake up and make some improvements on the beach.

T.R. Canady was in favor of improving the pier area, but it was W.A. Will who summed it up by telling the chamber members, “I think you had better stop talking and build the pavilion.”

Despite those good intentions, it would take nearly two more decades before we really had a permanent, high-class pavilion and auditorium that the citizens of Huntington Beach could really be proud of.