The Nevada Theatre, also known as the Cedar Theatre, located in downtown Nevada City, California

Nevada City, California

-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Nevada City had a population of 3,068. The population density was 1,399.7 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Nevada City was 2,837 White, 26 African American, 28 Native American, 46 Asian, 0 Pacific Islander, 40 from other races,...

, is California's oldest existing theater building. Its principal periods of significance were 1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1900-1924, and 1925-1949.

History

After the three-story Bailey House Hotel, at Broad and Bridge Streets, burned down in 1863, the Nevada Theatre Association began fundraising for a new building. Stock was sold at $100 a share, and a ball was held June 1865 to cover the remaining costs for the rustic vernacular Victorian

Victorian architecture

The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...

 building. The building's architect, builder, and engineer are unknown. When the theater opened on September 9, 1865, the first performance was the John Poole two-act comedy entitled The Dutch Governor, or "Twould Puzzle a Conjurer".

Silent films were screened as early as 1908, and the theater underwent a remodel in 1909, retrofitted as a movie house. A slanted floor and electric lights were added in 1915. By 1957, it closed because of a sluggish economy, but it was later purchased through public donations and reopened in 1968.

Building

With over 200 seats, including balcony seating, the theater is in use year-round for both live performance and movies. It is wheelchair accessible.

The "backstage" area is located under the stage, and is painted baby-blue. It includes a small room with makeup mirrors.

Performers

Notable past performers include Lotta Crabtree

Lotta Crabtree

Lotta Mignon Crabtree was an American actress, entertainer and comedian. She was also a significant philanthropist....

, Mötley Crüe

Mötley Crüe

Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...

, Jack London

Jack London

John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...

, Emma Nevada

Emma Nevada

Emma Nevada was an American operatic soprano particularly known for her performances in operas by Bellini and Donizetti and the French composers Ambroise Thomas, Charles Gounod, and Léo Delibes...

, Mark Twain

Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...

, and The Second City

The Second City

The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...

 comedy troupe.

Present day main users include:

• LeGacy Productions
• Nevada Theatre Film Series
• Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra
• Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival

Commissions

The Nevada County Liberal Arts Commission was formed in the 1960s to purchase the building from United Artists

United Artists

United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....

. The Nevada Theatre Commission, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, followed the first commission, and, with a Board of Directors, is the governing body of the Nevada Theatre. It owns, operates, restores and utilizes the theater.

"To preserve and develop the historic Nevada Theatre and its other historic properties in order to provide the community with an accessible, usable and valuable cultural asset." (Mission Statement)

Landmark

The theater is registered as California Historical Landmark No. 863, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 on March 14, 1973. The landmark plaque states:

CALIFORNIA'S OLDEST EXISTING THEATRE BUILDING, THE NEVADA OPENED SEPTEMBER 9, 1865. CELEBRITIES SUCH AS MARK TWAIN, JACK LONDON, AND EMMA NEVADA HAVE APPEARED ON ITS STAGE. CLOSED IN 1957, THE THEATRE WAS LATER PURCHASED THROUGH PUBLIC DONATIONS AND REOPENED MAY 7, 1968 TO AGAIN SERVE THE CULTURAL NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.

CALIFORNIA REGISTERED HISTORICAL LANDMARK NO. 863

PLAQUE PLACED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION IN COOPERATION WITH THE HISTORICAL LANDMARKS AND LIBERAL ARTS COMMISSIONS OF NEVADA COUNTY, APRIL 27, 1974.

External links

• Official Nevada Theatre website
• Landmark designation at Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks