Built in 1924, the historic Balboa Theatre was an elegant vaudeville and movie palace in the heart of downtown San Diego. At the time, it was a state-of-the-art building that included six storefronts along Fourth Avenue, with 34 offices on the floors above. After a 1934 remodeling, the theatre was reopened as Teatro Balboa, featuring contemporary films from Mexico City and presenting Latin stars to San Diego's increasingly diverse audience. During World War II, the theatre's office space was used by the US Navy. These offices were reconfigured into bachelor quarters for young men waiting to ship out. After the war, the remodeled spaces became single-occupancy housing.

In 1959, the Russo family of San Diego acquired the building and saved it from potential demolition. They operated it as an action movie house until the City of San Diego purchased it in 1986. Ten years later, the Balboa Theatre Foundation nominated the Theatre to the National Register of Historic Places to save both the interior and exterior of this community asset.

The Balboa Theatre had been closed for over twenty years. After numerous efforts to privately renovate and reopen the Theatre, the commitment was made in 2002 to retain the historic Balboa Theatre as a public asset with the City's Redevelopment Agency funding its renovation and restoration and reopening the Theatre as a community performing arts center to be managed and operated by San Diego Theatres.

Today the Balboa Theater offers the finest of performing arts, featuring top-name plays, symphony and other special guests.

Official Web Site

If you are trying to find Balboa Theatre, you have come to the right place. Our map is interactive, includes the streets/major attractions in the immediate area, and can be easily zoomed, reformatted or repositioned to meet your needs. If you see a map that is in error, please email us at maps@mustseesandiego.com.

Map of Balboa Theatre Location