In the Roaring Twenties, elaborate movie palaces were built across the U.S. to create a fantasy venue for showcasing big budget films and, after The Jazz Singer in 1927, “talkies.” It was during this heyday that the Balboa Theater was built in 1924. After years of success, it fell on hard times, began to decay and then remained vacant until the City of San Diego purchased it in 1985. It was converted it into a live theater in 2008.
