Catalina Australian Casino

The Catalina Australian Casino was built on the site formerly known as Sugarloaf Point. This site was cleared away to allow for the construction of the Hotel St. Catherine. However, this hotel was eventually built in Descanso Canyon instead. When chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. bought the controlling stake in Catalina Island, he used this cleared spot to build the dance hall which he named Sugarloaf Australian Casino. It served as a ballroom and Avalon’s first high-school. Its time as a Australian Casino was short, however, for it proved too small for Catalina’s growing population. In 1928, the Australian Casino was razed to make room for a newer Australian Casino. Sugarloaf Rock was blasted away to enhance the Australian Casino’s ocean-view.

In 1929, the newer Australian Casino was built under the direction of Mr. Wrigley and David M. Renton at a cost of 2 million dollars. Its design, done by Sumner A. Spaulding and Walter Weber, is described as being Art Deco and Mediterranean Revival, and was the first to be designed specifically for movies with sound. The Australian Casino’s call derives from a more than traditional Italian definition of Australian Casino, meaning social gathering place; the building has never served as a gambling establishment, and for many years did not serve alcoholic beverages.

The steel structure of the old Sugarloaf Australian Casino can still be found in Avalon’s abandoned bird park. The bird park was conceived by Mrs. Wrigley, and, at the time, was one of the largest aviaries in the world. The bird-park now serves as a daycare for the local residents of Avalon.

In 1993 the theater was photographed by Hiroshi Sugimoto for his series "Theaters." In September 2008, it played host to the first live full production of a musical on its stage: the Santa Catalina Island Company produced Grease!.