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On November 1, 1928, El Campanil Theatre opened its doors to the City of Antioch and the Diablo
Valley. At the time it was referred to in news reports as “the most pretentious building in Contra Costa
County.” Built, owned and operated by Ferdinand Stamm and Ralph Beede, El Campanil (the tower of
bells) is Spanish in both name and architecture. As with many theatres of the era, El Campanil originally
offered an audience chamber of approximately 1,100 seats, as well as a limited stage and “back of the
house” areas to support vaudeville entertainment. Folklore abounds to this day about the famous
celebrities who performed there, and who left their autographs on the dressing room walls. El Campanil
was also a single screen cinema, with what was “state-of-the-art” projection capabilities in 1928.
Located in the heart of downtown Antioch, along the waterfront and in what is now known as the
Rivertown Business District, El Campanil was owned and operated by the Stamm family for 75 Years, or
until 2003.
In 2001, a small group of local citizens, including representatives of the Rivertown Business District
Association, approached the City of Antioch with their desire to find a way to acquire and restore El
Campanil, and to convert its use to one supportive of the Rivertown Renaissance plan. The Rivertown
Business District Association took the lead in securing funding from Calpine for the development of a
comprehensive business plan for El Campanil Theatre. The business plan outlined the best strategies for
moving the project forward and VenueTech Management Group, LLC, was retained to develop the plan.
In July 2002, El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation was incorporated as a charitable, non-profit
501(c)3 organization.
In early 2003, Calpine Corporation and the City of Antioch entered into an agreement whereby the
Foundation received a grant to acquire the Theatre.
In July 2003, El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation purchased the Theatre and began the process
of converting the building to a community performing arts venue.
On July 4, 2004, the first phase of the rehabilitation was complete and the doors once again opened to the
public. El Campanil Theatre currently presents over 200 live events each year.
Home
CALENDAR
BUY TICKETS
PRINTABLE SCHEDULE
THEATRE ACADEMY
CLASSES
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
FINANCIAL AID
RENT THE VENUE
SUBMIT A RENTAL INQUIRY
GET INVOLVED
DONATE NOW
ADVERTISE WITH US
SPONSORSHIPS
BECOME A VOLUNTEER
CURRENT VOLUNTEERS
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
ABOUT US
THE FOUNDATION
THE STAFF & BOARD
THE HISTORY