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.  
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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.