William Wrigley, Jr. (1861-1932), chewing gum industrialist and founder of the William Wrigley Jr. Company, played an instrumental role in the history of Catalina Island. He bought the island from Joseph and Hancock Banning in 1919, and improved it with public utilities, new steamships, a hotel, the Casino building, and extensive planting of trees, shrubs, and flowers. Wrigley was the owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, which held its annual spring training on the island. In 1920, William Wrigley Jr. and David M. Renton had a small casino built to serve as an entertainment and gathering place for Catalina Island's visitors. In a short period of time though, this establishment - the Sugarloaf Casino, proved to be too small to accommodate the growing number of guests, and in February 1928 it was demolished to make room for a much larger building. The Catalina Casino Ballroom, also known as Avalon Ballroom, was built on the same spot - adjacent to Sugarloaf Rock by architects Sumner A. Spaulding and William Webber. Sugarloaf Rock was eventually blasted away in order to enhance the view from the Casino. Wrigley's budget for the design and construction of the Catalina Casino was $600,000, but when all was said and done, he ended up spending $2 million. Today, the famous twelve-story art deco landmark hosts most of Catalina's major indoor events, including the annual New Year's Eve Celebration, and the Catalina Island Jazz Festival. William Wrigley's beautiful two-story, L-shaped home rests atop a grassy hill, overlooking Avalon and beyond. Small houses as well as various tourist-oriented businesses, office buildings and several larger apartment complexes are nestled in the hills. The first Catalina Casino, Sugarloaf Rock, and numerous small boats are visible at the edge of the bay on the right, surrounded by the sea on three sides.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;15 x 25 cm. on sheet 21 x 26 cm. Photographic prints
Catalina Casino Boats and boating--California--Santa Catalina Island Dwellings--California--Santa Catalina Island Islands--California, Southern Hotels--California--Santa Catalina Island Bays--California--Santa Catalina Island Panoramic photographs Wrigley, William,1861-1932 Renton, David M Santa Catalina Island (Calif.) Avalon (Calif.)
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