Historical Setting

General Context

The town of Moorpark was established along the Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way in 1900 by Robert and Madeline R. Poindexter. Poindexter had acquired a portion of the former Rancho Simi lands, known as the “Little Simi” from Thomas Scott, who had purchased 99,009 acres in 1864 to explore for oil. After having little success at oil development, Rancho Simi was sold to a syndicate, among whose members was Thomas Bard. In 1887 the syndicate established the Simi Land and Water Company to subdivide and sell the lands. Robert Poindexter was hired as secretary of this company.

Poindexter laid out the town lots surrounding the depot. By April 6, 1900, the railroad station, a section house, corral and chutes for cattle had been constructed. Trains arrived daily from Montalvo. High Street, paralleling the railroad tracks just north of the depot, became the commercial district. The Southern Pacific Milling Company was built adjacent to the railroad tracks. A Methodist Church building and parsonage from the nearby community of Epworth were moved into Moorpark in 1907 on land located at Walnut and Charles streets and donated by the Poindexter family. A school was also moved from Peach Hill into the town to land donated for a school by the Poindexters. The first newspaper, the Moorpark Star, began operation in 1910. The Moorpark Hotel was built across from the depot at High and Bard streets.

The town experienced slow but steady growth. By the 1920s, High Street merchants provided most conveniences to the local population—a grocery store, bank, elementary school, hardware store restaurants and agricultural related businesses serving the surrounding farmers. The predominant agricultural crops were apricots, beans, walnuts and citrus. Moorpark became known as the apricot center of the county. In 1926 the first apricot festival was held, and became an important annual event for the community for a number of years.

During the 1930s, Moorpark was the only town in the east county to boast a movie theater. The Moorpark Theatre, built around 1930, provided entertainment not just to local residents but to the nearby communities of Simi Valley, Somis, Camarillo, and Thousand Oaks.

During the Depression, many ranchers began to raise poultry for egg production. By 1961, poultry became a prominent area business when Julius Goldman established Egg City, with a million-hen capacity. Moorpark remained a rural agricultural community until the mid-1970s, when Moorpark College was built east of town, and Campus Park, a 1,500 unit residential subdivision was constructed near the college. During the 1980s growth continued with development south of the original townsite. In addition, commercial development occurred along Highway 118. During this time, the older commercial district along High Street (original Highway 118) was redeveloped. Many older buildings, including the railroad depot, were demolished or a Western facade attached to the building. Moorpark incorporated in 1983.

Property-Specific Context

1930 to 1961

The Moorpark Theatre, located at 45 E. High Street, was built circa 1930 for Moorpark resident Roy Hoffelt, by Charles Churchman, a local builder. According to local author Norma Gunter, Charles Churchman built the Moorpark Theatre assisted by his sons Paul and Lawrence. Roy Hoffelt, who also ran the local pool hall, purchased the property on High Street in 1924 from Mark and Jessie Kennedy. After the Moorpark Theatre was built circa 1930, it was leased that year to Don C. Mentor, who became manager. Records also show that M.E. Cue served as manager for a short time.

In 1934 Lorine and Charles Gaertner traded property they owned in Santa Paula to Roy Hoffelt for the Moorpark Theatre. Charles Gaertner had theater experience having worked at the Santa Paula Fox Theatre at night, and was an Edison Company employee during the day. The Gaertner family owned the Moorpark Theatre from 1934 until 1961. The theater had operated under several names, including the Simi Valley Egyptian Theatre, for a short time during the early 1930s. After the Gaertners purchased it, they held a contest among local residents to rename the theater. Thereafter it was called El Rancho Theatre.

Under the Gaertner’s management, the theater ran first run movies every evening, except for Wednesday evening when “B” movies were run. Matinees were held on Saturday and Sunday. The price of a movie ticket in the early years was ten cents for children, twenty-five cents for adults, and thirty-five cents for loge seats.

Cherie Love, Lorine and Charles Gaertner’s daughter, grew up in the theater, having been three years old when her family purchased it. She recalls many special events that occurred over the years making the theater a focal point for the community. Cherie and her sister Charlene played music on the record player when the box office opened and spent a good part of their childhood in the theater. During the Depression, young men from the nearby CCC camp came to the theater and were offered special ticket prices. The Camarillo State Hospital brought patients to the matinees. The Goebels’ animal farm in Thousand Oaks brought animals to the theater. During World War II, war bonds were sold. Lorine Gaertner received special recognition for her participation by the Motion Picture Industry War Activities Committee. The theater was also used by the high school theater group during the time they were without an auditorium. During Christmas season, Santa Claus, played by Cherie’s grandfather, arrived at the theater and passed out gifts to the children.

Following her divorce from Charles Gaertner, Lorine Gaertner retained ownership of the property. In 1940 she remarried, to John Willard, a farmer from Simi Valley. Willard worked in the projection booth for a time. Cherie Love recalls how hard her mother worked to keep the theater going. It remained the only movie house in the east county at least until the 1950s, and continued to draw patrons from the entire area, including Somis, Simi Valley, Camarillo and Thousand Oaks.

The theater building was constructed with a storefront on either side of the theater entrance. A variety of commercial uses occurred in these two buildings, including a cleaners, attorney’s office, dentist, and a restaurant called the Sweet Shop. The library was located in one of the storefronts for a short time.

1961 to the Present

Lorine Willard sold the property in 1961, and its use for the next two years is presently unknown. In 1963 Reverend Kane purchased the theater to use as the Ministry Auditorium. He obtained permits to alter the front of the building and the interior for church purposes. He also altered the office and probably removed the ticket booth. In 1966 Israel Synofsky purchased the building for live theater use. In 1968 he added a new attached illuminated theater sign and marquee. By 1973 building permits show that Wayne Bednersh owned the building, and that a dentist’s office operated out of one of the storefronts.

Kirk Aiken purchased the building in 1977 and leased it to the Horizon Players for two years. In 1982 Aiken established the Magnificent Melodrama live theater, and a permit was taken out for new electric, alterations and repairs. Aiken brought in 300 new seats and created the Victorian color scheme in the auditorium. The original seats had apparently been removed and sold by the previous owner. Aiken ran the theater until he sold it in 1987 to Linda Bredemann, who had a successful run operating the Magnificent Melodrama Theater until her husband's health began to decline. Unfortunately, without her strong marketing skills and due to the changes made by third parties, it met with bankruptcy in 1998. Larry Janss purchased the theater in 2001.

5. Potential Historic Resources

Building Description

The Moorpark Theatre building is one story in height and rectangular in plan measuring approximately 50 feet wide by 120 feet deep. It has a gabled roof in the front portion over the entrance and flat roofs over the store buildings, and a barrel vault arched roof over the auditorium. The building is of brick masonry with a raised parapet. The front of the building is covered with stucco.

The front of the building is divided into three bays with stepped pilasters at the corners. The center section (theater entrance) is recessed with a lancet arched opening. Originally, no entrance doors were located within the arched opening. The arch was open and the ticket booth was centered and slightly recessed. A marquee extended between the arched opening. The doors were recessed under the arch. Today, the original marquee and the ticket booth have been removed. A pair of double wooden doors with three diamond shaped windows in each door, were installed within the arched opening and wrought iron added over the doors. These doors may have been the original entrance doors to the auditorium. A large marquee with a mansard roof was placed over the original arched opening.

On either side of the entrance a store bay contains an opening and a large lancet multi-paned wood arched window. These windows have been covered with wrought iron. The original doors into these store buildings were double woodframe and glass doors. They have been replaced with a single wood and glass door. Above the store entrances is a decorative lancet arched raised detail which appears to exist behind the marquee.

The recessed entrance originally held the ticket booth as well as posters and poster cases. The flooring was stained concrete etched into squares. The entrance doors led into the foyer. To the right, or east, is the stairway to the upstairs projection booth.

The auditorium has retained its original configuration with high ceilings and large beams across the auditorium followed by corbels and pilasters continuing down the walls. Original wall sconces are located on the pilasters. The original chandeliers hang from the ceiling. The chandeliers and sconces repeat the arches found on the front facade of the building. In 1992, when the building received seismic retrofitting, steel columns were placed along the walls between the pilasters.

The stage area has been enlarged and brought forward from the original. The proscenium is unaltered. The seating was replaced in 1982.

A description of the auditorium and projection booth contents in 1930 is as follows:

2 Simplex Projectors Serial #13324 and #18230, 2 Preddey reflector arc lamps serial #1130 and #1193, 1 G.E. mercury arc rectifier with tube serial #1043403, 1 stereopticon, 1 Brenkert model C-4 Spot Lamp, 1 pair Weaver auto dousers, 1 16 section film cabinet and table, 1 Moon automatic rewinder with motor, 2 quarter size lenses, 15 Preddey aluminum reels, 1 pair Neumade hand rewinder, 1 microphone, 342 No. 4-A Heywood-Wakefield opera chairs, 1 footlight trough, 3 olivettes, 1 wood sloat, 1 double sheave, 2 single sheaves, 1 black velour cyclorama (curved curtain wall), 4 velour panels stenciled, 78 leather overstuffed loge chairs, 1 foyer settee, 1 foyer lamp, 1 foyer wall mirror, box office festoon, entrance door curtains, aisle opening drapes, stage exit drapes, main curtain and sloat, sateen screen masking, carpet on foyer and aisles, portiers (curtains) on doors in foyer (Chattel Mortgage, July 1933).

Selected Sources

Cameron, Janet Scott. Moorpark: The Star of the Valley. Anderson, Ritchie & Simon, 1967.

City of Moorpark, Building and Safety Department, permit file on 45 E. High Street

Gunter, Norma. The Moorpark Story. Moorpark: Moorpark Chamber of Commerce, 1969

Gunter, Norma. A Diamond for Moorpark: 1975. Moorpark: Moorpark Chamber of Commerce, 1974.

Love, Cherie. “Moorpark Theatre History.” unpublished paper written by Cherie Love from interviews with her mother, Lorine Willard.

Telephone interviews with Cherie Love by Judy Triem, 2/1/02; 2/4/02

Telephone interview with Kirk Aiken by Judy Triem, 2/5/02.

Triem, Judith P. Ventura County, Land of Good Fortune. Northridge: Windsor Publications, 1985.

U.S.G.S. Map, Moorpark, 1951 (photorevised 1967)

Ventura County Grant Deeds, 1930, Book 452, p. 18, 119, 263; Chattell Mortgage, Book 400, p. 404; Indenture, Book 191, p. 458. Located at Ventura County Recorder’s Office, microfilm.

Ventura County City Directories, 1930-1984.

All of the above curtesy of Judy Triem.