The Covina Center for the Performing Arts: Covina, Ca.
Compiled by Mary Lucas

"One Mile Square and All There" was coined by Mrs. F. E. Wolfarth, the winner of a 1922 slogan contest in regards to her beloved city of Covina. Although it has grown over the years the city is still a treasured landmark in Southern California’s history. The CCPA is a new beginning for a classic treasure. The original Covina Theater was built in 1920 in the Reed building at the corner of Citrus and Badillo and was a downtown Covina staple for entertainment. It was a modern theater for its time. They played two films nightly, the newsreel and then accompanied by the piano, a silent film followed. Saturday matinees showed the serials so popular in its time. The theater became a hot spot for many of the Covina youths when “The Candy Box” opened in the building. Come the color of film, in the 1930s, the theater was remodeled to fit the needs of the day and continued to bring entertainment to the city of Covina. The second floor of the theater was removed and the Masonic Lodge that had resided in this space was closed to add more space for a larger balcony section. In 1948, the whole building was again remodeled to put in place precautions against the ever-present earthquakes of the region. Now came the addition of sound to film, which once again set new renovations to the theater as “The Candy Box” moved out. Business boomed and the theatre thrived. In the1950s the theater continued to remodel to suit the needs of its patrons and the entertainment medium they presented. In 1961 the theater’s marquee was added.

Readers might now be wondering how the theater went from a movie house to the beautiful theater arts center it is today. This story begins with Betty Ferguson and 9 seniors from the community. In 1984, these individuals came together and began the West Covina Players. After years of moving from venue to venue and much hard work, they found themselves at the historical movie theater, that at the time had been closed for a year. Thanks to Betty and a team of community volunteers in 1993, the West Covina Players opened their season in June at their new location at the Covina Theater, with the musical classic, “Fiddler on the Roof”, and with it transformed into the Covina Valley Playhouse. Operating out of this facility till the closing production of Kander & Ebb’s “Cabaret” ran an extended run, to packed houses.

Beginning in 2004, renovation on the Covina Theatre began again. Much of the theatre building and the original sign was either torn or taken down in 2005. The original plan was to restore the building into a performing arts theatre. This was before unforeseen issues with the buildings structure were uncovered during the original restoration work. Unfortunately, the building was deemed structurally unsound so the building was rebuilt instead. The new Covina Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA) opened to the public in October 2007. This breathtaking facility has become the cultural hub of the San Gabriel Valley, and is quickly becoming a force in the Southern California theatre scene.