Today marks the 103rd anniversary of the Temple Theatre. Opened on February 1, 1909, at a cost of a then whopping $15,000, the theatre was among the first cinemas to operate in Orange County. The first county cinema title belongs to either the “opera house” of the 2nd Spurgeon Building or the Santa Ana Electric Theatre, depending on how one chooses to define cinema. Yet, no matter which location truly deserves the founding moniker, the Temple unquestionably pioneered and popularized the concept of movie going in Orange County.
A bit of trivia on the Temple Theatre: the venue’s first manager, A.M. “Doc” Roberts, formerly ran the county’s “first” cinema, the Santa Ana Electric Theatre.
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My great grandfather Leonard O Vaughan own the temple theater In Santa Ana in the early 1900’s. My grandfather was Howard S Vaughan and my mother was Gertrude Vaughan Chandler