The Historic Civic Center, located on 815 West Sixth Street, is a staple in Corona’s history. It was opened in 1923 and was the city’s only high school until 1961. “From 1962 to the present, it has served as the seat of government for the City of Corona as the Corona Civic Center and City Center” (National Register of Historic Places, 1). Today, the old high school theater is used as a public theater to hold events, such as award ceremonies, recognition events, plays, and concerts. It is the center of Corona’s artistic community. The historic Civic Center is heavily used by the public. The building is often in need of repairs and cleaning. “The property is in need of some exterior maintenance and restoration work…” (National Register of Historic Places, 3). One citizen who wants to restore the theater to its former glory is Amanda Kalkanis.

Kalkanis is an active member of the arts community and runs Off-Broadway Corona Theatre, one of the organizations that occupy the Corona Civic Center. She is also the founder of Friends of the Theater, a non-profit organization dedicated to the Civic Center. “The desire is that it is an organization that combines all of the art organizations in Corona,” states Kalkanis, “the desire is that we all work together to maintain the theater.” Most aspects of the Civic Center are outdated and rarely fixed. The box office area hadn’t been painted in at least 10 years, and the fly-space above the stage had been collecting dust for many years. Groups like Friends of the Theater help take care of the old building and update it in the proper way. “Our goal is to do two cleaning and beautification days a year for the upkeep of the theater because a lot of people use it,” says Kalkanis. One of the beautification days of 2018 took place on Sunday, September 2nd.

Each volunteer was assigned a job like painting, mopping, or scrubbing. The group met most of the short-term goals set for that day. The outside concrete was power-washed, and the inside of the theater was deep cleaned, along with touching up any paint in the box office and lobby area. September 2nd was a successful day for Friends of the Theater and the well-being of the Civic Center.

There are more opportunities to get involved with Friends of the Theater. Two beautification days and one big fundraiser is expected each year. Friends of the Theater has a website (friendsofthetheater.org); on the website, there are different ways to contact Amanda Kalkanis if interested. Working and volunteering for Friends of the Theater is an easy way to get involved in the community and help preserve a piece of Corona’s history.