[2] A grand vaudeville/movie palace combining Moorish and Spanish Revival styles, the single-balcony theatre originally had a seating capacity of 1,513;[3] waterfalls on either side of the proscenium arch provided air cooling.

[4][3] As part of the Fox West Coast circuit, Balboa Theatre featured live vaudeville and movies, accompanied by orchestra and organ.

[7] Although the 1973 Horton Plaza Redevelopment Plan called for complete restoration of the building as a theatre, the City of San Diego instead condemned it; the Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC) made plans to gut the theatre for commercial space, intending to strip the interior and build four floors of retail space.

In 1985, a small group of advocates led by Steve Karo formed the Save Our Balboa Organization to lobby against destruction of the theatre and to support its restoration.

The Save Our Balboa group garnered public support and eventually prevailed in a long and hard-fought effort to stop destruction of the theatre.