When chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. bought the controlling stake in Catalina Island in 1919, he used this cleared site to build a dance hall he named Sugarloaf Casino.

It received the Honor Award from the California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, as "one of the outstanding architectural accomplishments".

With a height equal to a 12-story building, it was built to serve as a theater on the main floor and a ballroom and promenade on the upper level.

[1][2] Movie studio moguls, such as Cecil B. DeMille, Louis B. Mayer, and Samuel Goldwyn, frequently came by yacht to the Casino to preview their newest cinema productions.

It also serves as the island's civil defense shelter, large enough to accommodate Catalina's entire year-round population.

In December 2019, The Catalina Island Company stopped screening first run showings of movies, essentially ceasing its function as a traditional film venue.

[3] They cite the rise of streaming services and large use of satellite television in the small town of 4000 as contributing factors to the theater's low attendance.

The building interiors were decorated in the Art Deco style, including with sterling silver and gold-leaf accents.

The theater's entrance loggia, located between the two wings housing the ramps, feature nine mural panels of an Art Deco-style underwater world scene.

[1] French doors encircle the room connecting the dance floor with the Romance Promenade, an open balcony that runs around the building.

[1] The museum continues documenting Catalina Island history, adding from World War II to the present day, and a research institute.