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Balboa Inn
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| Location: | 105 Main St. Newport Beach, California |
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| Architect: | Walter Roland Hagedohm |
| NRHP Reference#: | 86000730 |
| Added to NRHP: | April 11, 1986 |
The Balboa Inn, established in 1929, is located on the Balboa Peninsula (also known as Balboa) in the city of Newport Beach, California.
In its day, the Inn was the number one hostelry on the Orange County Coast.
The Balboa Inn was, and still is, a favorite getaway spot for Hollywood stars. For example, Olympic athlete and Tarzan star Johnny Weissmueller stayed there. Legend has it that Weissmueller swam the distance between the Balboa Pier and Newport Pier on a regular basis.
The Inn has been remodeled and modernized a number of times. However, its graceful Spanish architecture remains largely unchanged today.
The most famous room at the Inn is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Suite with its nine (9) foot high doors.
Nearby historical buildings and sights and sites include the Balboa Pavilion (est. 1906), Balboa Pier (est. 1906), Balboa Fun Zone (est. 1936), and Balboa Island Ferry (est. 1919). Activities nearby include narrated harbor cruises, Catalina Island passenger ferry, sport fishing, restaurants, shops, stores, and the ocean beach. During large south ocean swells, the nearby world-famous Wedge provides dangerous and exciting surfing entertainment.
What is Balboa? "We can't tell you how to dance Balboa, but we can tell you when you are not dancing Balboa." from dancers around Balboa's start.
Origins of Balboa It's hard to get a consensus view concerning the origins of Balboa. Many dance historians state that the dance was a derivation of Foxtrot, others believe it evolved from the Charleston or Collegiate Shag. Willie Desatof an original Balboa dancer of great distinction believes it evolved from the Rhumba.
There were many different pre-existing dances around at the time and several of the old Balboa masters also knew many of these other dances. Balboa is an 8 count dance so a connection with other 8 count dances would be consistent. However, this should not rule out a connection to the 6 count dances, as evolution is a powerful thing! Although we can't be sure as to the precise origins, it does seem likely that early Balboa dancers were probably influenced by their knowledge of other dances around at that time.
Balboa Peninsula History The "Balboa" got its name from the coastal Balboa Peninsula at Newport Beach, California. People from the Los Angeles area who'd seen it started referring to it as 'The Balboa', or the dance being done in Balboa.
In its day, was the number one hostelry on the Orange County Coast and today Balboa Inn "The Resort"[1] is one of the most popular resorts on the West Coast. The Inn has been remodeled and modernized a number of times but its graceful Spanish architecture remains virtually unchanged today. At one time the Balboa Theater, operated by the colorful, hard-drinking, hard-swearing character Madame La Rue, stood next to the Balboa Inn.