John graduated from High School here in the old Fox theater on the 200 block of Main Street.
This is one of the grand old movie houses that has a balcony and elaborate decorations in styles such as art deco, Egyptian theme, or romantic renditions of Spanish or Arabian themes. Salinas and Monterey, like many communities around the country are struggling to preserve these theaters.
This theater also hosted the live performances of vaudeville. The formerly elegant Hotel Cominos stood a block away until the earthquake of 1989 damaged it beyond repair. Since all of this is only a couple of blocks from the railroad station, this was the center of culture in the Salinas Valley for many decades.