The Chime Tower Story

Here's one I keep meaning to share, ever since I heard the tale, way back in 2013!!!

That was the year we vacationed on Catalina for the second time, and on that visit, we did a behind the scenes tour of the Casino. Since that was so long ago, I don't have any of my own pictures available (I know ABOUT where they are, likely on the hard drive from my old Toshiba laptop, but I'm in no mood to dig through. Should buy a external HD and consolidate all my pictures!!!), so these are all web-sourced.

The Casino is an amazing classical building, with a theatre downstairs, and a huge dance floor on the top level. Of course, along with a lot of other stuff there, it was built by chewing gum magnate by William Wrigley Jr. If you notice from the ariel view, it has a couple of wings on either side. Instead of having staircases, these wings house ramps to ascend about 12 stories worth of height, the same style as he has at Wrigley Field in Chicago. I had a much better shot showing the ramp, but this is the only image I was able to find.

In a previous post, I had mentioned that the Catalina Buffalo had been brought over for the film adaptation of Zane Grey's "The Vanishing American", and that Zane had lived on the island for a while. He loved fishing, and built himself a Pueblo style house, or more accurately, a compound overlooking Avalon and the sea beyond. He also did some correspondent work for a Chicago newspaper, writing for the society page, as there were several of the rich and famous who visited Catalina.

One evening, the Wriglys were hosting an event at the Casino. Ada Wrigley was coming down one of the ramps, and her shoe hooked on the carpet and she ate it. Zane Grey witnessed it, and the incedent was reported in the newspaper. Naturally, Mrs. Wrigley was not amused. You'll notice there isn't any carpet in the picture of the ramp, she had it removed.

Not long after, Mrs. Wrigley announced that she was presenting a gift to the city of Avalon, the Catalina Chimes Tower, which chime every 15 minutes from 8 AM to 8 PM.

Located directly across from the Zane Grey compound.