1951
1953
1955 - April
1957 - November
1957
1958
1950 - April
The Blair Theatre on First St. opens. The owners, Bill and Marlene Blair, also owned the Del Rio theatre on West St. The new theatre was part of several buildings just completed by local contractor Dave Davini. Two sets of double doors led into a small lobby with a candy counter on the right. The theater consisted of a single large space with a downward slanted floor and three sections of seating for 448 people. The main section in the center was the widest with aisles separating it from a narrower section on each side. There were a few rows of loge seating at the back (for an extra charge) and standard seating throughout the rest of the theatre. Two doors led from the lobby to the aisles. There was a crying room near the projectionist room upstairs with a large viewing window where families with babies could watch the movie. In 1999, new owner David Corkill began a year long renovation which included an addition and transformation of the theatre into a four-plex. It was reopened in February 2000. The theater operated under various owners as Clover Theater and Clover Cinema, with some extended periods of non-operation, until 2023 when once again it closed.​ [Location: 121 E. First St.]
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PHOTO COURTESY OF KEVIN MOORE
1952 - September
Washington School is completed. The influx of people in the late 1940s and the baby boom after World War II, necessitated another grade school. It included an all-purpose room (a combined auditorium, gymnasium and lunch room), an administrative wing, and a classroom wing. However, there was insufficient space for the number of students and over 100 students continue to be taught at the West Street school. [Location: 129 S. Washington St.]
1957 - September
A bowling alley called Deltone Lanes, after the owners Delores and Tony Cuneo, opens at 110 Healdsburg Ave. Bowling became a highly popular activity. Many teams were formed and scores were published in the Cloverdale Reveille. In May 1962, a fire destroyed the building. The bowling alley reopened in May 1963 as Cloverdale Bowl and continued under various ownership until 1996. The building was demolished in 1997.
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1959 - April
The Lee Shelford Memorial Park riding arena was built in 1959 by members of the Cloverdale Riding Club on land owned by Mrs. Elsie Shelford. It was located at the corner of Crocker Rd. and the north Russian River levee. The large arena ran parallel to the levee with the grandstands, announcer’s booth, and snack shack on the west side of the arena. Riders entered the arena from the north end. The Cloverdale Riding Club formed in Sept. 1955. For more than a dozen years the club hosted well-attended gymkhana events at the arena, led popular overnight trail rides on various ranches, and held a Chuck Wagon Breakfast fundraiser in the city park. In later years they had a color guard that participated in competitions.
The third Citrus Fair Pavilion is completed. In March 1948, the Chamber of Commerce purchased five acres of land on what was the south end of town as part of its plan to create a larger, more modern Citrus Fair and community center. At the groundbreaking on June 27, 1950 was Charles Humbert, one of the founders of the Citrus Fair. The original building consisted of the front entrance/ticket/food area, the large exhibit room, and the auditorium with stage. Funding was provided from the sale of the old building (to Charles Humbert), State funds, and fund-raising. Local residents were dismayed to find there was no balcony in the exhibit hall. In 1954, balcony seating was added to the auditorium, but it did not make up for the lack of a viewing balcony. The commercial exhibit room (where the Huck Finn Fishin’ Hole sponsored by the local Sportsman Club was stationed), was added in the summer of 1955. The Tea Room and the separate arts and flowers building were added for the 1967 Fair. [Location: 1 Citrus Fair Dr.]
A High School wing is added which includes four classrooms, a music room, and wood and metal shops. The high school was designed for 65 students, however, by 1952 the number of students had reached 135 with a projected number of 200 by 1954. In 1957, a second wing for classrooms was added on the north side of the previous wing.
The new Methodist Church is dedicated. The congregation of the Methodist Church on First and Mulberry Streets experienced growth in their numbers, and determined to obtain a larger church property. The building plans included a main sanctuary, fellowship hall, and an educational wing of two floors with multiple classrooms. With a great deal of fundraising and the donation of time, materials, and labor, and eventually the sale of the former church, the congregation was able to build the fellowship hall and a two-level educational wing. The hall became the sanctuary, and the planned sanctuary was never built. By the 1970s, church membership had declined and the Church had financial difficulty. In 1979, the Methodist Church and the Congregational Church decided to combine their congregations as the United Church of Cloverdale. Services were held at the historic Congregational Church, and the Methodist Church was sold. [Location: 76 Tarman Drive]
The Grace Lutheran Church is dedicated. The first Lutheran Church service in Cloverdale was held August 7, 1949 at the Grange Hall. Services continued there until 1952 when the congregation began meeting at the Preston Church. In February of the same year, they decided to organize under the Lutheran church-Missouri Synod and adopted the name Grace Lutheran Church. In 1954, the congregation purchased land on the hill at the north end of town and began construction of a church. It was dedicated on April 24, 1955. In 1989, a stained glass window was installed over the altar. The design was by local artist Marge Gray who was also a long-time volunteer, supporter and past president of the Cloverdale Historical Society. The glass work was done by Don Parker, former resident of Cloverdale.
[Location: 890 N. Cloverdale Blvd.]
Washington School receives an additional wing. By 1955 there were too many students for the Washington and old West Street schools combined. Consequently, classes were also taught at the Congregational Church and Citrus Fair pavilion. Even with the increased space at Washington School, the West Street school continued to be used until it was judged to be unsafe and was closed in 1959. This forced the fifth through eighth grades at Washington School into half-day sessions; half of the students attended in the morning session and the other half in the afternoon session.​
A new High School Gymnasium is completed on the south side of School Street for boys' athletics. The old gym became the girls' gym and also continued to be used as an auditorium and for band concerts.
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Jefferson School is completed. However, even with this new facility, there was insufficient space to take all of the remaining students at the West Street school. An addition to Jefferson was completed in 1961 which finally provided sufficient classrooms for all Cloverdale students. There were also additions to Washington School in 1962 to include a teachers room, library-study hall, arts and crafts room, science classroom and shop. [315 North St.]