The Catalina Island Museum’s special exhibition “A Democratic Dream: William Wrigley Jr. and Catalina Island will close on Nov. 26. The exhibition explores the life and times of William Wrigley Jr. and has received great reviews over the past three months.
Wrigley’s business empire changed the course of American history and his passion for Catalina Island shaped the community as it exists today.
Wrigley’s purchase of Catalina Island offered him a nearly blank canvas to express his deeply held democratic ideal.
The Catalina Island Museum’s special exhibition “A Democratic Dream: William Wrigley Jr. and Catalina Island will close on Nov. 26. The exhibition explores the life and times of William Wrigley Jr. and has received great reviews over the past three months.
Wrigley’s business empire changed the course of American history and his passion for Catalina Island shaped the community as it exists today.
Wrigley’s purchase of Catalina Island offered him a nearly blank canvas to express his deeply held democratic ideal.
Between 1919 and 1932, Avalon became home to California’s largest diesel generator, the world’s largest cafeteria, the most diverse aviary in the world, the tallest structure in Los Angeles County, the largest ballroom dance floor and the first theater built for talking motion pictures.
In little over a decade, Wrigley had transformed Catalina Island into one of the world’s preeminent vacation destinations.
A key component of the exhibition is a video documentary created by the Catalina Island Museum about Wrigley’s life and his love of Santa Catalina.
This documentary is the first of its kind and features rare video footage, photographs and Wrigley gum advertisements dating back to the turn of the century.
A number of the photographs in the documentary and the exhibition have never been seen before.
Those who have yet to visit the exhibition should grab the chance to see the rags-to-riches story of one of America’s most successful businessmen and how he spent much of his fortune creating “a refuge from work and worry” for all.
“A Democratic Dream: William Wrigley Jr. and Catalina Island” commemorates the 80th anniversary of Wrigley’s death and can only be viewed at the museum through Nov. 26.
The Catalina Island Museum, its digital theater and store are located on the ground floor of Avalon’s historic Casino and are open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information, call (310) 510-2414 or visit CatalinaMuseum.org.
