Christmas Day of 1930 was one like no other. For months, Bakersfield had eagerly awaited the opening of the Fox Theater, which was to be the largest and finest in California outside of Los Angeles and San Francisco. Thousands looked forward to what Santa had brought to the city.
The groundbreaking was originally planned for late 1929 with plans for a spring 1930 opening, but construction did not begin until May 22, 1930. This was a true community project that was led by W.E. Drury, president and founder of the Bakersfield Garage and Auto Supply Company. The company had established itself as one of the great developers in Kern County as Drury was the principal…..