The Mission Playhouse, now the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium, was built by John Steven McGroaty to present his epic Mission Play, which told the story of the California Missions and the lives of the people around them. Beginning in 1912, the play drew people from all over the world to San Gabriel. The Playhouse was planned and completed for the 1927 season, with stage and dressing rooms large enough to accommodate a cast of 150 for the 4½ hour production. Its exterior is patterned after Mission San Antonio De Padua, and its interior decor blends Spanish, Indian, and Mexican influences. In the courtyard on the north side are replicas of all 21 Missions. The Playhouse was acquired by the City of San Gabriel in 1945, fulfilling McGroaty's wish that it belong forever to the people. He later became a two term Congressman and served as Poet Laureate of California from 1933 until his death in 1944.
