Cinnabar - The Building

In the summer of 1970, Marvin and Jan Klebe bought a vintage 1908 two-room schoolhouse, located on the outskirts of Petaluma. A successful baritone who had sung with the San Francisco Opera and had been featured at the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds, Marvin turned his hand to carpentry and, with the help of his four sons, transformed the old building into a theater. The theater itself was expanded in 1983 to accommodate a growing audience, and in 1988 the studio was added because teaching had become a priority. For more history, visit our history page...

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Webmaster's note:

As I was a chemist in a former life, I cannot resist giving a little information about "Cinnabar":

Cinnabar is a colorful mineral that adds a unique color to the mineral color palette. Its cinnamon to scarlet red color can be very attractive (the color of our theater is ... cinnabar). Well shaped crystals are uncommon and the twinned crystals are considered classics among collectors. A beautiful twinned-crystal of cinnabar may be seen here. Cinnabar was mined by the Roman Empire for its mercury content (cinnabar is mercuric sulfide, or HgS to chemists) and it has been the main ore of mercury throughout the centuries. Some mines used by the Romans are still being mined today (1). A schematic of a crystal, which you can rotate by using your mouse (real cool) can be seen here.