Ninety-five years ago, a small crowd of people shared a moment outside the Balboa Pavilion that became an iconic part of Newport Beach history.
Even if all they did was show up.
One man, wearing a long white apron, steps out the front door of a shop marked Barker's, passing what appears to be a card or magazine rack. A yard or so away, a man in a white suit watches him. Three women walk and chat nearby on the sidewalk. A man in overalls stands outside a billiard hall, holding something indistinct in his hands, while a black-suited figure approaches the door.
A viewer, regarding the anonymous subjects in that 1918 photo, might think of the fictional rock band Spinal Tap describing the inhabitants of Stonehenge: "No one knows who they were or what they were doing, but their legacy remains."
And now, the legacy of that modest Balboa crowd looks to remain a good, long while — on a wall next to the pavilion, where mural artist Art Mortimer is replicating the photo in a salute to the neighborhood's history.
