Preserving a reel community landmark |
Progress...it is finally done!October 14, 2006 A Sneak PreviewThe public is invited to take a free, Sneak Preview tour of the renovated Cerrito Theater Sunday, October 29 from 1 - 4 pm. First come, first served so come early. Opening DateThe Cerrito Theater will open once again as a movie theater on November 1. The renovated theater has two screens, one upstairs and one downstairs, with original and restored lighting, decorative painting and murals. It is quite a treat to see! Marquee LightingThe marquee will be lit for the first time on Monday, October 23 at 7:00 p.m. Come and cheer the return of this local landmark to El Cerrito's streetscape. AccessibleThe renovated theaters are equipped with an elevator and wheelchair seating, and there are plans for rear window captioning and assisted listening devices for deaf and blind patrons. See you there!For the latest news, see the most recent newsletter sent to Friends of The Cerrito Theater. May 4, 2006 Cerrito Theater wins preservation prizeThe Cerrito Theater was in the spotlight Saturday night, April 29, at the 21st Annual Art Deco Ball at Oakland's Sweet's Ballroom, where the theater won one of six Preservation Awards. Accepting the award were Lori Trevino, the city's economic development manager, City Councilwoman Jan Bridges, and project architects Arnie Lerner and Jerri Holan. Kyle and Catherine Fischer were also on hand, as was Dave Weinstein, representing Friends of the Cerrito Theater, and several other theater fans from El Cerrito. The Art Deco Society's recognition indicates that the Cerrito Theater is of statewide importance as an Art Deco building. The society was an early supporter of the Friends' efforts to save the theater. Its members spoke up at public meetings and contacted public officials, and the society supported Friends' fundraising effort. Other preservation award winners were the Alameda Family Physicians Building, and John S. Towata Flowers, both in Alameda; Parkside Elementary School in Sebastopol, Sinai Funeral Home in San Francisco, and a residence, the Ship of the Desert, in Palm Springs.
MARCH 7, 2006 Newsletter to Friends. (Sign up to be the first to get the news!) See also construction in progress. NOVEMBER 4, 2005 Groundbreaking Pictures! See also theater site plans (PDF) and FAQ SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 We (still) have a theater!In a 4 to 1 vote Monday night, the El Cerrito Redevelopment Agency voted to commit the additional funding necessary to proceed with renovating the Cerrito Theater. The meeting was well attended -- both the main meeting room and the overflow room were filled to capacity. There were many articulate and eloquent speakers, most in favor of the project, and there were also some good questions raised. A recurring point made by those supporting the project was the community-building aspect of the project and the enhancement to our community that the theater will provide. Construction should be starting soon; the staff report estimated about a month after the construction contract is signed. It would be a good idea to let your elected officials know you appreciate their commitment to this project. This was a difficult vote. You can email them at citycouncil@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us or call 510 215-4300. We'll keep you posted as more information becomes available. SEPTEMBER 8, 2005 Critical Meeting on September 19, 2005 about the Future of the Cerrito TheaterOn Monday, September 19, the El Cerrito Redevelopment Agency will be meeting to discuss and decide the fate of the Cerrito Theater renovation project. The discussion is expected to include the both the status of contractors' bids and funding for the project — in other words, the future of the project. The meeting will take place at the El Cerrito Community Center, 7007 Moeser Lane, at 7:30 p.m. If you are interested in the theater's future, please attend. Demonstrate your support just by your presence. Wear your theater T-shirt. Unless you want to, there's no need to give a statement at the meeting. T-shirts will be available for purchase from the Friends' booth at the Solano Stroll Sunday, September 11. The booth will be near 1323 Solano Avenue, east of Pomona. Here is the demonstration of community support for this project...we cannot thank our donors enough! JULY 4, 2005 Check out the new FAQ for the theater's progress to date. El Cerrito's Redevelopment Agency, along with the theater business operators (Parkway Speakeasy Theaters), has issued a request for construction bids and that process is still underway. After bids are received and evaluated, a contractor will be selected and construction will begin. Construction is expected to take 6 to 9 months. The Friends Steering Committee is keeping informed about the theater's progress and will continue to provide updates to the public through this website (cerritotheater.org) and mailings. More details about the theater renovation can also be found in the May 11 newsletter to the Friends mailing list. MAY 11, 2005 Groundbreaking update. See the Friends' newsletter for more information about donor plaques, Jerri Holan, and current status of the theater. Also, news about renovated movie houses opening around the bay! FEBRUARY 2005 Construction expected to start in MayLerner and Holan Architects are making final changes to the architectural plans. The city staff has given us the following timeline:
Theater expected be fully accessibleBring ALL of your friends and family! Amy Rogers, a member of the Friends of The Cerrito Theater steering committee, and Janet Abelson, El Cerrito's City Councilwoman, worked hard with the city staff and theater architects to ensure the theater can be used by anyone who has limited mobility, is deaf or blind. The work has paid off. The design will include accessibility features as follows: An elevator will be installed to help patrons access the second level in the theater. Deaf and blind patrons will be able to enjoy films with closed captioning and descriptive narration. For more information about the equipment the theater will be fitted to assist the deaf and blind users, check out MoPix at mopix.org. In other newsEl Cerrito's The Journal lead article on Friday, January 28, 2005 was about the theater's progress to date. "Cinema slated for center stage," by Alan Lopez (Free registration required). Included in the print article was a photo of future theater design. See an old photo of the theater just before the marquee was taken down! Thanks to Jack Kirby for finding and providing this photo, which was the only information what the original marquee looked like. As a result the new marquee has been designed exactly like the original! DECEMBER 10, 2004: November 21, 2004 should be recorded in the history of the Friends of the Cerrito Theater as one of our best, most fun and successful events. That was the date of the Danceasy Fundraiser, a wonderful, fun and well-attended dance lesson/party. Hard work by many dedicated volunteers made it all possible.  The event was thoroughly successful. You may have seen the photo in the November 26, 2004 edition of The Journal. Several more photos are posted. The dance floor was packed, almost elbow-to-elbow, for a one-hour lesson in Niteclub Two Step and Swing dancing, and everyone stayed on to enjoy several more hours of dancing and refreshments. We sold well over 1000 raffle tickets and gave away over twenty-five prizes. The support of many local merchants, who donated raffle prizes and refreshments, certainly enhanced the evening, and we truly appreciate their participation. We strongly encourage you to support and patronize these businesses. See the list on our web site. We want to express our special thanks to Kate Schonmeyer, a co-owner of The Danceasy, who offered to host this fundraiser. Her gracious manner and expertise at dance instruction soon had everyone in the crowded room enjoying themselves and dancing successfully with new partners as well as with familiar ones. As we enter the holiday season, the Steering Committee wishes you Happy Holidays. And, if you wish to make an end-of-the-year tax-deductible contribution, please do so via the website. Thank you again for your support. The Steering Committee of the Friends of the Cerrito Theater AUGUST 12, 2004: The Fourth of July booth and Circus Chimera benefit performances were lots of fun and a great success. Approximately $3,000 was raised over the weekend. Enthusiastic thanks and appreciation for volunteers who helped staff the booth over the three-day weekend: Lucy and Thad Smith, Amanda Aymar, Ruth Nunez, Pamela Reynolds, Dan McMahon, Dolores Grosenheider, Marsha Williamson, Dianne Brenner, Ann Lehman, Linda and George Moss, Al Miller, Sharon Kidder, Carl Hight, Ed Breuer, Amy Ukena, Joann Steck-Bayat, Valerie Sopher, Scott Badler, Lloyd McGrady. Great work everyone! Al Miller gets special recognition for his tireless work in advance, through the weekend, and afterwards, as liaison with the Circus. As usually happens at these events, all day long people stopped by the booth to express their support and admire the photo display, and to thank the Friends and the City for taking on this project. By doing so, El Cerrito has joined a host of other California cities, which have made the choice to renovate small extraordinary theaters (Fox Theater, San Jose; Fox Theater, Stockton; and Del Mar Theater, Santa Cruz). The Friends membership list has grown to more than 1,000 people, and the fundraising campaign is going very well. In less than six months, the Friends succeeded in raising nearly 80% of the goal the City set for private fundraising ($127,000), even surpassing our own expectations. To date, the community has contributed approximately $100,000 - cash and in-kind donations combined - and all of these donations (cash, theater seats, a commercial stove) add up to money the City will not have to spend on the project. Let's keep it up and spread the word! MAY 6, 2004: In late March, the Friends of the Cerrito Theater (FCT) mailed over 900 letters requesting support from the community for the historic Cerrito Theater. While El Cerrito's Redevelopment funds are covering the bulk of the renovation costs, mostly in the form of a loan to the theater operator, additional money is sought to support the renovation of the historic, Art Deco elements of the theater, add a few extras, and demonstrate ongoing community support. We are happy to report that, in response to that letter, nearly 70 donations have been received, from Friends in Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Kensington and Richmond. Even a former neighbor who now lives in Baltimore has contributed! We are thrilled with the response thus far, but need support from more of you to reach our goal. A critical part of any campaign, particularly of this type of community/government/private partnership, is the community support. If you are not among the 70 who have already sent a contribution, we still need your donation! Now is your chance. The more donors who give whatever they are able, the more we show how much the community continues to support this project. Please write a check today! And mail it to: Friends of the Cerrito Theater, 3020 El Cerrito Plaza, #402, El Cerrito, CA 94530. Update on Building Plans: We are very excited that the city, the architects and the theater operator are close to finalizing their plans for the renovation. The plans include two theaters, one in the original theater space and one upstairs, essentially above the interior (concession) lobby. There will be an elevator as well as a stairway to the upstairs. There will be a ticket booth at the center of the sidewalk entrance to the building, and cafe space, also at the sidewalk, accessible to theater patrons and the public alike. There will be new and larger restrooms. In both theaters, there will be theater seats, movable tables with chairs, and couches with tables. The oval-shaped, concession lobby is preserved, as is the ceiling detail there and in the theaters. The murals, of course, remain, too. MARCH 24, 2004 — Fundraising Begins: We begin our fundraising efforts, and we hope you will respond generously. The first goal of our two-year fundraising campaign is to raise enough money (quickly) to ensure that the theater marquee will be built in the style of the original, with the letters of the name "CERRITO" outlined in neon. Please help us reach this first goal! MARCH 9, 2004 — Fundraising Campagin: At the meeting at the Community Center, we established several committees to support different elements of the fundraising campaign. The committees are as follows: Publicity/PR -- to publicize any FCT events; Ad Hoc Volunteers -- who will be available on a case-by-case basis to help out at events as needed; Fundraising - Campaign for Business Support -- whose mission is to research and approach local businesses for donations; Fundraising - Small Events/Booths -- to identify and arrange for FCT to have booths at various public events; Fundraising - Large Events -- to develop and implement plans for larger fundraising events. If you were unable to attend the meeting, but wish to join the efforts of one or more of these committees, please send an email to mailto:info@cerritotheater.org with your contact information and the area(s) you're interested in helping. Theater Design: A group consisting of architects, the future theater operators (Speakeasy Theaters), city staff and an FCT representative are meeting to make a few refinements to the design of the theater. There will be one theater downstairs and one upstairs, new bathrooms, a new kitchen, and streetside, the plan now includes two cafe spaces, one on either side of the entrance to the theater. JAN 20, 2004 — HOORAY! The City's Redevelopment Agency approvedthe funding amount requested for the rehabilitation of the Cerrito Theater. Some issues remain to be decided, such as which two-theater scenario will be built,and some disability access questions need to be resolved, but there is a clear mandate for maximizing the preservation of the historic features and character of the building. WAY TO GO, EL CERRITO!! Many thanks to all the Friends of the Cerrito Theater who attended the City Council/Redevelopment Agency meeting. It was a great turnout -- anoverflow crowd, with some peoplelistening to the proceedings over a speaker in an adjacent room. All those FCT T-shirts were an amazing sight. Several members of the Council remarked onthe high level of public support that exists for this project -- unprecedented in ourtown! The steering committee will meet the following week to begin planning the fundraising strategy, and considering the many suggestions made to date. A full meeting of the Friends will be announced in the near future. DEC 9, 2003:
Over 100 people attended the Next Steps meeting inside the
Cerrito Theater, despite the rainy and cold weather. The theater still looks
just as
it did at the Open House. Refreshments for the meeting were provided by the Shutter Cafe, a next door neighbor of the theater (thank you for the hot coffee!!) Let's all patronize the Shutter Cafe when possible. AUG 20, 2003: Downey Street Productions (aka Kyle and Catherine Fischer of the Parkway Theater) is working with Lerner + Holan Architects to develop renovation plans for the theater. MAY 9, 2003:
"Parkway owners to reopen Cerrito" By Alan Lopez, EL
CERRITO JOURNAL. pg. 1. MAY 5, 2003: HOORAY! The City Council votes to enter into a development agreement and lease with Speakeasy Theaters, the operators of the Parkway Theater in Oakland. The City staff will be working with Kyle and Catherine Fischer of Speakeasy to develop a final renovation plan, get the necessary permits and start construction. APRIL 12, 2003: City to move on Cerrito Theater lease. April 5, 2003: Results (in PDF. Adobe Reader required) of the web survey on redevelopment projects that the El Cerrito Redevelopment Agency ran last December to gather citizens input for redevelopment priorities provided 118 responses. The rating (high, medium low priority) for different goals for the Redevelopment Agency, "fostering arts, culture and entertainment" received the most (92) or 78% "high" votes. On specific projects, "Entertainment options, such as the Cerrito Theater" also received the most "high" votes (102) or 86%. Clearly the community still want to see this project go through! FEB 7, 2003: Theater revival edges to reality. By Alan Lopez, EL CERRITO JOURNAL |
The meeting was very productive and energizing for
all who attended. Lerner & Holan, the project architects, displayed their |
Copyright 2002-08, Friends of the Cerrito Theater, a project of the El Cerrito Community Foundation. All rights reserved. 3020 El Cerrito Plaza, #402, El Cerrito, CA 94530. (510) 273-9250. All inquiries about film schedule, film recommendations and theater operations should be directed to www.cerritospeakeasy.com For information about this cerriotheater.org site please contact web@cerritotheater.org |