rewrite this content and keep HTML tags The exterior of the Castro Theatre in San Francisco.Michele Falzone/Getty ImagesThe Castro Theatre is about to go dark for more than a year as Another Planet Entertainment prepares to break ground on its hotly contested renovation plans for the century-old San Francisco movie palace. The $20 million remodel is slated to begin in early spring 2024, with completion scheduled for the summer of 2025, the Berkeley-based concert production company said in a news release Monday.“Another Planet Entertainment is thrilled to begin the work to restore the Castro Theatre to its 1922 architectural glory and ensure its continued place in the hearts of film lovers, music lovers and the LGBTQ+ community,” Mary Conde, senior vice president for Another Planet, said in a statement. Beyond “restoring the magnificence of Timothy Pflueger’s original design,” Conde said plans include improving upon ADA accessibility throughout the theater, including in the audience, onstage and backstage, installing a new heating and air conditioning system, expanding the lobby, and increasing the theater’s concession offerings to include wine, spirits and food from local eateries. Restoration of the original proscenium arch is also underway, as is the removal of the theater’s 800 fixed orchestra-level seats, which have been the subject of intense public debate and are slated to be replaced by “flexible seating” that can be moved in and out of the theater to create standing room for concerts and other live events. AdvertisementArticle continues below this adThe changes, Conde said, “will make the Castro a venue that respects its heritage while embracing new, and ever more diverse audiences.” Plans for the Castro were vehemently opposed by a number of community advocates over the past two years, who criticized Another Planet’s lack of transparency and abrupt announcement that it would be taking over operation of the theater in January 2022. Neighborhood organizations including the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District and the Castro Theatre Conservancy formed the Friends of the Castro Theatre Coalition, expressing fear that physical changes to the theater would result in the reduction or loss of the affordable LGBTQ-focused and film-focused programming the historical landmark is known for. Hundreds packed the theater for a lively raucous town hall meeting hosted by Another Planet in August 2022, where the company’s renovation plans were first shared in a public setting. Subsequent hearings at San Francisco City Hall were heated and would often go on for hours.Though one February vote recommended expanding the historic theater’s landmark status to include “both exterior and interior character defining features, and update the statement of significance to include LGBTQ historical associations,” city officials ultimately voted last October to allow the removal of the hundreds of orchestra-level seats, in addition to approving a proposed use expansion that would allow for further changes to the space, including the ability to sell liquor on the second floor. People wear T-shirts reading “Save the Seats” during a community meeting held at the Castro Theatre. Courtesy of Jesse Oliver SanfordAnother Planet is now contracting with EverGreene, which claims to be the largest specialty contractor in the U.S. and is focused specifically on the preservation of historic buildings, artifacts and works of art, according to its website. The company is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, with regional offices in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. AdvertisementArticle continues below this ad“One of the defining features of the Castro is the tent-like painted ceiling which has been obscured from view for decades,” Jeff Greene, executive chairman and founder of EverGreene, said in a statement. “This element will be conserved and restored along with the unique sgraffito murals on the side walls, bring[ing] the whole back into harmony with Pflueger’s original vision.”Another Planet is also partnering with Bay Properties, Inc., and the Nasser family, which owns the theater, on the construction efforts. The aforementioned ceiling will be one of the first features to be restored when the theater closes, as well as the neon sign, David Perry, a spokesperson for Another Planet, said in an email Tuesday. “It’s not a surprise,” district 8 supervisor Rafael Mandelman said of the closure and renovation plans over the phone Tuesday. “The theater is a hundred years old and has decades’ worth of deferred maintenance. There is a lot of historic preservation work that need to be done; frankly things that should have happened a long time ago. We’re going to miss it for that extended interim period, but the work is important, and I’m glad it’s moving forward.” A packed house at the Castro Theatre.Mark Mainz/Getty ImagesIt’s not clear what events are planned for when the theater does reopen. In March, Another Planet said it would “commit to hosting LGBTQ+ activities and artists as frequently as possible, with no less than 25% of programming.” Perry told SFGATE at the time that the company plans to hold about 170 events at the venue per year at the theater — a figure that still may change or increase. The daily repertory film screenings the Castro was once famous for are not part of that current plan; Perry said they were “not financially viable in a post-COVID, post-Netflix world.” AdvertisementArticle continues below this adLeading up to the closure, the Castro is scheduled to host drag cabaret duo Kiki & Herb, indie soul singer-songwriter Ginger Root, as well as screenings of “It’s A Wonderful Life,” “Die Hard” and John Waters’ “Female Trouble.” The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus is slated to hold their annual Christmas Eve performances, and January will bring live podcast recordings of Bob the Drag Queen and Monét X Change’s “Sibling Rivalry” and the award-winning “Welcome to Night Vale” featuring musician Danny Schmidt, as well as a slew of SF Sketchfest events. An evening with stand-up comedian and actor Marc Maron is slated to be the last show at the venue before a special closing event on Feb. 4 that will be open to the public, after which programming will temporarily come to an end. This story has been updated. More on the Castro Theatre
San Francisco’s century-old Castro Theatre to close for more than a year
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