SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — In meeting room 400 on the top floor of San Francisco’s spectacular Beaux Arts City Hall, the seven-member Historic Preservation Commission met Wednesday to discuss two issues: their own budget and to recommend to the Board of Supervisors whether Should this be the case, extension of landmark status to the interior of the Castro Theater (the exterior was listed as a historic monument as early as the 1970s, making it a San Francisco Historic Landmark #100).
It would be six hours before they finally got to the budget.
San Franciscans still love extravagance, despite the onslaught of money-oriented technology over the past 20 years, and the extravagant — and many of those with less extravagant inclinations — came to voice their opinions on this proposal. Slightly more than 100 people, including a few celebrities, approached the commission, pushing the meeting well past its scheduled end time and forcing the commissioners to move the meeting to another room after the 5pm deadline.
Eddie Muller of Turner Classic Movies spoke out in favor of the landmark, noting that he had organized successful screenings of noir films at the Castro, drawing crowds that stretched around the block. Eric Reed Boucher, better known to fans as Jello Biafra, told the commissioners: “The Castro was built not to be just any cinema, but to be a great theater.”
“There is a reason for everything else [film] Festivals are choosing to hold their festivals there,” Boucher said. “Its magical.”
Some addressed the board a little more memorably than others. Susan Englander, a cheery old lady in a San Francisco Giants cap and dressed in red like many in the audience who showed up to show their support for extending landmark status to the interior of the historic Castro Theater, began her testimony on the commission .
“I just want to witness what the Castro means to me-e-eans!” she sang before recounting her first date as a bisexual woman at her beloved movie palace. In fact, her testimony was similar to many others’ testimonies in this regard. For a few generations of LGBT San Franciscans, the Castro’s place in the community and their own lives are iconic.
At stake is the interior of the 100-year-old Castro Theatre, a fabulous movie palace that is widely loved and definitely showing its age. Like the surrounding neighborhood, long plagued by the problems of skyrocketing rents and rising homelessness, the Castro Theater has seen better days, and efforts to revitalize the grand old cinema have been tumultuous at best. After 100 years, the cinema is showing its age and the effects of delayed renovations.
A year ago, San Franciscans were surprised by the news that management of the theater had been handed over to Another Planet Entertainment, a concert promoter based across the bay in Berkeley. As the manager of numerous well-respected venues throughout the Bay Area such as the Greek Theater in Berkeley, the Fox Theater in Oakland and both the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and The Independent in San Francisco, the addition of the Castro was a big deal for the company.
Another Planet’s renovation plans, prepared by Palo Alto, California-based CAW Architects, called for extensive renovations of the entire building, including the installation of an HVAC system and heater (the theater is notorious for its lack of heat), the Restoration of the murals and decorative features as well as numerous other details throughout the building. Recent torrential storms in California have flooded the basement, said David Perry, spokesman for Another Planet, and the roof is also leaking.
However, one point in particular stood out. Another Planet wanted to remove the theater’s sloped floor and orchestral seating to make room for tiered platforms that would allow event producers to remove seating for standing audiences and accommodate other types of events. If films have been shown in the theater, Another Planet insists the seats could be replaced.
Many disagreed, and the most vocal of them turned up for Wednesday’s meeting. While this is not the first time large and noisy gatherings have been held on the subject, it is the first real step towards starting the renovation work.
Like Englander, many of those who spoke up remembered first dates, and many more remembered finding a sense of themselves as gay men and lesbians. The Castro Theater, they said, offered community in the shared experiences of watching old movies, attending sing-alongs, and just hanging out with like-minded people, many of whom had fled their hometowns across the country to live in San Francisco live their lives openly.
“It was at the Castro that we discovered our stories and defined our community,” said Robert Gray, sharing fond memories on the theater’s balcony, which also hosts live organ performances before the films begin. “The organist wasn’t the only fan of big organs at the Castro,” Gray joked.
Some find the Castro Theater magical.
“San Francisco residents are called unicorns, and that’s what the Castro Theater is,” said Serafina Miller, interim president of the California Art Deco Society. Recalling the numerous sing-alongs she took her daughter to, she said as a black woman she was sensitive to the impact the theater’s potential loss would have on a marginalized community.
Lesbian filmmaker Monica Noland recalled meeting her partner at the screening of a Barbara Stanwyck film. “Here in San Francisco,” she said, “we have the right to brag at one of the finest theaters in the world, and that’s worth saving.”
But while the majority of those who turned up to speak in person opposed Another Planet’s proposals, there were many who disagreed. For example, the majority of incoming calls supported the proposal. One of the commissioners later commented on the fact that it was the proponents of landmark status who actually showed up in person.
Six hours later, after providing their own comments and recalling their own memories of the Castro, the commission voted 6-0 to recommend landmark status for the theater’s interior. Next, the topic goes to the planning commission and finally to the supervisory board. As some Commissioners have noted, there will be more meetings.
At 6:30 p.m., six hours after their meeting started, they finally moved on to the budget.
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