-By Katie Weeks, Photography by Cesar Rubio and Jennifer Reiley

At most movie theaters, it's safe to assume moviegoers choose a venue more often for its showtimes than for its interior design. At the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas in San Francisco, however, the entertainment isn't just up on the screen, thanks to a thoughtful design from ELS Architecture and Urban Design.

Located in San Francisco's Japantown, Sundance Kabuki Cinemas originally opened in 1968 as part of the Japantown Redevelopment and was crafted to showcase live kabuki performances. In 1986, the theater was redeveloped into an eight-screen multiplex, and, by 2006, the space was functioning but outdated. "It had scarcely been touched and was quite dated and worn," recalls D. Jamie Rusin, AIA, principal at ELS. That year, however, Sundance Cinemas purchased the complex and set about transforming it into a state-of-the-art moviegoing experience, including top-notch theaters alongside a range of sophisticated drinking and dining venues.

In transforming the multiplex into a first-class cinema, Sundance Cinemas turned to Berkeley, Calif.-based ELS and tasked the designers with the interesting challenge of merging the western roots of Sundance, which has its home base in Utah's Wasatch Mountains, with the dense, urban site and local flavor of Japantown.

"It's important when we build these theaters that there's a tip to Sundance with an aesthetic that one might call rustic elegance, and there also needs to be respect for the market," says Nancy Klasky Gribler, executive vice president of marketing for Sundance Cinemas. "In all the theaters we're designing, there has to be an acknowledgment of the location." For the first Sundance Cinema in Madison, Wisc., this translated into a palette of local materials including slate, natural rock, and birch trees. For the San Francisco locale, it morphed into a range of natural and rustic materials in layered spaces that evoke both traditional Japanese architecture and western landscapes.

"I tried to put myself in the mind of a designer from Japan. If this building were picked up and put in downtown Tokyo and you had to turn it into a Sundance theater, how would you achieve that rustic elegance aesthetic from the viewpoint of a Japanese designer?" explains William Gordon, associate at ELS.

The answer is a sophisticated East-meets-West scheme. At the entrance, an outdoor plaza was transformed into an atrium lobby that blurs the lines between indoors and out, a technique that is carried through the entire complex. On the ground floor, natural elements abound, from 20-ft.-tall live bamboo to a ticket counter made from a single, 15-ft.-long, rough-edged slab of pecan. A palette of reclaimed wood, concrete, and steel extends the aesthetic to the second floor.

Upstairs, the new Bar Bistro occupies a former concession area, while another dining option, the Balcony Bar, offers framed views of Pacific Heights. Custom-designed light fixtures recall Japanese lanterns, and the intimate lounge seating offers low views reminiscent of a traditional Japanese tearoom. "It's an elegant space to sit and relax. The upper-level balconies offer views of Pacific Heights through the atrium, and as the sun's going down, the sky gets blue, and the fog rolls in, you can sit and have a drink," says Rusin.

The dining experience extends inside the theaters, where three auditoriums feature cocktail tables integrated with every seat. The largest auditorium, which Klasky Gribler says staff has dubbed the Big Kabuki, is split, offering both orchestra and balcony seating, with the upper level reserved for patrons 21 or older and featuring a more cocktail-lounge vibe. (This combo, of course, made it the place to catch a screening of "Sex and the City: The Movie" along with a cosmopolitan or two.) It's also equipped with a stage, lighting, and microphones for special events and screenings.

Individual auditoriums are framed with swagged draperies that reference traditional Kabuki theater entry banners, and seven of the auditoriums were updated with stadium seating—a make or break element of the project. "Stadium seating was essential," Rusin recalls. "If we couldn't retrofit the existing sloped floors with stadium seating, they wouldn't have moved forward." Adding the new seats, however, was much more complicated than simply adding new, stacked seating to a sloped floor. "The main challenge was keeping the stadium seating light enough in weight that the existing building could support it. It's a vertically integrated cinema with auditoriums on three levels, and the entire cinema sits over a parking garage," Rusin explains. To address this concern, ELS worked closely with the structural engineer and employed an innovative, lightweight structural system to address weight issues.

All combined, the final solution is winning rave reviews. "I think Sundance Kabuki has played an important part in the overall revitalization of Japantown," say Rusin, noting that the neighborhood just celebrated its 100th anniversary. And Klasky Gribler gives the project two thumbs up. "There's this awe factor when people walk into the lobby," she says. "It couldn't have been a more perfect location for us to gain and remodel."


who
Project, client: Sundance Cinemas. Architect: ELS Architecture and Urban Design; D. Jamie Rusin, principal-in-charge; William Gordon, project designer. Structural engineer: Rutherford & Chekene. Mechanical engineer: Peter Kogan Associates. General contractor: Howard S. Wright Construction Co. Food service consultant: Menuink. Lighting designer: Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design. Graphics: Graham-Little Studio. Code Expediter: Jaidin Consulting Group. Specifications: Topflight Specs. Lighting Fabricator: Borden Lighting. Stadium Seating Platform Fabricator: Stadium Seating Enterprises, Inc. Signage Fabricator: Dimensional Innovations. Drapery Fabricator: DeClercq ‘s Theatrical Specialties. Casework Fabricator: Union Planning Mill. Photographer: Cesar Rubio, Jennifer Reiley.

what
Wallcoverings: Tectum. Paint: Sherwin Williams. Flooring: Gammapar. Carpet/carpet tile: Bentley Prince Street Designweave, Mats Inc., Stanton. Ceiling: Armstrong, Tectum. Lighting fixtures: Omega Lighting, Borden Lighting. Lounge/cocktail seating: Sundance. HVAC: Carrier. Guest toilet plumbing fixtures: Kohler.

where
Location: San Francisco, CA. Total floor area: 1,122 sq ft. No. of floors: 3 public floors plus 2 mezzanine levels. Average floor size: 23,000 sq ft. Total capacity by guests: 2,087; Building area: 81,122 sq ft.