-By Jean Nayar, Photography by David Wakely and Bruce Damonte Photography

Similar to the stories of so many historic Art Deco theaters in cities and towns across the country, the once-lustrous 2,250-seat Alameda Theater in Alameda, Calif., had lost its crowd-attracting star power after economic conditions and movie-going trends no longer supported its viability. But, thanks to unyielding efforts by the town's Development Services Department, the tale of this neglected architectural jewel—while peppered with lots of fits and starts—ends happily. Through a public/private partnership with a local developer and under the care of the San Francisco-based Architectural Resources Group, the stunning movie palace not only gleams again with its former glory, but now it also stands as a centerpiece of the town's revitalized historic commercial district.

"The theater is a tremendous historic resource for a town the size of Alameda," says architect Naomi Miroglio, a principal of ARG, which also evaluated the historic significance of the theater in the mid-1990s. "After a general planning meeting in 2001, the city made a commitment to restoring it, sent out an RFP, and got zero responses," says the architect, noting that modern cineplexes with multiple, smaller-scale theaters and money-making concession stands have made large, old theaters like the Alameda economically unsustainable. "From the beginning we knew the theater had to be marketable and viable, but we didn't have the money to operate it," says Jennifer Ott, the redevelopment manager for Alameda's Development Services Department, which collaborated on the citywide effort with the project sponsor, the Community Improvement Commission of the City of Alameda. "We had to find a way to develop a project that would achieve our goal within our budget and at the same time meet the developer's operating needs—overall the effort had to be collaborative."

And so, the city regrouped and rethought its approach. By incorporating an adjacent city-owned parcel of land containing a small building and parking lot into its development package, it managed to attract one developer to restore the original theater and build an adjoining contemporary cineplex that would enable the group of facilities to operate in line with current market trends. Although the developer eventually backed out of the project, one of its former employees, Kyle Connor, rallied to the cause and agreed to develop the new portion of the theater complex, while the city acquired the historic theater, using its power of eminent domain and redevelopment funds, and paid for much of the effort to restore it.

Originally designed by renowned San Francisco theater architect Timothy L. Pflueger in 1932, the Alameda Theater had one of the largest screens in the Bay Area and included intonations of Pflueger's acclaimed Art Deco masterpiece, the landmark Paramount Theater in San Francisco. Notable for its craftsmanship and rich details, the original theater featured gutsy bas-relief panels, gilt framed mirrors, and richly patterned carpets, illuminated with glistening metal-leaf surfaces, decorative metal railings, and elaborate custom light fixtures. As a single-screen operation for decades, the theater's fine workmanship and architectural integrity was seriously compromised in the 1970s, when the structure was subdivided into a series of smaller theaters, before being turned into a roller rink. Later, the theater was closed, and after sitting vacant for several years, it fell into a state of serious disrepair. "The decorative surfaces in the lobby had been painted white and green, the sloped seating area of the auditorium was replaced with a flat floor and its perimeter was surrounded by bumper walls, elements had been stolen, the roof was leaking, and holes had been punched in the walls," says Miroglio.

With limited funding to rehabilitate the theater, the city and architects had to selectively apply their dollars and energy in ways that would bring the building up to current access, structural, and mechanical standards, while also allowing restored features to shine. As a result, attention to restoration matters was given where it was needed most and would have the greatest impact. Public art funding was used to restore the metal blade sign and marquee in front of the cast-concrete exterior, with its punched medallion motifs and bas-relief floral bands. Retail storefronts flanking the marquee also were restored.

Since the lobby serves as the gateway to the entire movie complex and is the primary public space, restoring its decorative stenciled and metal-leaf surfaces, dramatic ceiling fixture, carpet, and architectural elements was a top priority. During construction, however, community support for the restoration grew. The former owner kicked in additional funding to restore a mezzanine mural, and construction funds were used to restore auditorium finishes. Original light fixtures that had been stolen from the ceiling were anonymously returned to the site before the restoration was complete. In a former vestibule leading to the lobby, a new ticket booth and automated ticketing kiosks meet modern operational needs, while a new concession area, carved out of the oversize auditorium beneath the mezzanine-level balcony, caters to modern movie-goers' demands and serves as a required revenue-generator for the theater complex as a whole.

Today, first-run movies and blockbusters are shown in the historic theater, which still offers extensive seating in its restored auditorium, while limited-run and independent films are shown in the new, smaller theaters—and both retail spaces flanking the marquee have been leased and are thriving, according to Ott. "The new theater complex and the retail [component] have been great for the area because they're drawing more people into the neighborhood and improving business for the surrounding restaurants, especially on Fridays and Saturdays. It really helped solidify the revitalization of our historic business district," she says, adding that the restored theater has become a destination and source of pride for the community. In fact, the Alameda Historic Preservation Society will honor the impressive structure with a 2009 Historic Preservation Award this month.


who
Project: Alameda Theatre. Client: City of Alameda Development Services Department. Architect: Architectural Resources Group. Structural engineer: Degenkolb Engineers. Mechanical engineer: SJ Engineers. Electrical engineer: O’Mahoney & Myer. General contractor: C. Overaa & Co. Construction manager: The Allen Group/Cooper Pugeda Management, Inc. Acoustician: Ewart Wetherill. Photographer: David Wakely.

what
Wallcoverings: Lamvin, Inc. with Guilford of Maine fabric (auditorium acoustic panels).
Paint: Benjamin Moore, Sepp Leaf Products. Carpet/carpet tile: Custom carpet to match original by Mohawk. Lighting: Restored historic light fixtures supplemented by Visa and Shaper. Tile: Heath Ceramics in Concession; Dal-Tile in Bathroom. Auditorium seating: Mobilario Seating.

where
Location: Alameda, Calif. Total floor area: 34,000 sq. ft. No. of floors: 2 floors with balcony. Total seating capacity: 484 main floor; 290 balcony. Cost/sq. ft.: $271.