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California Theatre: Time for an Encore, Not an Overture
July 2016
 San Diego's premier movie palace, the California Theatre was heralded as the "Cathedral of the Motion Picture" when it opened in 1927. Meanwhile, only a few blocks away, the newly restored and reopened Balboa Theatre stands as a preservation triumph. |
 Rendering for California Theatre project |
A new project for the California Theatre site (downtown at 4th Avenue and C Street) proposes the complete demolition of this local icon and historic resource. Overture, the name of the 40-story tower with mixed-use development, was discussed at two public design review meetings in early June. First, the Pre-Design Subcommittee for the Downtown Community Planning Council (DCPC) met on June 7; the next morning, the Design Review Committee for Civic San Diego considered the proposed project. Thankfully, both committees showed partial concern for the demolition of the historic building and were not very supportive of the project as presented.
Some of the preservation-related concerns identified at these meetings were the creation of a false sense of history and how the project pays homage to the theater. SOHO does not support construction because the building is still standing and offers a host of rehabilitation opportunities. Furthermore, the developer's project proposes to fabricate the history of the theater through the use of different building materials, modified details, and alternative floor heights, none of which meets the Secretary of the Interior Standards.
The theme of "authenticity," which theoretically bolstered the design presentation, was another cause for concern, because this idea does not translate into the proposed project. New construction, which moderately emulates the historic resource, along with historic photographs of the theater embedded within the perforated screen of a parking garage, are far from authentic. The single highlight of this project is bringing back the corner "California" signage with the original letters.
Aside from the many issues presented, the review of this project seems unnecessary at this stage. Not only is there an economically feasible design alternative to the total demolition of the California Theatre, but the site itself requires rezoning to add residential use. Unfortunately, the committees were not allowed to opine on these two impediments to the project during their meetings, but they will be addressed in coming months as the proposal moves forward. Meanwhile, SOHO will continue to advocate for an authentic encore that rehabilitates the California Theatre.
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