01/22/2008

Robert Shomler

"Original Building: The original building was designed in 1927 by architects Weeks and Day (architects of the Sainte Claire Hotel, Oakland's Fox Theatre, and San Francisco's Mark Hopkins Hotel). Said to be ‘the finest theater in California’ on its opening day, it is one of the best preserved examples of late 1920's motion picture houses in the country. Over the years the theatre housed vaudeville shows and featured 3D and Cinemascope. In the 1960s and 1970s, the building passed through several owners and closed in 1973. In 1985, it was purchased by the Redevelopment Agency to preserve the City's largest remaining downtown movie palace."