Renovation and Restoration of Castro Theatre to Begin Spring 2024
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Renovation and Restoration of Castro Theatre to Begin Spring 2024
February 4 is Final Day of Programming Prior to Top-to-Bottom Architectural Restoration of Landmark & LGBTQ+ Community Icon by Another Planet Entertainment
Completion Scheduled for Summer 2025
11 December 2023 – San Francisco. Another Planet Entertainment (www.apeconcerts.com), stewards of the landmark and iconic LGBTQ space, the Castro Theatre (www.castrotheatre.com), will begin the long awaited restoration of historic venue beginning in early spring 2024. The final day or programming will be February 4.
“Another Planet Entertainment is thrilled to begin the work to restore the Castro Theatre to its 1922 architectural glory and ensure its continued place in the hearts of film lovers, music lovers and the LGBTQ+ community,” said Mary Conde, Senior Vice President for Another Planet. “In addition to restoring the magnificence of Timothy Pflueger’s original design, the Castro Theatre will now be more ADA accessible in the audience, onstage and backstage to all. Additionally, a state-of-the art heating and air conditioning system will be installed, providing comfort and healthful ventilation. Finally, improved concessions, an expanded lobby, the restoration of the original proscenium arch and new, comfortable and flexible seating will make the Castro a venue that respects its heritage while embracing new, and ever more diverse audiences.”
“One of the defining features of the Castro is the tent-like painted ceiling which has been obscured from view for decades,” noted Jeff Greene, Executive Chairman and Founder of Evergreene, the firm overseeing the preservation work. “This element will be conserved and restored along with the unique sgraffito murals on the side walls bring the whole back into harmony with Pflueger’s original vision.”
EverGreene was founded in 1978 by Greene, a trained mural artist and innovator, when he was only twenty four years old. Since then, EverGreene has grown from the small painting studio to the largest specialty contractor in the U.S., focused on the preservation of historic buildings, artifacts, and works of art. The EverGreene team has contributed to the restoration and preservation of many of our country’s most significant and iconic masterpieces. From surveys and condition assessments, conceptual planning and design, to the implementation of large scale restoration efforts, we provide custom solutions for complex adaptive reuse and heritage preservation efforts. Evergreene’s multi-disciplinary teams are comprised of conservators, designers, craftspeople, artists, and project managers, bringing specialized education, training, and experience to every project.
Guided by the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), Evergreene’s conservation work is implemented at the highest standard under the supervision of our two AIC Fellows and 10 Professional Associates. Headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, with regional offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles, EverGreene works with private, public, and sacred space clients nationwide.
Beginning in 2022, Another Planet Entertainment has partnered with Bay Properties, Inc., owners of the Castro Theatre, on an evolution and preservation of San Francisco’s world-renowned entertainment and LGBTQ community landmark. With a long-standing history of working to preserve and improve historic buildings such as the Fox Theater in Oakland, the Greek Theatre in Berkeley and the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, Another Planet seeks to enhance the Castro Theatre by implementing significant improvements to the sound, lighting, production, HVAC and the theatre’s trademark marquee and blade sign, among other facets of the building: all of this, always, with an eye to honoring its unique place in the lives of the Castro and celebrating its communities and residents.