Del Mar Theatre

1124 Pacific Avenue,
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

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strawberry
strawberry on April 6, 2006 at 11:58 pm

From the Alan Lopez article “Restored cinemas have audiences cheering” in the November 29th, 2002 edition of the Contra Costa Times:

“…One example is the Del Mar Theater, an art deco movie palace that opened in 1937 with a 25 to 30 cent ticket price. It had more than 1,000 seats, elaborate decorations inside and out and a two-story high cathedral ceiling.

In the 1970s, the United Artists theater chain purchased the theater, split it into four screens and it became a second-run movie house. It took a big hit when the Cinema Nine multiplex opened nearby in the early 1990s.

Jim Schwenterley, the co-owner of the nearby Nickelodeon Theater, said the Del Mar wasn’t managed well and failed to attract audiences. It fell on hard times in the 1980s and ‘90s and was shut down in 1999.

Schwenterley saw the vacant and rotting inside of the theater after it closed. The walls were peeling, there was water on the ground and rats were running in the aisles, he said.

“You’d walk in there and think, ‘Condemn this place,’” he said. “It was a mess.”

The Nickelodeon Theater, two blocks away from the Del Mar, had the opposite problem. It was too popular, according to Schwenterley, there were long lines and packed houses. He wanted to expand and find a new theater where he could screen additional movies.

The Santa Cruz Redevelopment Agency, meanwhile, was receiving proposals for what to do with the Del Mar, including turning it into a performing arts venue.

A new offer

But in late 2000, the Nickelodeon’s owners offered a proposal the redevelopment agency couldn’t refuse. The Nickelodeon, partnering with two local developers, would share in the costs of restoring the theater, operate it and offer the building for public events.

With that in mind, and with public support, the city’s redevelopment agency bought the building in June 2001 for $1.3 million and put in another $700,000 toward the cost of restoring it.

The two developers and Nickelodeon together put in an additional $1.1 million toward the cost of restoring the theater. New seats, screens, wall draperies, carpets, projector equipment, paint and a sound system were installed. More than $25,000 was spent on an elaborate neon marquee.

It now has three theaters, plays art films and attracts several hundred people a night, said Darrell Doan, the redevelopment agency project manager. There are three small businesses inside the building and the theater is used for nonprofit events for as many as 36 nights a year. Doan and Schwenterley said proudly that since it opened, it has hosted six film festivals with free admission.

“It’s become like a major gain for everybody,” said Schwenterley. “We got three extra screens that we really needed because we had so many movies and didn’t have room to play with our little fourplex.”

“In Santa Cruz, the Del Mar Theater is now the pride of the community and, according to Doan, is helping to reinvent the city’s theater district. The renovation project also was awarded the Art Deco Preservation Award by the Art Deco Society of California.

“It’s something that’s definitely doable. It’s not a pipe dream,” Doan said. “The key is to have a strong public commitment.”"

(see Google-cached article here))

moniker9
moniker9 on January 26, 2004 at 9:35 am

Actually, the address is 1124 Pacific Ave. Nearest cross street: Lincoln Ave.

William
William on November 12, 2003 at 6:49 pm

The Del Mar Theatre is located at 211 Pacific Ave..

unknown
unknown on October 15, 2003 at 2:25 pm

The Del Mar Theatre has a main auditorium
at ground level with 500 seats.
Upstairs, in what used to be a balcony,
are two 140 seat theatres.
Jim Schwenterley, owner
Nickelodeon Theatres

GaryParks
GaryParks on April 18, 2002 at 11:42 pm

The animated neon on the reopened Del Mar is now a restored must-see for all theatre enthusiasts. It can be argued that the Del Mar now possesses the finest display of theatre neon in any California Coastal city between San Francisco and Los Angeles (with the exception of the Fremont in San Luis Obispo).

tommayersf
tommayersf on February 19, 2002 at 9:51 am

The architect on this project is Arnie Lerner AIA in San Francisco. Email him at lernerarch@aol.com for exact date of opening (it’s very soon!)