Del Mar Theatre
1124 Pacific Avenue,
Santa Cruz,
CA
95060
1124 Pacific Avenue,
Santa Cruz,
CA
95060
15 people
favorited this theater
Related Websites
Landmark Theatres(USA) (Official)
Additional Info
Operated by: Landmark Theatres (USA)
Previously operated by: United Artists Theater Circuit Inc.
Architects: J. Lloyd Conrich
Functions: Movies (Independent)
Styles: Art Deco
Previous Names: Del-Mar Theatre
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
831.469.3220
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Feb 26, 2013 — Popping it, properly
- Jul 22, 2009 — Small town bay area theaters keep tradition alive
- May 9, 2008 — Theatre Historical Society Conclave To Visit Bay Area
Opened on August 14, 1936 with the World Premiere of Pat O'Brien in “China Clipper”. The 1,521-seat Del-Mar Theatre has served the college town of Santa Cruz, California for almost 90 years.
After years of struggling through dollar nights and intermittent attendance, the Del Mar Theatre was sold in 1999 and closed.
It is owned by the city and after an extensive renovation and restoration, the Del Mar Theatre reopened in February of 2002. In November 2015 it wasleased by Landmark Theatres.
Contributed by
Tom Mayer, Jacob Hunter
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Recent comments (view all 35 comments)
http://thenick.com/tours.html
The video referred to on my post of 10/19/14 can now be seen here. Sorry about the confusion.
February 8th, 2002 grand opening ad now online.
Sad news I have heard today Nov 23 2015 the great Del Mar Theatre along with the Nick and Aptos Twin in the Santa Cruz CA area have just been bought by Landmark Theatres. I can tell you when the nice curtains stop to work at the Del Mar Landmark won’t fix them, just like all the other cinemas they run or rent in the SF Bay Area that had curtains they will leave them broke. Lets see what they do come next month with any neon marquee issues. Goodbye to showmanship in Santa Cruz CA.
The curtains as of the first week in Dec 2016 are broke and Landmark won’t fix them. The neon marquee has many letters and light bars off and not working. Seems Landmark does not care to fix anything at this time. They blame It on the city of Santa Cruz that owns the Del Mar, Landmark just pays the lease each month. Soon nothing will light up when all the neon goes out.
1936 postcard image added courtesy of Sandy Ragsdale.
Good news thanks to Scott one of the managers at Theatre Delmar the great red waterfall curtains are working again as of Oct 7 2017. We hope Scott like before can also put in a cue for the curtains to close again on the last 10sec of trailers then open again on the main feature. Showmanship is back at Landmark in Santa Cruz! Now let’s go to work on the neon marquee repair project.
Just look over this post am shocked at how this old classic of the theater looks today, I was with the small theater chain took over this theater and others after the do nothing and spend nothing chain of U.A. I did almost nothing but as much as I could being alone and without funds, my health went and retired do to health. LANDMARK WELL DONE YOU SAVE A CLASSIC OF A THEATER, so many we lost, I am so please this one was saved
Does Landmark own the building? Or is time for a community funded Neon restoration? Because the marquee is looking a bit sad.
Once operated by United Artists.
No Landmark Theatres does not own the DelMar Theatre in Santa Cruz. The city of Santa Cruz owns the deco theatre building and store rentals. They spent most of the money along with the Ow family doing the renovation work. Landmark has the lease at this time. The Landmark movie chain is bankrupt and for sale. They do not maintain much of the DelMar they have no money. The city won’t fix all the neon outside and Landmark won’t bring back the stage curtains. I hear they still work but they will not use them. Landmark runs most of the same movies that play at the Syufy/Westwind Santa Cruz 9 Cinema a block away,a bad move. Many art/regular films never play the Santa Cruz area. The Delmar just sits mostly empty. When the lease is up We hope some new entertainment venture will take over this hot entertainment palace in downtown Santa Cruz CA. Another Planet Entertainment has just taken over the Castro Theatre lease in SF and now doing renovation work with live stage shows and movies coming, they plan to open Feb 2026. So many new condos and apartments going up every few months just a few blocks away. New people coming into Santa Cruz want to be entertained and they have the $$$. Santa Cruz has many tourists and students but they do not seem to want to make a visit to the lonely DelMar these days because of bad movie programing. Time to take out the twin cinemas in the former upstairs loge area and make the theatre one large event space for traveling shows and movies. The Rio Theatre in town does very well. I have asked the city many times to trim the trees outside the neon marquee so you can read what they are showing and nothing ever gets done. The DelMar has a place in Santa Cruz let’s get someone envolved in bringing this classic deco cinema back from the dead. Start with the neon blade marquee first! If the wrong people take over the lease It could be turned into a nightclub, gym health club, rock climbing space,bowling alley, antique stores,arcade games, restauarant food courts ,comedy club or some other crazy way to destroy the movie experience that the DelMar has given us in Santa Cruz.