Theater preserves past while modernizing.
“It seems like all the old historic theaters are gone. This one was renovated and came back better than ever.”
Kathy Knapp, San Francisco resident
There is a sign painted over the doorway of the historic Alameda Theatre as you leave that says, “Take the Magic With You.”
For many patrons, the magic of the theater is such that they don’t want to leave at all.
The Timothy L. Pflueger-designed theater, which originally opened in 1932, has been part museum, part community gathering place since it reopened after renovations in May 2008. Pflueger is renowned for designing such theaters as the Paramount in Oakland and the Castro in San Francisco.
But the Alameda Theatre and Cineplex is more than just a place to watch movies. It is, as owner/operator Kyle Connor says, “the heartbeat of downtown Alameda.”
It’s easy to see why. Not only has the Historic Theatre been loving restored to its gilded and art deco roots, the renovation added seven more theaters to create a 21st century cineplex, complete with a recently opened Cinema Cafe.
Experience is what the theater is all about — and not just in recent Hollywood releases.
It is known for many special events, such as its Monday morning Mommy and Me movies — set in an environment with brighter lights, stroller parking and lower volumes, so moms with infants can actually get out to enjoy a movie, too.
Then there is the classic movies series, which just wrapped up last month, as well as the summer family movies, which offer discounted prices daily on kid-friendly movies throughout the summer months.
The theater also hosts birthday parties and corporate events.
But some of the most pop- ular attractions are the sports events it screens, from the America’s Cup and the Super Bowl to the current Golden State Warriors playoff series.
“It was electric,” Connor
said of a recently screened live game between the Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans. “Because of our agreement with the Warriors, we are one of only a few off-site venues that are broadcasting the game live.”
The games are screened in the Historic Theatre, so viewers can experience the action with high-definition video and audio.
“It gives it a real arena dynamic, as if people are really there, and we had more than 300 people hootin’ and hollering throughout the game,” he says.
It’s events like those that make the Alameda Theatre and Cineplex more than your average movie theater, but Connor says there is something more as well.
“There is a real connection with the city of Alameda,” he says. “They feel a real ownership with the theater, and they come here with family and friends — it’s a real community gathering spot.”
The longtime movie buff — he began tearing tickets at age 14 at a theater in Utah — was instrumental in the renovations of the theater, and even served as its general contractor.
Connor is the first to say he doesn’t feel like “the boss.”
“I am merely a caretaker of the theater,” he says. “It will be here long after I’m gone.”
But he is correct in the allure it holds for audiences.
“This is the finest motion picture venue in the Bay Area,” says patron and Alameda resident Dave Duffin, who himself works in the film industry as a location scout.
He was sneaking out on a Monday morning to catch the new James Franco-Jonah Hill drama, “True Story.”
“I am here at least three times a month,” Duffin said.
“It seems like more than that,” quips snack cashier Ruby McBride, underscoring the friendly and familiar service of the theater’s employees.
“I just love working the special events,” says McBride’s partner behind the popcorn counter, Lindsay Correa. “Birthday parties, the Super Bowl, the World Cup ... everyone is so excited.”
Kathy Knapp seemed excited to be “ditching work” on this Monday morning to catch a movie.
“I love this theater,” she says. “It’s classic and historic, but it still has enough modern touches to make it comfortable, like leg room and cup holders.”
She echoes a sentiment shared by Connor.
“It seems like all the old historic theaters are gone,” says the San Francisco resident. “This one was renovated and came back better than ever.”
Perhaps no one knows the lore of the theater — besides Connor — as ticket office employee Rick Appleton, an Oakland resident who has worked at the theater for six years.
“I see people ‘ooh and aah’ when they come in the lobby, and I know how they feel,” he says. “It’s like working in a museum.”
But it’s a museum with popcorn, in-seat food service, and perhaps a basketball championship going in one theater while one room over, the Avengers are saving the world. It truly is magic.