SF supes support landmark expansion for Castro Theatre
The historic Castro Theatre is a step closer to an upgrade in its status as a city landmark May 24 with the support of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.Supervisors voted unanimously 11-0 to approve enhancement of the historic theater's landmark status, a move that extends that designation from, essentially, just the facade of the building to its grand interior.
Submitted by gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman during the May 10 meeting of the Board of Supervisors, the resolution amends the historic theater's landmark status by broadening the designation to include "the full historical, architectural, aesthetic and cultural interest and value of the Castro Theatre," as opposed to the current designation that only covers the building's elaborate California Churrigueresque facade.
The resolution was co-sponsored by supervisors Connie Chan (District 1), Aaron Peskin (District 3), Dean Preston (District 5), and gay District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who was appointed May 9 by Mayor London Breed to fill the vacancy when Matt Haney left to become the District 17 representative in the California Assembly.The Board of Supervisors' Land Use and Transportation Committee discussed the enhanced designation of the theater, significant to LGBTQ history and culture, at its May 23 meeting and passed it on with a positive recommendation to the full board.The enhanced landmark designation for the Castro Theatre, which was already designated a city landmark in 1976, would take into account the interior of the fabled movie palace, offering additional protections to the theater which is expected to undergo additional, significant renovations beginning later this year.
