Final phase of Merced Theatre restoration project begins today
The city of Merced said the official start of construction for the Merced Theatre project will begin at 10:30 a.m. today at the theater.
It will be the third and final phase of the restoration efforts for the Art Kamangar Center at the Merced Theatre. The 1931-vintage theater is being restored after it was earlier remodeled and turned into a fourplex, the city said in a news release.
The restored theater will have 1,100 seats and state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems. It will be available for concerts, movies, theater productions, graduations and other community events.
Today's event is at the theater, 301 W. Main St. Armed with a nail gun, Mayor Bill Spriggs will ceremoniously signal the end of the interior demolition work and the start of the restoration.
The project, a joint venture of the Merced Theatre Foundation and the city of Merced Redevelopment Agency, is scheduled to be completed in January 2012.
The Merced Theatre Foundation continues to raise money for the restoration and future programs.
The Take A Seat fundraiser allows patrons to buy a seat in the theater on a first-come, first-served basis. An individualized brass nameplate will be affixed to the seat. Prices range from $500 for the upper balcony, to $1,500 for a loge seat.
The Pick A Brick campaign has two sizes of bricks available for purchase and installation on Martin Luther King Jr. Way near the front door of the theater, with a short inscription of the buyer's choosing. Prices are $150 for a 4-by-8 inch brick, and $250 for an 8-by-8 brick.
Forms to buy seats and bricks are available at the theater lobby, at the theater website at www.mercedtheatre.org or by calling (209) 722-3266.
The theater was designed by James and Merritt Reid, two San Francisco-based architects who built a number of theaters in the Bay Area, including the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland and the Balboa Theatre in San Francisco. The brothers also designed the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego and the Fairmont Hotel and Cliff House in San Francisco.
The Merced Theatre could have been the last designed by the Reid brothers because Merritt died three months after the theater opened and James retired. The Merced Theatre was their only theater project in the Central Valley.
The interior of the theater had a Spanish castle courtyard theme, with balconies overlooking the floor.
The theater closed in 2002 and was bought by the city of Merced Redevelopment Agency for $780,000. It is being restored to its original glory through grants, Redevelopment Agency funds and fundraising efforts by the Merced Theatre Foundation, the news release concluded.
This story was originally published January 19, 2011 at 12:55 PM with the headline "Final phase of Merced Theatre restoration project begins today."