West Portal's Long-Shuttered Empire Cinema Could Become Nine-Story, 64-Unit Housing Complex Under New Proposal

"The February 2021 closure of the CineArts at Empire movie theater on West Portal Avenue was the canary in the coal mine that the COVID-19 pandemic would be the undoing of many SF movie theaters. Over the years, a couple of defunct SF movie theaters have tried to find new life as housing, including the Richmond District's Alexandria Theatre, which has been stuck in the mud on those plans for nearly three years running."

"Though it sounds like the current one-story structure will be razed entirely, and a member of the family that's owned the theater for more than 100 years says the new housing complex would be nine stories tall. And the new incarnation will certainly not be a movie theater. The [former operator] mothballed it, stripped out all the equipment and just left it, owner Jesse Appleton told the Chronicle (Appleton bought the building in 2021 from another family member)."

"Appleton also tells the paper that a new movie theater was considered for the space, but the opening of the new high-tech multiplex at nearby Stonestown killed any interest from potential operators. As mentioned, this would be a nine-story building with 64 housing units. The Chronicle describes the proposed apartments as family-sized, meaning two- and three-bedroom units, which would be rentals and not condos."

The CineArts at Empire closed in February 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The single-story building has been family-owned for more than 100 years, with Jesse Appleton purchasing it in 2021 from another family member. The former operator mothballed the theater, stripped out equipment, and left the space dormant. The owners propose demolishing the one-story structure and constructing a nine-story building with 64 housing units. The proposed units would be family-sized two- and three-bedroom rentals rather than condos. A new nearby multiplex discouraged interest in reopening a movie theater. Other San Francisco theaters have pursued housing conversion with mixed progress.

Read at sfist.com