"The first thing guests will notice once they revisit the landmark could be the refurbished neon sign, or the expanded bathrooms, or the now-unmoored concession stand. I expected to feel a knot in my stomach once I saw with my own eyes that the orchestra-level seats had been gutted from the theater, marking the end of an era for a historic movie palace where you used to be able to see a triple feature for $14."
""They call it the Pflueger glow," Perry said, referring to the architect, Timothy Pflueger, who designed the building - his first theater - in 1922. He added that the ceiling was the first part of the landmark's interior to be restored. "There were holes in it. There was damage from the 1989 earthquake that they tried to fix, and they put this kind of veneer over it. What they didn't realize was that it actually damaged the artwork you see now.""
A vapor of theatrical smoke filled the auditorium during a pre-opening walkthrough 48 hours before the Castro Theatre's public reopening after a delayed, over-budget renovation. The 104-year-old landmark had been closed for two years while renovations ran months behind schedule and went millions over budget. Guests will encounter a refurbished neon sign, expanded bathrooms, an unmoored concession stand, and gutted orchestra-level seating that changes the movie palace experience. Meticulous restoration revealed the leatherette ceiling's ornate artwork, stripped of decades of nicotine and a damaging veneer to expose what staff call the 'Pflueger glow.'
Read at SFGATE
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