Cerrito Theater — a Phoenix Reborn on San Pablo Avenue

In 1937, when the Cerrito Theater first opened its doors, the small neighborhood movie house was a temple of Art Deco and neon lights. Impressively uniformed ushers armed with flashlights led customers to their seats. On Tuesdays, patrons would receive free dishware along with their movie tickets. But most of all, the movie house was a place for the community to gather, a place to see and be seen.

Much has changed since 1937, but thanks to the people of El Cerrito, the theater has been restored—and so has the sense of community.

The old movie houses fell on hard times as multiplexes, drive-ins and television began to surpass them in popularity. In the 1960s, the Cerrito Theater closed down and Keifer's Furniture began using the building as a furniture warehouse. The theater's Art Deco murals languished unappreciated and unknown to most of El Cerrito behind piles of furniture and a layer of dirt for almost 40 years before a freelance writer named Dave Weinstein brought them to the community's attention.

After Keifer put the building up for sale in 2001, endangering the theater's Art Deco interiors, Weinstein started raising awareness of the Cerrito in an effort to preserve its historical elements. He and other supporters founded Friends of the Cerrito Theater, a group dedicated to raising money and support for the restoration of the Cerrito.

"When I first saw it, I felt like I had entered a time capsule, to see everything so undisturbed," said Dianne Brenner, former co-chair of the Friends of the Cerrito Theater and coordinator of the Friends' donor recognition program.

The Friends of the Cerrito Theater then set about getting the word out about the theater and building public support.

"One of the first things we did was to hold an Open House and invite the public to come see this gem we had in our midst," Brenner said in an e-mail. "I remember that day clearly. We were inside the theater setting up refreshments, and a few minutes before the posted opening time, I took a look out front. People were lined up down the block and around the corner. That was our first indication that this effort would be a success."

Around 3,000 people ended up attending the Cerrito's open house. Ann Lehman, former co-chair of the Friends of the Cerrito Theater, was impressed by the turnout.

"I'd never seen 3,000 people show up for anything in El Cerrito before," Lehman said. "All ages, tears in their eyes, just wonderful memories."

The event was very successful in bringing in public support for the Cerrito's restoration. People like Linda Moss, who is now a very enthusiastic member of the Friends of the Cerrito Theater, came to the open house and were inspired to get involved.

"It was just a revelation," Moss said. "It was just an amazing thing to think of bringing this back—like being reborn—where you didn't even know that such a thing had existed."

The people who devoted their time and energy to this cause came from many different backgrounds. Some of them were drawn to the historical significance, while others were interested in the idea of having a movie theater in El Cerrito. Still others, like Lehman, saw this project for its community building potential.

"What so impressed me…was the fact that the community seemed to adore this and that this would be a great way to bring the community together," Lehman said.

Community support was building for reopening the Cerrito and bringing movies back to the abandoned theater. The next step was to get the city to act on it.

"The city was not that into it initially; I would say that they were reluctant at best," Lehman said. "But every time they had a hearing we would organize…and 100 people would show up at these hearings…I think that sent a real strong message to our public officials that this was something the community wanted."

"There were city council meetings so crowded people couldn't even fit in the room," Weinstein said.

The city of El Cerrito bought an option on the theater and eventually found a proprietor that was right for the project. Speakeasy Theaters brought in unconventional seating, including couches and tables, and served food, beer and wine in the theater. On November 1, 2006, the Cerrito reopened with all the splendor and excitement that it had in 1937.

"El Cerrito does not have a downtown, and it's hard to sometimes find its focus, so this put us on the map," Lehman said. "The marquee in particular is something that people will always now associate with El Cerrito, and we didn't have that before."

The newly reopened Cerrito Theater was not immune to economic hardship. In 2009, the Cerrito Speakeasy Theater went out of business. But thanks to the Friends of the Cerrito Theater and the continued support of the El Cerrito community, the city found a new operator that would keep the theater's vision alive—including Speakeasy's food and beverage concept. The theater reopened once again as Rialto Cinemas Cerrito in July of 2009.

On the second Thursday of every month, Rialto Cinemas and the Friends of the Cerrito Theater present "Cerrito Classics," bringing classic films back to the big screen. August's film, To Catch A Thief, played to a sold-out crowd, proving once again the Cerrito's ability to bring the community together.