An Invitation to Help Turn on the Lights and Re-Open The Historic Harding Theater

A coalition of community and theater organizations and just plain folks joined the Friends of 1800 at the Planning Commission hearing on Thursday, November 13, to ask the Planning Commission to require an Environmental Impact Report for the Harding Theater “condo conversion project,” being put forward by a group of developers who acquired this amazing theater in 2005.  After two hours of testimony, the Commission voted 7-0 to uphold the Friends’ appeal and require an EIR.   The next day,  the developers announced they would discontinue their efforts to remove the stage and part of the auditorium from the theater for their condos, and put the property on the market.

Now there is a unique opportunity, not only for the Western Addition/North of Panhandle neighborhood (the theater is located on Divisadero at Hayes), but for all of San Francisco.  The Harding Theater was built in 1926, designed by the famous Reid Brothers, and has been the home to vaudeville, movies, live performances and an African-American church.  It contains one incredibly unique feature, a big performance stage with a full “fly” overhead, and an orchestra pit.  With nearly 800 seats, and wonderful Moorish Deco design, it is now time for this incredible theater resource to flourish again, and to serve as the home for theater companies, performing artists, film showings, after school programs, and to be the ultimate community and cultural center for Divisadero Street and the entire city.

However, the window of opportunity is short, and we need to raise funds to study the acquisition, renovation and programming of this very precious historic and cultural resource.  So, yes, this is an invitation to help The Metro Theatre Center Foundation fulfill it's original goal—to locate, acquire and manage a multi-use state-of-the-art theater and arts center for the entire population to enjoy and where all of the voices that make up our diverse San Francisco population and culture may be heard.

Please help us with a tax-deductible contribution to our foundation to assist us with this project.  Time is limited, and we have to move quickly.  Don't let another San Francisco theater fall to the wrecking ball or sit dormant and dark the way so many theater resources in the city have been lost or abandoned.  Please let your voice be heard.  Please speak with your checkbook.  Checks should be payable to The Metro Theatre Center Foundation, and please note “Harding Theatre” on the memo portion of the check. 

I know this is the worst of times in our economy, and yet this is the best of times, too, for this incredible project.  Please dig deep and send your contribution today.  And please, please, please, tell everyone you know who would be interested in what we're doing.  We need your help, and we need it now.  Thank you.

Yours truly,

Ron Merk
Executive Director
The Metro Theatre Center Foundation
584 Castro Street, #635
San Francisco CA 94114
Telephone 415-840-0441
Fax 415-840-0441
Email: ron@indieplex.org

*Photo used is for illustrative purposes only.

THE RESTORATION

The theater will be returned to the splendor that once graced all classic movie palaces, while at the same time adding the modern equipment necessary to meet the needs of 21st Century technology and the expectations of today's audience. This will include film and digital projection, surround sound, and other technical and staging equipment required for presenting live performances.

INNOVATIVE PROGRAMMING

Our programming mandate will be to expand the audience to both the neighborhood and city-wide demographics, with a special emphasis on cultivating the younger audiences not presently attending film festival and live theater events as part of their normal entertainment activities.

The theater will be programmed by a team of seasoned professionals, to create an exciting combination of live entertainment and film events, and become the most innovative multi-purpose theater venue developed specifically for the presentation of contemporary filmmakers, performers, and special events in the City of San Francisco.

NEW FILM FESTIVALS

Our programming department will create number of genre festivals which will be added to the unique line-up already being presented in San Francisco. These will be three-day weekend festivals, allowing patrons to attend morning, afternoon and evening presentations. The festivals currently being planned include an International Children's Film Festival, a Sci-Fi Festival, a competitive International Animation Festival, and a Festival of Preservation, highlighting films that have recently been restored and preserved.

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT AND YOUTH OUTREACH

Young people are the film-goers of tomorrow, and we plan to insure future audiences for the theater by creating a special film literacy program for Jr. High and High School Students from around the Bay Area. The Ten Best American Films will be presented, with introductions and follow-up discussions by noted film authorities and teachers, to demonstrate to young people why it's important to know how a film made many years ago is still important, why it continues to resonate with audiences today. Films are part of and preserve our history. Other programs in the series are the Ten Best Foreign Films, Spanish Films, etc. All screenings, course material, and transportation will be supplied free of charge to students by means of sponsorships from business and individuals from our community.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

Building community involves an exchange of ideas between the programs we present and the public. Based on citywide and neighborhood audience response, our programming will evolve to better serve the community's needs and interests. This ongoing outreach effort will continually seek to improve the San Francisco and Bay Area cultural scene, which is already one of the richest in the nation.