The $15 million renovation of the Castro Theatre has now ballooned to a $35 million renovation, and this news comes on the heels of learning that the theater’s reopening will be delayed by anywhere from four to six months minimum.
We learned last week that the renovations of the Castro Theatre, being handled by Berkeley-based concert promoter Another Planet Entertainment (APE), would not be complete until at least October 2025 or maybe even December 2025. That’s as much as a six-month delay on the admittedly very impressive renovations that were originally expected to be completed this summer.
This makeover comes, of course, as APE hopes to transform the 103-year-old movie palace into more of a traditional concert venue, though one that will supposedly still host film screenings and LGBTQ events.
SFGate did some digging on these recently announced delays. And they found that the overall budget of the project has increased by $20 million, and has now more than doubled.
“Originally budgeted at $15 million, currently it is expected that Another Planet will spend in excess of $35 million on this project,” APE spokesperson David Perry told SFGate. “Bottom line: as soon as possible we want to return the Castro to serving the LGBT, cultural and Castro small business community.”
Perry wouldn't go into detail on specifically what had caused these costs to jump by $20 million. Notably, there is the ambitious new digital-pipe hybrid organ and sound system that’s being installed, as well as new film projectors, new electrical, and an HVAC system.
But it’s a fair guess that PG&E power alterations are a likely culprit in the cost overruns, as those PG&E upgrades are pegged as the cause of the four- to six-month delay on the theater’s reopening.
And there is some ambiguity in terms of what’s going on with all of that. A PG&E spokesperson told Hoodline this week that the utility has “completed the contract for this project” (PG&E’s words) and "We continue to wait for Another Planet to trench to the connection point agreed upon in November."
But the Bay Area Reporter noted last month that APE project manager Margaret Casey said at a February Castro Merchants Association’s that "We need to add power for our lighting and sound systems. We have a couple different options for where we draw power from — one is simple and easy, one is complicated — and we have no control over any of that, so we have been very much in a holding pattern.”
So conclude from that whatever you can.
On one hand, these cost overruns may reflect well on APE. They are sparing no expense to restore this revered community gem, soldiering on even as costs have more than doubled.
On the other hand, these cost and timeline overruns might start feeling like a show business version of the Van Ness bus lane construction project or the Central Subway. One worries that these are not the first delays or overruns we will hear of.
And much like Macy’s at Union Square, the Castro Theatre is not just some kind of anchor tenant, it’s the cultural and economic anchor of a neighborhood. The longer it’s closed, the harder a slog nearby Castro small businesses will face (or at least, those who do significant daytime business).
Image: Steven Bracco, Hoodline
