After a piece of the Alexandria came loose during the high winds a couple of weeks ago, neighbors were once again wondering about the status of the planned development for the 18th & Geary location.
This Thursday at 12noon (City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton Goodlet Place, Room 400), there is a public hearing on the owner’s application for a permit to build a mixed residential/commercial/parking structure on the Alexandria Theater property.
As detailed in an article we posted in October 2012, the plan calls for residential apartments to be built on the back lot on 18th Avenue. The first level of that residential complex would be retail space, with parking underground for residents and shoppers.
The theater building would remain, and house retail stores on the first level, with a 211 seat theater and a full service restaurant on the second level. The design features open walkways on both sides of the interior of the building so when you’re on the second level, you can see down to below.
Original architectural elements of the art deco building would be preserved, including the domed roof that was part of the original theater before it was sectioned off when it became a multiplex. The ornamental decoration on the facade of the theater building would also remain, including the blade sign (though the 1-2-3 numbers would be removed from the sign, an addition made in 1976).
Thursday’s meeting is open to the public, but if you cannot make the meeting, you can still submit comments to Mary Woods, Planning Department, 1650 Mission Street, 4th Floor, Suite 400, San Francisco CA 94103, mary.woods@sfgov.org, (415) 558-6315, by 4/25 at 9:30.
You can also watch the hearing live on Cable Channel 78 or online on the SFGTV website (the Alexandria is item #13 on the agenda).
In related news, reader Chantelle M. snapped a pic of some strange graffiti that was painted/posted on the side of the Alexandria. Anyone know what it is? Leave a comment to let us know.
Sarah B.
Someone identified the graffiti on Facebook – details here
http://www.whitewallssf.com/blog/2011/07/d-young-v-prints-for-sale/
and
http://www.whitewallssf.com/shows/make-an-effort
“The work for Make An Effort is a continuation of Young’s exploration of a theoretical post-apocalyptic San Francisco – a rebuilt world, full of new ideals, technology, religion and language created from scratch. Young poses the question “What would happen if people decided to restart civilization?” He points the viewer in this direction by loading up his new pen-and-ink-meets-wheat-paste pieces with invented and recycled symbols, alongside artistic renditions of current San Francisco residents. To obtain these images, Young worked in collaboration with local photographer Shaun Roberts to perfectly capture these San Franciscans as imagined versions of their own post-apocalyptic selves.”
Sarah B.
I really think with all the existing retail space in the neighborhood that still needs to be filled, plus the proposed retail space in the mixed use building that will be built on the parking lot, that we should really consider doing something more with the Alexandria itself than just building more retail space. Why not ditch the retail and combine the restaurant and movie theater into one, like the Bagdad Theater in Portland. The lobby could serve food, wine and beer; tables could be installed in lobby for those that just want to eat and tables in the movie theater itself for those that want a meal and a movie. Less construction would need to be done on the building itself (no second story added) and it would create something truly unique in this neighborhood. The theater could show second-run movies (Think like the Castro, or Red Vic), this would allow tickets to be cheap and prevent it from overshadowing our neighborhood’s first-run theaters. Plus, having such a unique attraction in our neighborhood would attract more people out here, increasing business at existing shops and make all the vacant storefronts more desirable to new businesses. It could be the keystone to revitalizing the neighborhood. Please join me at the planning meeting to fight for something more than a mall, let’s build something fun and unique at the Alexandria!
More retail to sell what? Once Target opens at the old Sears a lot of the mom and pop plastics goods businesses will struggle and possibly fail and I expect more vacancies and/or massage parlors. I do know the Russian community likes to rent out banquet halls or entire restaurants for parties and celebrations (and remember many Easters in the 60s and 70s at Cinderella with my mother’s friends who fled Russia to Shanghai and later here) but am uncertain a single venue could stay afloat, especially at that size or would have to be broken into several different dining rooms to accommodate different size groups. Non-parytgoers generally have a poor experience when shunted to the non-party room.
YMCA will be negatively affected by losing parking spaces unless there is an arrangement made with the owner. How many units are planned? Speaking of larger developments, any news on Safeway at the Beach’s reconfiguration plans?
I wholeheartedly agree with Ryan’s comments above. I too would love to see the Alexandria Theater restored and reenergized, dedicated to showing films and potentially becoming a true cultural cornerstone for our neighborhood, and the city at large.
Although it’s obviously been neglected for some time, with restoration it could once again be beautiful. It could feasibly be re-imagined into something along the lines of what Ryan has suggested, as a beautiful theater that shows new movies as well as second-run and art movies, and even could showcase student films and other art performances. Having food, wine and beer will get attract tons of people, and it could potentially be a massive success.
There are excellent examples of these sorts of businesses that are not only finding sustainable financial success, but are being embraced by the community. The New Parkway in Oakland is an example of this. People love it:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-new-parkway-oakland
Another cool example of something already on its way to SF is the purchase and renovation of The New Mission Theater. I can hardly wait for this to come to San Francisco:
http://drafthouse.com/san_francisco/new_mission
Our old movie houses among are our local treasures. Anyone who has watched a film in the Castro or Balboa knows that this experience brings something far, far richer than what you will find in a multi-plex.
The Alexandria has true potential be revitalized as a movie theater that can be a commercial success, all while adding beneficially to our neighborhood. It deserves preservation, not just for its own sake, but for the potentially new things they can offer our community: a fun place to gather, celebrate film, art, food, wine, beer, and life.
Let’s embrace this as an opportunity to add substantially to our neighborhood, and aim to create a new, re-imagined Alexandria Theater.
Right! With all the retail vacancies, there’s no way new retail will be able to be successful. We should insist on a tried and true formula: the movie theater!
Let’s all go to a meeting and design something by committee which satisfies everyone who doesn’t have a stake in the project. Then the people who are actually funding it will shake their heads, and the building will languish for another decade, after which we can form another committee.
The Alexandria should remain an entertainment venue. It should be renovated and completely reopen as a modern theater. It could also be night club, which would be something new for the neighborhood. Either way the theater building should not be cut up into retail. It was a movie theater for 80 years, reopen it and see what happens.
As a former Austinite, I would love to see the Alexandria as an Alamo Drafthouse. However, I imagine that since the owners have made what is likely a multi-million dollar commitment to the project, I would have assumed that they have done some market research as to what will likely garner the most revenue. Yes, there should be public input (it is a historical building), but asking them to constantly change what we think will work will only delay the refurb and rebuild of this site further–likely, for many years.
that rendering of the “condos” – yuck. looks about as uninspired / cookie cutter as you can get.
that said, I can’t really say i’m too disappointed in them adding more housing in SF since there is a shortage. i’m more upset that more will be pumping iron with me at the ymca
What happened to YMCA moving over there?
Good grief! This structure has been vacant for almost a decade, and now that we FINALLY have a solid plan for going forward, people who *don’t* own the property are telling us how great it would be to have a full-blown movie theater there. Or, how the housing behind the theater looks “yucky”. Are you kidding me? Compare the artist’s rendering, above, with the current state of the blight that is the current Alexandria Theater location.
Also, one more retail space on Geary is not a problem. The real problem with retail in this district is that it’s “me too” retail, and restaurants. There seems to be a slight change afoot, with some new businesses coming in that ad true variety to our retail and restaurant mix.
btw, are any of the people calling for a full blown theater aware of the problems that led to the closing of the Bridge; that caused the Balboa to almost fail; that caused the Lumiere to fail, and so on. It’s easy to be a critic of it’s not our money, or your property.
It’s very upsetting that the owner of that building has not been severely fined by our city. That said, I hope we don’t get a lot of nitpickers trying to defeat the current plan (and thus causing more delay).
Get the darned thing built!
This should fit in wonderfully along with the Geary blvd rapid transit plan that is still alive/dead?
Let’s all hope that the Alexandria project doesn’t go de way of De Place.
Hmm… fixed up nice but with no one ever going in or out or using any of the precious parking?
I think that might be exactly what a lot of people ’round here are hoping for!
Right on Phil. Nicely said. Lets get this project moving forward, fix the blight, and bring some new housing units (and customers for the current Geary merchants) into the neighborhood. Like most other real estate projects in SF, this can be further nit-picked to death. It would be a shame to end up with the current situation for another 10 years. I personally agree that more retail doesn’t seem viable, but another movie theater? Would be great, but there is a reason this one closed, and others as well. The neighborhoods stopped supporting them (including the Richmond), and the economics of the movie business changed. Time to move on.
Update!
Approved as proposed.
@Serge – Thanks for the update!
Sarah B.
It’s not about more retail space, but rather the right kind of retail space (as well as the right kind of retailers). With the new theater/restaurant/retail complex as an entertainment focal point in the neighborhood, it could actually draw MORE businesses to the vacant spaces. I’d bet that the old Walgreens space (across the street), for example, gets a tenant within a year of the Alexandria opening.
So in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco, people can just paint any damned thing they want, any place they want? (We’re halfway there).
I grew up in the Richmond District and saw every big headliner movie that came to town there and at the Coronet. It is very sad to see these old theaters chopped up or closed. But then I understand the economics. You can’t ask a property owner to own commercial property where they or the business can not get a reasonable return on investment. It make me unhappy to see owners or absentee children who inherit property and only think about maximizing profit to the detriment of the people who live in the neighborhood by jacking up the rent to a point where the retailers can’t make it even with a very successful businesses. I see that happening all the time on Chestnut where I used to spend a lot of time as a child and still do. Change is constant and never easy to deal with. Hope the right balance is struck.
There was more street art on the building than that D Young V. I also saw a sample fish there. They were both wheat paste.