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<\/p>\nThe sale, expected to close on July 31, marks a significant step toward redeveloping one of downtown’s most recognizable abandoned properties.<\/p>\n
SAN DIEGO \u2014 The long-vacant California Theatre building in downtown San Diego is set for a new chapter after the Prebys Foundation signed an agreement to purchase the nearly century-old property for $6.3 million.<\/p>\n
The sale, which is expected to close on July 31, marks a significant step toward redeveloping one of downtown’s most recognizable abandoned buildings. Located at the corner of Fourth Avenue and C Street, the 99-year-old structure has sat vacant for decades and was condemned by the City of San Diego after falling into severe disrepair.<\/p>\n
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When the California Theatre opened in April 1927, the 2,200-seat venue was celebrated as the “Cathedral of the Motion Picture.” Over the years, it hosted films and later transitioned into a live performance venue before permanently closing in 1990. Since then, the building has become covered in graffiti and deteriorated into what many have described as an eyesore in the heart of downtown.<\/p>\n
“It’s sad right now — but I can imagine how beautiful it used to be,” said Leslie Berke, who was visiting the area.<\/p>\n
Downtown resident Santana Belmont expressed disappointment over the building’s fate.<\/p>\n
“I hate to see it go. I wish I had hit the lottery or something — I would have bought the building!” Belmont said.<\/p>\n
Under an agreement with the San Diego City Attorney’s Office, the condemned property was required to be sold by the end of the year. The new buyer, the Prebys Foundation, said the acquisition aligns with its broader efforts to support downtown revitalization. The foundation is also helping lead redevelopment planning for San Diego’s Civic Center.<\/p>\n
“The more our CEO spoke with our board, we spoke with [the] community, we realized this was the right thing to do,” said Crystal Page, vice president of communications for the Prebys Foundation. “We look forward to closing on it because it’s good for the community and it removes an eyesore.”<\/p>\n
Page said the investment is intended to help improve downtown while creating opportunities for future development.<\/p>\n
“That investment really, we believe, will not only make downtown safer, but it’s an opportunity for us to imagine together what’s possible next,” she said.<\/p>\n
While no redevelopment plans have been finalized, community members offered a variety of ideas for the site, including a park, housing with ground-floor retail, a community center, or another public gathering space.<\/p>\n
“There is interest in things like housing, but we also want to understand what the community wants to see, what’s right,” Page said.<\/p>\n
Some residents also hope elements of the theater’s historic architecture can be preserved.<\/p>\n
“It’s gorgeous. So when they tear it down and do something with it, hopefully they’ll be able to bring in some of the original facade from it or something from the original design into the architecture going forward,” said Sue Farwell.<\/p>\n
“Our hope is somewhere in the future that we’re able to commemorate what this beautiful building was and the arts and culture,” Page said. “But at this moment in time, task number one is how do we clear this space and make it clean and safe for everyone who comes downtown.”<\/p>\n
The demolition process could take up to a year once all required permits are approved. Foundation officials say determining the property’s long-term future will involve continued community input.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The sale, expected to close on July 31, marks a significant step toward redeveloping one of downtown’s most…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406293,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8],"class_list":["post-406292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/406293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}