Richard Reineccius says “Don’t mourn, renovate the Harding” theater and save this historic landmark
By Bruce B. Brugmann
Well, hopefully this isn’t the last stand for the Harding Theater in the Western Addition. But I wanted to use the line that we used for years in the passionate and unending battle to save the Goodman Building off of Van Ness Ave.
The battle was lost to save the original building but there was a complicated deal done in which the people in the Goodman Building ended up in the Thick Description Theater Building at 1695 l8th st. on Potrero Hill.
The theater is the lineal descendant of the old Julian theater, one of the city’s finest and most avant garde neighborhood theaters founded by Richard Reineccius and Doug Giebel.
It most fitting that Richard is now a leader in the fight to save the Harding theater. Here’s his call to arms on a hearing for the latest proposal to demolish the building at a hearing on Thursday (11/13/08) before the city planning commission.
A FULL HEARING FOR THE HARDING
by Richard Reineccius
The SF City Planning Commission will this week hear the latest proposal for demolishing much of an historic theater at 616 Divisadero Street, erecting a multi-story apartment building plus retail space on the premises. The hearing will be on Thursday afternoon 11/13, Room 400 City hall. (www.sfgov.org/planning)
The Harding Theater in SF’s once artistically vibrant and stylish Western Addition hasn’t seen audiences for live performances or films in a number of years, but is an excellent candidate for saving, not only as an arts space but as a development catalyst for the neighborhood. While not currently listed as a historic landmark, it in fact is one, being the last intact theater remaining in the city designed by the famous Reid Brothers firm (Fairmont Hotel, Grand Lake Theater in Oakland, SF’s Roosevelt and Castro Theaters, Byron Hot Springs Spa Hotel, more)