Neighborhood group urges commissioners to preserve Clay Theatre features, says landmarking won't doom reuse

Catherine Petrin of the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation addressed the commission during general public comment to urge designation of the Clay Theatre as a landmark and to respond to concerns about interior features.

Petrin thanked commissioners for their unanimous vote on the nomination's merits and said interior elements such as a raked floor can be protected without precluding adaptive reuse; she cited the Alhambra Theatre on Polk Street (rehabbed as a gym in 1998) as an example where a raked floor remained intact under a new floor and was rehabilitated consistent with Secretary of the Interior standards.

Petrin said the foundation has worked with the owner for years, has discussed possible sympathetic interior modifications (adding a bar and dining facilities), and previously offered to purchase the property when it was listed; she said the neighborhood wants to see the Clay reopen as a movie theater and the foundation is ready to assist.

No other public speakers addressed this agenda item during that part of the meeting.