County Donates Another $150K for Novato Theater Renovation Effort

NOVATO, CA — The County of Marin Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to contribute another $150,000 in county funds to the Novato Theater renovation project.

The money will help cover the costs of hazmat removal and demolition during phase 1 of the project that has been in the works for many years, but is finally getting done — in stages.

The county previously contributed $150,000 in 2012 to help the nonprofit Novato Theater organization purchase the building from the city of Novato for $50,000. The remainder of the county funds were used by the group, which is leading the effort to rebuild the theater for use as a film and performing arts center, for preliminary planning and assessment.

The theater was built in 1941 but has been closed since 1991.

"The Novato Theater is the cornerstone landmark for our downtown, with the potential to be a valuable asset to the cultural and economic vitality of our community," according to the Novato Theater group's website. "Yet it has been closed for 20 years."

With the total cost to demolish and renovate the theater estimated at $4.6 million, the group has been running fundraising campaigns.

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This next $150,000 from the county will help support phase 1 of the construction costs, according to a report prepared for the Board of Supervisors.

According to the group's website, other donors have included the city of Novato, which gave $1 million toward phase 1; the Margaret E. Haas Fund has contributed $110,000; $25,000 came from the Marin Community Foundation; and hundreds of donations from local citizens have come in.

Once enough money is raised to complete the three phases of the project, the theater will be designed to maintain its nostalgic art deco look, and will have a large downstairs theater to seat 250, an upstairs theater with 48 removable seats, a spacious lobby for receptions and concessions, and state-of-the-art sound and visual systems.

For more information, visit Novatotheater.net.

(Image/Novato Theater via Facebook)