[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 29, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E761]]
      RECOGNIZING THE HISTORIC ALAMEDA THEATER RESTORATION PROJECT

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                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 29, 2008

  Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the historic 
Art Deco Alameda Theater, in Alameda, California. The theater first 
opened in 1932 and boasted one of the largest screens in the Bay Area. 
Designed by the prominent San Francisco architect, Timothy L. Pflueger, 
the theater opened shortly after another one of Pflueger's historically 
significant theaters, the Paramount in Oakland, California.
  The 2 theaters share many of the same finishes and details. The 
Alameda Theater building was under private ownership and in continuous 
operation as a cinema until 1979. It has undergone a number of adverse 
changes to its interior finishes since that time. The deteriorating 
theater sat vacant or underutilized until the City of Alameda acquired 
the property in July 2006 and commenced restoration efforts in November 
2006.
  The Alameda Theater restoration project is the signature component of 
a larger downtown revitalization project in the city's Park Street 
Historic District. A newly built movie Cineplex will be a part of the 
Alameda Theater complex and all patrons will enter through the historic 
Art Deco Alameda Theater lobby to access all the screens in the 
Cineplex.
  The Alameda Theater restoration project is a public/private 
partnership that resulted in the blend of a new theater complex and the 
saving of a historic treasure in the City of Alameda.
  The City will celebrate the reopening of the Alameda Theater at a 
gala on May 21st and a civic ceremony on May 24th. I am confident 
theater goers will appreciate the restored historic Art Deco Alameda 
Theater and will enjoy the entertainment benefits it will bring for 
years to come. Congratulations to the city of Alameda and all who had a 
hand in the development and completion of the historic Alameda Theater 
Restoration Project.

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