Appendix C:
William Self Associates, Inc.; Updated Records Search and
Historic Resources Evaluation Report for the CineArts
Theater, Pleasant Hill, Contra Costa County, California;
January 2013. Garavaglia Architecture, Inc.; Dome Theater,
Final Historic Resource Evaluation Report; January 2013.
Consultants in Archaeology and Historic Preservation
www.williamself.com
January 28, 2013
Mr. Ricardo Bressanutti
Senior Planner
Lamphier-Gregory
1944 Embarcadero
Oakland, CA 94606
RE:
Results of Updated Records Search and Historic Resources Evaluation Report for the
CineArts Theater, Pleasant Hill, Contra Costa County, California.
Dear Mr. Bressanutti:
This letter presents the results of the updated records search as well as the findings of the Historic
Resources Evaluation Report (HRER) for the CineArts Theater in Pleasant Hill, California. In 2004,
William Self Associates, Inc. (WSA) implemented a records search, archaeological field survey and
assessment of a 22-acre parcel at the proposed Contra Costa Center Redevelopment project area
located adjacent to I-680 and Monument Boulevard in Pleasant Hill, Contra Costa County. The
results of the record search, field survey and assessment were presented in the Cultural Resources
Assessment Report (CRAR), Contra Costa Center Redevelopment, Pleasant Hill, Contra Costa
County, California (March 2004). The cultural resource study was conducted in compliance with
Section 21084.1 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
No archaeological sites were identified as a result of that effort, and the Century 5 Theater (now
known as the CineArts Theater), and referred to locally as "the Dome Theater" was not
recommended eligible for listing in the California Register of Historic Resources (CRHR). At the
time of the initial evaluation, the theater was just 38 years old and did not meet the threshold of
"exceptional importance" required for listing a property less than 50 years old. WSA prepared a
Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Primary Form and Continuation Form in order to record
basic descriptive information about the theater and to photo document the structure for archival
purposes.
Phase 1 of redevelopment has been completed on the 22-acre project site, which is now known as
The Crossroads. The current project, Phase 2 of the redevelopment, proposes to demolish the
CineArts Theater building and develop new retail space and associated parking linked to the first
phase of redevelopment. The project area is situated in Township 1 North, Range 2 West, in an
unsectioned portion of the former Rancho Las Juntas (Walnut Creek, California 7.5’ USGS
topographic quadrangle, photo revised 1980).
Mr. Ricardo Bressanutti
January 28, 2013
Page 2 of 5
The HRER, prepared by Garavaglia Architecture, Inc., provides an updated evaluation of the CRHR
eligibility of the CineArts Theater, which is now 45 years old and has reached the informal threshold
for CEQA evaluation.
Results of the Records Search
The initial archival records search for the project was conducted by the Northwest Information
Center (NWIC) of Sonoma State University on behalf of WSA (File No. 03-418) on December 16,
2004. The study indicated that there had been 11 previous cultural resource surveys within ¼-mile
of the project area and that no prehistoric or historic resources were recorded as a result of any of the
surveys.
An updated record search for the Phase 2 project area was conducted by the staff at the California
Historical Resources Information System, Northwest Information Center (NWIC) at Sonoma State
University on behalf of WSA on January 3, 2013 (File No. 12-0635). The record search included a
review of all cultural resource and excavation reports and recorded archaeological sites within a ¼mile radius of the Phase 2 project area. The study included a review of archaeological, ethnographic,
historical, and environmental literature as well as records and maps on file at the California
Archaeological Inventory.
Aside from the Century 5/CineArts Theater building recorded by WSA in 2004 (P-07-2660), no
additional prehistoric or historic resources within the project area or within 1/4-mile radius have
been recorded in the intervening eight years. Two cultural resource studies have been conducted
within the project area (S-29039 and -7080, Table 1) and 8 additional studies have been conducted
within 1/4-mile (Table 2).
No historic resources are shown on the 1915 USGS, Concord Topographic Quadrangle historic map
for the project area. No previously recorded cultural resources currently exist within or directly
adjacent to the project area. The former location of the Hook residence is listed on the 1989 Revised
Preliminary Historic Resources Inventory, Contra Costa County, California as being located south of
the project area at 60 Hookston Road and Buskirk Avenue, and it is noted in the inventory that the
house was moved to Martinez when the Hookston Square office park was constructed.
Table 1. Cultural Resource Studies Within the Project Area
Author(s)
Study No.
Title
Cultural Resources Assessment Report, Contra
Brown, Allan,
S-29039
Costa Center Redevelopment, Pleasant Hill, Contra
and Self
Costa County, California
Archaeological Survey Report for Reconstruction
of
I-680/24
Interchange
and
Freeway
Improvements, Contra Costa County, 04-CC-680
S-7080
Oman
12.6/19.0, Additional Area Surveyed: 04-CC-680
19.0/23.0 and 04-CC-24.0/2.3 04224-400310
Year
2004
1984
Mr. Ricardo Bressanutti
January 28, 2013
Page 3 of 5
Table 2. Cultural Resources Within ¼-mile of the Project Area
Author(s)
Study No.
Title
Preliminary Archaeological Survey of the CC-Line
S-15478
Salter
and A-Line Sewer Project, Contra Costa County,
California
Archaeological Reconnaissance Report, 04-CCo680 P.M. 17.8/18.0, Proposed On-Ramp
Construction
at
Gregory
Lane/Monument
S-2201
Watts
Boulevard Interchange, Pleasant Hill, Contra Costa
County, 04207-380231
Review of the Proposed SBA, Inc. Wireless Facility
CA-1169B, North Pleasant Hill, 2255 Contra Costa
S-23247
Wood
Blvd., Pleasant Hill, Contra Costa County,
California (letter report)
Historic Property Survey Report, Lisa Lane
Sidewalk Installation Project, City of Pleasant Hill,
S-37373
Baker
Contra Costa County, California (Federal Project
No. SRTSL 5375 [019])
Cultural Resources Monitoring Report, Lisa Lane
S-38252
Baker
Sidewalk Reconstruction Project, City of Pleasant
Hill, California
An Archaeological Survey of the Hookston Square
S-5215
Jang
Office Park, Buskirk Avenue and Hookston Road,
Contra Costa County, California.
Archaeological and Historic Architectural Survey
of 04-CC-680 15.4/17.4, 0.2 mile north of Main
S-623
Hastings
Street to 0.1 mile north of Oak Park Blvd., Bart
Interface and I/C Revision, 04205-377111 (letter
report)
Archaeological Survey Report, proposed disposal
of three excess parcels off of Astrid Drive and
S-17213
Jaffke
Warner Lane, 04-CC-680 Post-Kilo 27.8 04402377192
Year
1990
1980
2000
2010
2011
1982
1975
1995
Historic Resources Evaluation Report Summary
Garavaglia Architecture, Inc. prepared the HRER, which is attached to this document (Appendix A).
The HRER provides a physical description of the theater building, an historical context of both the City
of Pleasant Hill's development and the origins of the American movie theater industry, a history of the
Dome Theater itself, a discussion of Raymond Syufy and Century Theaters' role in modern theater
development, a discussion of architect Vincent G. Raney, and an evaluation of the theater applying both
the CRHR and City of Pleasant Hill criteria.
Garavaglia Architecture concluded that the "Dome Theater at Pleasant Hill does not appear to exhibit
the level of exceptional significance necessary to warrant listing on the California Register of Historic
Places at this time. However, the theater retains a good degree of physical integrity and does appear
potentially eligible for listing as a cultural resource at the local level" (Garavaglia 2013:22). Please see
the HRER for a discussion of each of the eligibility criterion as they relate to the Dome Theater.
Mr. Ricardo Bressanutti
January 28, 2013
Page 4 of 5
Conclusion
The Dome Theater in Pleasant Hill does not appear to exhibit the level of exceptional significance
necessary to warrant listing on the CRHR, and as a result is not considered an historic resource under
CEQA. The theater's demolition is considered a less than significant impact under CEQA.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide our services to you on this project. If we can be of any
further service, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely yours,
WILLIAM SELF ASSOCIATES, INC.
James M. Allan, Ph.D., RPA
Principal
Appendix A
Historic Resources Evaluation Report
Dome Theater
Final Historic Resource Evaluation Report
Prepared for
William Self Associates, Inc.
Prepared by
Garavaglia Architecture, Inc
1 February 2013
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
INTRODUCTION
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Garavaglia Architecture, Inc. was contracted by William Self Associates, Inc. in January 2013 to prepare
a Historical Resources Evaluation (HRE) for the Cine Arts Theater (locally known and hereinafter
referred to as the Dome Theater) located at the intersection of I-680 and Monument Boulevard in Pleasant
Hill, Contra Costa County, California. This report was requested in connection with proposed
redevelopment of the surrounding shopping plaza and the proposed demolition of the theater. This HRE
will address the theater’s potential eligibility for listing as a historic resource on the California Register of
Historical Resources (CRHR) and as a local (City of Pleasant Hill) historic resource.
Figure 1. Subject property indicated by white arrow. (Photo: Bing Maps aerial view, amended by author.)
1
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
The theater was evaluated for historical significance in a 2004 report completed by William Self
Associates, Inc. and was found not to be a historic resource. At that time, the theater was only 37 years
old. Portions of that report have been quoted below to provide descriptive and historical background
information for this updated evaluation.
METHODOLOGY
Garavaglia Architecture, Inc. staff conducted a site visit and survey of the property’s interior and exterior
on 9 January 2013. During this visit, staff documented the building’s configuration and architectural
elements with photographs and field notes. The client provided copies of the previous study and other
relevant documentation prior to the site visit. Garavaglia Architecture Inc. also conducted additional
archival research on the subject property and surrounding area. The following repositories/collections
were consulted to complete the research process. (See References section for complete list of resources.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Contra Costa County Historical Society
Pleasant Hill Historical Society
SF History Room, SF Historical Photograph Collection - San Francisco Public Library
(SFPL)
Cinema Treasures (http://cinematreasures.org)
Pleasant Hill Planning Department
Oakland Public Library (OPL)
Oakland Tribune Newspaper Archives, OPL
San Francisco Examiner/Chronicle index and microfilm, SFPL
San Francisco Chronicle Historical (online)
The California Digital Newspaper Collection and Internet Archive (online)
DESCRIPTION OF RESOURCE
The subject property is located at the southern end of the Crossroads Shopping Center complex between
the newer retail shops to the north and the vacant Bally’s Fitness Center building to the south. Locals
have long known the building, which currently houses Century’s CinéArts Theater, as the “Dome
Theater.” Originally, the Century 21 Theater at Pleasant Hill, the theater was designed by Bay Area
architect Vincent Raney and was constructed in 1967. A four-screen annex was added to the east side of
the theater in 1974, after which it was known as Century 5.
The most striking feature of the theater (both interior and exterior) is the domed roof, which was
constructed by fastening a concentric array of 20 individual arched steel struts to a center hub.
The struts are interconnected by a webbed network of smaller vertical and horizontal support
members.1
Compound in plan, the theater’s primary entrance is on the west side of the building, with a secondary
entrance accessible via a covered passageway to the north. Composition shingles cover the domed roof
structure, and all other (flat) roof surfaces appear to be covered in asphalt cladding. The Loaded Hog, a
1
William Self Associates, Inc., Cultural Resource Assessment Report Contra Costa Center Redevelopment,
Pleasant Hill, Contra Costa County, California, prepared for Richard T. Loewke (March 2004), 11.
2
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
tavern, is located in the commercial space just north of the main entrance; a box office and former arcade
occupy the spaces to the south of the main entrance. The cinder block façade, and metal marquee sign are
original.
The interior walls in the lobby walls are tiled with marble and glass blocks. The concession
stand, which faces the aluminum framed windows and doors of the main entrance is surfaced in
formica with chrome trim. The wall behind the concession stand is covered with a large mirror.
Curved hallways on either side of the concession stand lead to the main theater auditorium. The
interior of the main auditorium has been refurbished in recent years with new high-backed seats
and carpeting. The original curved screen, which measured 64 by 26 feet, has been replaced with
a smaller flat screen.
The rectangular floor plan [of the four-screen cinder block] annex measures 75 feet (E-W) by 150
feet (N-S). The screens within the annex are accessed through a second entrance located on the
north side of the theater within the southernmost extension of the mall breezeway.2
The former Bally’s fitness center attaches to the south wall of the theater building and is currently vacant.
This one-story, concrete block, rectangular plan structure measures approximately 125 feet (N-S) by 170
feet (E-W). The exterior of the building is lined with large panel, tinted aluminum frame windows. The
main entrance is on the south elevation.
The older portion of the original shopping complex (the Dome Theater and former Bally’s building) is
surrounded on the east, west, and south sides by a parking lot with aluminum light standards and curbed
landscaping islands. The parking lots surrounding the newer construction in the complex have been
recently upgraded.
2
Ibid, 11-12.
3
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
PLEASANT HILL
Except where noted, the following historical overview of the Pleasant Hill area is quoted from WSA
Associates, Inc.’s 2004 report on the subject property.
Regional History
The history of northern California, Contra Costa County, and the project area in particular, can be
divided into several periods of influence. For the purposes of establishing a historic context from
which to assess the potential significance of historic sites in the project area, various periods and
local sub-periods, some of which overlap, are defined below.
Spanish Period (in California)
Mexican Period
American Period
1775 - 1822
1822 - 1848
1838 - present
Spanish Period (1775-1822)
The Spanish period in Alta California began in 1775 when Captain Juan Manuel Ayala's
expedition explored the San Francisco Bay and ventured up the Sacramento and San Joaquin
rivers in search of a suitable mission site. The first mission in the region was established the
following year with the completion of Mission San Francisco de Asis (Mission Dolores) in San
Francisco. The mission era ensued, lasting over the next 46 years, leading to the establishment of
numerous missions and outposts, and the subsequent "missionization" of native groups, a process
that contributed to the decimation of native groups due to disease and subjugation.
Mexican Period (1822-1848)
Under the Spanish, the missions controlled the land. After Mexico seceded from Spain in 1822,
land was granted to private citizens, a practice that increased significantly after the 1833 act of
the Mexican legislature that established the secularization of the missions. By 1845, the last of
the mission land holdings had been relinquished, opening the way for the large ranchos common
to California in the mid-1800s. Rancho lands were predominantly used for raising livestock and
ranching. American explorers, mostly traders and beaver trappers also flocked to the west during
this time, and their "trail blazing" led to the settlement of the territory. Jedediah Smith, in 1827,
led a party of trappers up the Sacramento River from the San Joaquin Delta region, leading to the
establishment of the "California-Oregon Road," and numerous explorations over the next twentyfive years.
Within the current project area, William Welch took possession of the Rancho Las Juntas in
1844. This parcel, which included the current project area, was three square leagues
(approximately 13,000 acres), and covered portions of the modern cities of Pleasant Hill, Walnut
Creek, Pacheco, and Martinez. William Welch, who died in 1846, never took permanent
residence on his rancho.
Deterioration of relations between the United States and Mexico resulted in the Mexican War,
which ended with Mexico relinquishing California to the United States under the Treaty of
4
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848. With the formation of the new State of California, and the onset of
the American period, rapid changes were in store for the region.
The discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada in 1848 produced a major population increase in the
northern half of California, as emigrants sought gold or various jobs producing goods or services
for miners. Land use changes resulted as livestock grazed some native grasses to extinction,
woodlands were cut for lumber, railroad ties, and mine timbers, and agricultural development
occurred on nearly all arable land.
American Period (1838 - present)
After confirmation by the United States Board of Land Commission, Rancho Las Juntas was
distributed to the many heirs of William Welch. The current project area is contained within
property that was sold in 1855 by a Welch heir to William Hook. The Hook family had several
homes prior to settling in Pleasant Hill in 1859. The original Hook residence in Pleasant Hill was
located just south of the project area. Farming was a typical occupation in early Pleasant Hill. The
Hook family farmed wheat, hay, and barley on the property, reportedly using Native American
laborers.
Pleasant Hill remained a small farming community prior to the population boom following World
War II. The opening of Sherman Field in 1934 helped to put Pleasant Hill on the map. In the
1950’s, large subdivisions like Gregory Gardens began to replace the farms in the area. In 1951,
Diablo Valley College opened to students, and in 1967, the first shopping mall (Sun Valley Mall)
in Contra Costa County opened in Pleasant Hill.3
Voters approved the City of Pleasant’s Hill’s incorporation on November 7, 1961. With incorporation,
residents expressed a desire for Pleasant Hill to form an identity that distinguished it from neighboring
suburban communities. The new city government soon set about improving police protections and
arranging funding for the development of community services and facilities that would accommodate
between 65,000 and 80,000 residents by 1990.4 The first planning committee formed in 1962 to address
issues including streets and industrial area, “as well as the ‘general character of Pleasant Hill’ and ‘city
beautification.’”5 A new library was completed in August 1961, and City Hall found a home in an existing
building at North Main Street and Astrid Drive in 1962. Pleasant Hill developed rapidly to meet a
growing population in the 1960s and several new commercial buildings were constructed in the general
vicinity of the subject property. These new developments included a shopping center between Monument
Boulevard and Gregory Lane (1958-1961), the new Contra Costa Shopping Center (1962), and several
other grocery, retail, and restaurant establishments.6
With the recognition of the need for long-range planning in the 1960s, the city developed the 1974
Pleasant Hill Commons Redevelopment Plan for the area around Contra Costa and Monument
3
4
5
6
Ibid, 6-8.
Adam P. Nilsen, Pleasant Hill, (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2007), 79.
Ibid.
ibid, 79-101.
5
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
Boulevards. This effort culminated in the establishment of a new downtown for the community in 2000.
Several buildings in the old downtown were demolished in 1998 to accommodate this new development. 7
ORIGINS OF THE AMERICAN MOVIE THEATER
In April 2006, Andrew Murray and Katie Tom of the Office of the Legislative Analyst, Board of
Supervisors, City and County of San Francisco, completed a draft study on movie theater development,
which addressed both national and local trends. This context provides a good overview of movie theater
development through the immediate post World War II period. Relevant portions of the context statement
document are quoted below:
‘Traditional’ theater (also referred to as ‘legitimate’ or ‘serious’ theater), including drama, opera,
and concerts, has a history spanning millennia. During the 1800s, traditional theaters became
important fixtures of town centers throughout the country, supported by population growth,
westward expansion, and rising incomes…Vaudeville acts traveled the country and exhibited in
venues owned or rented by the theater company. Managers of vaudeville shows and other
amusements were continually seeking new novelties.
The 1890s saw the birth or maturation of many scientific discoveries that would revolutionize
economic and social life, including electricity, the street car, the telephone, the automobile, the
typewriter, and the phonograph. One additional revolutionary discovery was the moving picture.
The Kinetoscope, a device invented in association with Thomas Edison, allowed patrons to view
moving pictures, which Edison had produced, in a box through a peephole. Debuting in New
York in 1894 at a phonograph parlor, the enterprise was immediately successful, with the
machines soon thereafter featured at fairs and in traveling shows. The movies were ‘shorts,’
lasting only a few minutes with stock actors portraying a single scene or event (‘actualities’), such
as people and horses walking. Although audiences soon tired of the simplicity of the content and
patronage quickly declined, the power of the form of entertainment had been demonstrated.
In 1896, the Vitascope, a motion picture projector, premiered at a music hall in New York. By the
end of 1896, many vaudeville companies were displaying motion pictures between regular acts.
This form of entertainment became sufficiently popular in some areas that buildings dedicated to
movie viewing were required. The first movie theaters were created by modifying existing
buildings, either retail storefronts or vaudeville theaters.
A number of factors fed into the emergence of movies as the most widespread form of popular
entertainment. Vaudeville, the most popular form of mass entertainment at the turn of the century,
was experiencing challenges. Vaudeville actors went on strike in 1901 to protest perceived abuses
by theater company owners. Although the strike ended soon after it began, it provided an
opportunity for motion pictures to become feature entertainment, as many vaudeville theater
owners began showing movies full time to keep their doors open. This allowed motion pictures to
gain a toehold relative to established forms of entertainment in America long before it gained one
in Europe, and helped establish the United States as the film capital of the world.
Although vaudeville producers did not initially think motion pictures would threaten or supplant
live entertainment, and therefore were willing to show them on a limited basis, by 1910 motion
7
Ibid, 115.
6
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
pictures were indeed gaining hold. Some live theaters were incorporating motion pictures as a
normal part of their presentation (in special venues referred to as ‘combination houses’). Other
live theaters were being converted to motion picture theaters.
In 1905, a new twist was added to motion picture exhibition. Two theater owners in Pittsburgh,
including Harry Davis, a wealthy vaudeville theater owner, began showing movies continuously
throughout the day from 8 AM until midnight in their storefront theater, a converted storeroom.
Charging a low admission price of five cents, enabled by the multiple screenings per day, they
called the new format ‘nickelodeon’ because a person could see an entire program of films, which
lasted ten to thirty minutes, for a nickel. By 1906, large vaudeville organizations, including the
Keith theaters, began converting their venues into ‘nickel’ motion picture houses, and by 1908
there were an estimated eight thousand theaters located on side streets throughout America,
showing programs that lasted up to one hour. In addition to their popularity (creating a ‘nickel
craze’), and hence sizable revenues, nickelodeons were a profitable format because they were
very economical to operate.
Nickelodeons flourished economically, then disappeared quite quickly, unable to keep up with a
new grand, luxurious style of theater, the movie palaces built in the mid 1910s and 1920s, which
outclassed nickelodeons. A confluence of many factors led to the creation of the movie palace.
Increasing affluence and the country’s emergence from World War I as a world power created an
appetite for more luxurious goods, so tastes migrated away from storefront theaters. Also,
customer expectations were elevated by an earlier transition in vaudeville to luxurious vaudeville
theater palaces. Many of the vaudeville palaces were eventually converted to motion picture
theaters, creating luxurious motion picture theaters by happenstance.
The first movie palaces opened in 1913 and 1914 in New York, the Strand, Vitagraph, and
Regent, which was modeled after the Doge’s Palace in Venice…Palaces grew to feature a host of
luxurious appointments and services, including uniformed staff, house symphony orchestras,
lounges, and printed programs. Although higher quality, feature-length productions led to higher
ticket prices (and reserved seats, scheduled showings, and longer runs), patrons felt compensated
with better quality and additional services. And, at just ten to twenty five cents per show, movie
palaces continued the inclusive and democratic tradition of the movie industry, allowing access
by the middle class to services that had previously been out of reach, only known in fine hotels
and clubs.
With their new allure, and with motion pictures having achieved some degree of respectability,
movie palaces expanded into downtown areas formerly reserved for office buildings and
traditional theater. Star, marquee theaters emerged in the 1910s and 1920s, along with movie
stars. Their profitability allowed designers sizable budgets to get creative. In the 1910s and 1920s
motion pictures were fantastic, silent adventures and romances, often set in imaginary lands.
Movie palaces were equally exotic and romantic. Theater designers began to design specifically
to the customer experience. Whereas traditional theaters were designed around the stage and
backstage production areas, the new ones were designed around the projection booth, and more
importantly, the audience, which could consume a greater share of space.
7
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
The ‘Roaring 20s’ were filled with feelings of egalitarianism, immediacy, and freedom. Mass
culture arrived in force, shaped by mass production, mass consumption, and mass media. Motion
pictures with sound were introduced in 1926, and ’talkies’ in 1927. By the 1930s, movie sound
supplanted the need for any live music, so theater design requirements changed. This was the end
of the era of theaters that combined live and film entertainment.
The air of exuberance ended abruptly with the Great Depression. The changing economic picture
impacted the motion picture industry like all others. American cinema attendance dropped by
56% from 1928 - 1933, construction slowed, and designs generally became more modest. But, by
1934 things were already beginning to rebound. Weekly attendance increased to 70 million per
week, and movies remained the number one source of entertainment throughout the Depression
and World War II, with many people attending the movies two or three times per week. Out of a
total U.S. population of 130 million, it is estimated that 55 to 60 million Americans went to the
movies every week. In 1946, 90 million people per week viewed movies, an average of 33
performances per person per year, fueled by messages of romance and patriotism. (By 2005, that
number had dwindled to just 5.)
Due to changing preferences and the influence of television, overall attendance at movie theaters
began to fall in 1949, never again to reach the popularity of earlier eras. Movie production slowed
to an all-time low in the early 1950s, due to indecision regarding technological changes and
movie studios cutting back on production, choosing instead to focus on big budget films that they
felt would fare well against the television. The disbanding of studio-owned theaters and
suburbanization also played a role.8
The American movie-going experience was characterized by several distinct trends in the early 1960s.
One of these trends, seen in the Bay Area and in communities across the nation, was the construction of
movie theatres in or adjacent to suburban shopping centers.9 Suburban expansion and population growth
in post World War II America created a need for new and convenient retail establishments, and by 1964
there were 7,600 shopping centers in the United States.10 In an effort to follow its audience, the film
industry collaborated with the broader retail sales industry, just as the predominance of the shopping mall
was expanding. Movie theaters
soon began appearing near – and often inside – these new shopping centers.11
Drive-in movie theaters had also increased significantly in popularity by the early 1960s; by 1963 “the
total number of drive-ins…topped 3,500, a little over one-quarter of all American theatres…It was into
this context--the increasing spread of the suburban shopping-center theatre…that another exhibition trend
8
Andrew Murray and Katie Tom, Office of the Legislative Analyst, Board of Supervisors, City and County of
San Francisco, San Francisco Neighborhood Movie Theater Non-Contiguous Multiple Property Historic
District Context Statement, 27 April 2006 – Discussion Draft.
9
Christofer Meissner, “A Revolutionary Concept in Screen Entertainment: The Emergence of the Twin
Movie Theatre, 1962-1964,” Post Script, 30.3 (Summer 2011), p.64.
10
“A Brief History of Shopping Centers” (June 2000), International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
website (accessed January 2013).
11
Kevin J. Corbett. “The Big Picture: Theatrical Moviegoing, Digital Television, and Beyond the Substitution
Effect,” Cinema Journal, Vol. 40, No. 3 (Winter 2001), pp.17-34 (page 26).
8
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
began to emerge in 1962: the twin movie theatre.”12 According to author Christofer Meissner:
…the twin movie theatre trend was one in which an individual theatre with a single identity and
usually with shared box office, entrance, lobby, and amenities such as restrooms and concession
stand, had two separate auditoriums for exhibiting movies. The phenomenon of multiple
auditoriums in a single movie theatre complex (now known more commonly as a ‘multiplex’)
became the mainstream of American film exhibition by the 1970s, but the practice was a novel
one in 1962, one that trade publication Boxoffice in February of that year called ‘a revolutionary
concept in screen entertainment.’13
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, the popularity of cable TV and VCRs in the home threatened to
dominate the industry and lead to the demise of the movie theater as an entertainment destination.
However, a renewed interest in theatrical moviegoing came about in spite of the widespread use of new
home technologies and by the “mid-1980s…so many people were going to movie theaters that the film
industry’s profits were higher than they had been since the mid-1940s.”14 With increased attendance at
American movie theaters, new theater chains developed and, “in an attempt to restore the escapist fantasy
and glamour element to the theatrical moviegoing experience…[these new chains] built theaters that were
bigger, brighter, cleaner, and better decorated” than earlier versions of the multiplex.15 This trend
accelerated in the mid 1990s as “new ‘megaplexes’ – cinemas with eighteen, twenty-four, and even thirty
screens were constructed.”16 Stadium seating and elaborate concession stands with more upscale food
options also emerged in the 1990s and this type of megaplex continues to dominate the new theater
market today.
THE DOME THEATER
Century Theaters opened the 895-seat Century 21 Theater at Pleasant Hill on February 21, 1967 with a
screening of Doctor Zhivago.17 A champagne reception for some 900 guests was held on February 27 to
celebrate the new theater, built to compliment the mall shops of the Contra Costa Shopping Center. 18 The
theater was one of several non-geodesic domed theatres designed for Raymond Syufy of Syufy
Enterprises (later Century theaters) by San Francisco architect Vincent G. Raney. Syufy erected several
domed theatres in many western cities from the 1960s through the mid 1980s, and Raney designed all of
the Syufy Century theaters through the early 1990s.
Montgomery Ward’s opened on Monument Boulevard, just east of Highway 680, in 1962. It was the first
component of the new Contra Costa Shopping Centre, which would offer, “one-stop-shopping in
comfort” to residents of Pleasant Hill and beyond19 In a Contra Costa Times article about the opening,
12
Meissner, “A Revolutionary Concept in Screen Entertainment: The Emergence of the Twin Movie Theatre,
1962-1964.”
13
Ibid.
14
Kevin J. Corbett. “The Big Picture: Theatrical Moviegoing, Digital Television, and Beyond the Substitution
Effect.”
15
Ibid.
16
Ibid.
17
“Gala Premiere Tonight at 8:30pm,” Oakland Tribune, 21 February 1967.
18
Adam P. Nilsen, Pleasant Hill, (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2007), 98.
19
As quoted in Adam P. Nilsen, Pleasant Hill, 86.
9
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
Mayor Lenard Grote declared that the new store “signaled Pleasant Hill’s graduation from a bedroom
community.”20 A 1962 Oakland Tribune article noted that “other stores opening around the novel airconditioned pedestrian mall include[d] Mode O’Day,
Figure 2. Oakland Tribune listing for the opening gala, February 21, 1967.
Watkins Shoes, beauty and barbershops and a coin operated dry cleaner.”21 Chick’s Donut Shop, Citizen’s
Federal Savings and Loan, Mayfair Market, Bond’s Clothing, Thrifty Drugs, and Bank of America would
also soon be tenants of the new shopping center.22
20
21
22
Ibid.
“New Ward Store Opening Scheduled for Tomorrow,” Oakland Tribune, 3 October 1962, p. 16E.
Ibid.
10
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
Drawings were completed by Raney’s office in 1973 for a new four-theater addition to the east side of the
original dome theater. Completed in 1974, this addition also added a new lobby with concessions and a
secondary entrance with adjacent box office. The name changed from Century 21 to Century 5 with the
completion of the additional theaters.
Upon opening, and for several years after, the theater screened old and new Hollywood features including
The Sound of Music, Jaws, The Godfather II, Apocalypse Now, and The Shining.
The theater was formally known as the Century 5 Pleasant Hill from 1974 until 2003, when Century
Theatres transferred the five-screen facility to its growing art theater franchise, CineArts.23 The anchor
Montgomery Ward’s store closed in 2000 and most of the original 1960s shopping center has been
modernized in recent years.
In 2003, SyWest and ICI Development were competing to develop the 20-acre Contra Costa Shopping
Center. SyWest currently owns the remaining portions of the original Contra Costa Shopping Center
(Bally’s and the CineArts theater).
Property Development – Construction Chronology
7 January 1967
Date of initial theater construction plans
January 1967
Pleasant Hill Century 21 Theater (subject
property) under construction
21 February 1967
Gala Premiere of Dr. Zhivago and grand
opening of Pleasant Hill Century 21 Theater
1974
1986 and 1993
24 October 1996
Exact date unknown
Addition of four theaters to east side of
subject property. Name changes to Century
5.
Lobby alterations including change in lobby
flooring, concession counters, fixtures and
other improvements related to ongoing
maintenance and ADA upgrades
Minor interior remodel: new carpet and
paint, and other minor alterations
Full replacement theater seating; removal
and replacement of original curved screen in
main auditorium; new wall finishes in lobby;
alterations to projection windows in main
auditorium projection booth; new
composition shingle roof
23
Laura Linden, “Pleasant Hill's movie Dome having cinematic last hurrah,” SF Gate online at:
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/THE-ARTS-Pleasant-Hill-s-movie-Dome-having-2557501.php
(accessed January 2013).
11
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
Raymond Syufy and Century Theaters
The following historical background information is quoted from on online resource offering historical
profiles and corporate histories:
Raymond Syufy was born near the end of the First World War into a family of Lebanese
immigrants in Sacramento, California. Growing up in nearby Berkeley, he worked at his parents'
grocery store and later attended college and law school. While there, he worked nights at a movie
theater to help support himself. In 1940, at the age of 23, Syufy took charge of his own theater,
the Rita in Vallejo, California.
The theater business at this time was firmly in the grip of the major film producers such as
Paramount, Loew's, Inc. (MGM), and RKO, who controlled the top product offered to exhibitors.
They often kept the best first-run films away from independent operators, exclusively showing
them in the chains of theaters that they owned, and the U.S. Justice Department had been trying
since the late 1930s to force them to open their product to others. Independent exhibitors were
also in on the fight, forming trade associations and initiating lawsuits against the majors.
Raymond Syufy, with his legal background, was perfectly suited to take up this cause, and he did
starting in the late 1940s. A major battle for independents was won in 1949 when the Supreme
Court ordered RKO and Paramount to sell off many of their theaters and separate their chains
from the production and distribution ends of their companies. In 1950 the ruling was extended to
Warner Brothers, Loew's, and Twentieth Century Fox. Rules also were enacted to prevent
shareholders in the production/distribution businesses from gaining control over the divested
theater chains.
This legal settlement enabled independent theater operators like Raymond Syufy to improve their
film offerings dramatically, and the company expanded during the 1950s and 1960s, opening
additional theaters as well as many drive-ins. Syufy's circuit gradually moved outward from
California to Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. The company's buildings gained a
reputation for interesting architecture, with a number of its indoor theaters featuring a domed
"igloo" design. In 1968 in San Jose, California the company opened its first theater to use socalled "stadium" seats, in which each succeeding row is positioned higher than the one in front,
allowing patrons an unobstructed view of the screen. By the end of the decade, Syufy Enterprises,
as the company was then known, owned more drive-ins than indoor screens and was in fact one
of the top drive-in chains in the world.
…By 1986 Syufy Enterprises had grown to some 267 screens (including drive-ins). The closely
held company did not reveal annual revenues or profits, but analysts estimated that Syufy was one
of the most profitable theater chains in the United States.
Also in the mid-1980s, Syufy expanded its holdings in the San Francisco area. The company's
headquarters had long been established there, and it had opened several multiplexes and drive-ins
in the Bay area over the years. In 1984, a new 8-plex was introduced, and the following year the
Mountain View ten-screen theater opened on the site of the former Syufy-owned Moffet Drive-in.
The Mountain View reportedly featured the largest theater lobby in the world. In 1986 Syufy
purchased the 650-seat Presidio single-screen theater, an art house. The company also was
continuing to open new theaters throughout its territory, such as the 12-screen Century Park 12 in
12
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
Tucson, which opened in 1989 on the former site of one of its drive-ins. By 1990, Syufy
Enterprises had 325 screens.
Raymond J. Syufy, the company's patriarch, passed away in the spring of 1995. His son,
Raymond W., had assumed the mantle of company CEO, and several of his siblings also worked
for the company. Syufy Enterprises gave way to the name Century Theatres, Inc. around this
time. In late 1995 Century announced plans to expand from its then-total of 476 to nearly 700
screens and, a few months later, changed the plan to ‘1,000 Screens by 2000.’24
Syufy Enterprises sold off its Century Theatres chain in 2006. SyWest is the development subsidiary of
Syufy Enterprises.
Vincent G. Raney
Architect Vincent Gerard Raney was born on October 17, 1905 in Loogootee, Indiana to Frank and Ruth
Ellen Raney. He earned an undergraduate degree in architectural engineering from the University of
Illinois, Champaign-Urbana in 1930 and by 1935 had established his own practice in San Francisco,
California.25 Before establishing his own business, Raney worked as a draftsman for H.G. Atherton in
Anderson, IN (1928), and for William I. Garren, Architect, and Masten & Hurd Architects in San
Francisco between 1930 and 1935.26 Raney made a name for himself in California as a gas station
designer for the Associated Oil Company in San Francisco, and his commissions for the company
included 600 service stations. His work as an architect also produced over 100 movie theaters, shopping
centers and commercial buildings, industrial and office buildings, churches, and schools.27
Raney designed several movie theaters in the western states over the course of his career including earlier
(c.1940s) single-screen neighborhood movie theaters and later (1950s through the 1980s) drive-ins and
suburban multiplexes. In the early 1960s, Raymond Syufy hired Raney for the design of a new dome
theater in suburban San Jose. Through Syufy’s connections with the people behind Cinerama in New
York, Raney was able to review already developed plans for a Cinerama dome theater. Raney then
designed the first Century dome for Raymond Syufy, loosely based on the design of New York’s
Cinerama.28
San Jose's Century 21 Theatre opened in 1964, the mothership in a series of Vincent Raneydesigned dome theaters that would grace the Bay Area roadside in the 1960s. Although the
Century 21 was originally designed for presenting films using the 3-strip Cinerama process,
24
“Century Theaters, Inc. History,” Funding University website at
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/century-theatres-inc-history/ (accessed January
2013).
25
Pacific Coast Architecture Database: Raney, Vincent at
https://digital.lib.washington.edu/architect/architects/4537/ (accessed January 20913).
26
Ibid.
27
“Raney, Vincent G.” on SF Gate at http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/RANEY-Vincent-G2885768.php#ixzz2HcvSLSaU (accessed January 2013).
28
“Century 21 Theater [San Jose]”, http://www.docomomo-noca.org/buildings/century-21-theatre/
(accessed January 2013).
13
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
movies were actually shown using 70mm film. The theater was built to operate, and continues to
function, as a one-screen venue, with accommodations for approximately 950 patrons.29
Since he was based in San Francisco, several of his theater designs were located in Northern California,
but Raney also designed theaters in Washington, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Hawaii and Southern
California.30
Raney designed all of the Syufy Century theaters from 1964 through the early 1990s, and used the form
of the dome in several of his earlier enclosed and drive-in theater designs. The dome as an architectural
form had become popularized in the late 1940s and early 1950s by a small group of individuals, the most
well known of which was R. Buckminster Fuller. Fuller’s work concentrated specifically on the geodesic
dome, which is defined by the Oxford Dictionaries online as: “a dome constructed of short struts
following geodesic lines and forming an open framework of triangles or polygons.”31 Through Raney’s
dome theaters were not designed using a geodesic dome, the dome in general was nevertheless a popular
and “futuristic” architectural form in the 1960s and 1970s and came to be a familiar characteristic in the
Syufy chain of suburban movie theaters.
Vincent Raney continued his architectural practice into the 1990s, and died at age 96 on December 31,
2001.
29
Ibid.
“Vincent G. Raney on Cinema Treasures at http://cinematreasures.org/architects/94 (accessed January
2013).
31
“Geodesic Dome,” Oxford dictionaries website at:
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/geodesic%2Bdome (accessed January 2013).
30
14
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
EVALUATION FRAMEWORK
THE CALIFORNIA REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
The California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) is the official list of properties, structures,
districts, and objects significant at the local, state, or national level. California Register properties must
have significance under one of the four following criteria and must retain enough of their historic
character or appearance to be recognizable as historical resources and convey the reasons for their
significance (i.e. retain integrity). The California Register utilizes the same seven aspects of integrity as
the National Register. Properties that are eligible for the National Register are automatically eligible for
the California Register. Properties that do not meet the threshold for the National Register may meet the
California Register criteria.
1. Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to broad patterns of local or
regional history, or cultural heritage of California or the United States;
2. Associated with the lives of persons important to the local, California or national history
3. Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a design-type, period, region, or method of
construction, or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic value; or
4. Yields important information about prehistory or history of the local area, California, or the
nation.
CRHR criteria are similar to National Register of Historic Places criteria, and are tied to CEQA, so any
resource that meets the above criteria, and retains a sufficient level of historic integrity, is considered an
historical resource under CEQA.
Integrity
When nominating a resource to the NRHP or CRHR, one must evaluate and clearly state the significance
of that resource to American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture. A resource may
be considered individually eligible for listing in the NRHP/CRHR if it meets one or more of the above
listed criteria for significance and it possesses historic integrity. Historic properties must retain sufficient
historic integrity to convey their significance. The National Register recognizes seven aspects or qualities
that define historic integrity:
• Location. The place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic
event occurred.
• Design. The combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of a
property.
• Setting. The physical environment of a historic property.
• Materials. The physical elements that were combined or deposited during a particular period of
time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form a historic property.
15
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
• Workmanship. The physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any
given period in history or prehistory.
• Feeling. A property’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time.
• Association. The direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property.
To retain historic integrity, a resource should possess several of the above-mentioned aspects. The
retention of specific aspects of integrity is essential for a resource to convey its significance. Comparisons
with similar properties should also be considered when evaluating integrity as it may be important in
deciding what physical features are essential to reflect the significance of a historic context.
CITY OF PLEASANT HILL
18.45.070 Criteria for establishment of historic districts and cultural resources designations
A. General criteria. In addition to the criteria for amendments to the zoning map established in PHMC
Chapter 18.125, the city council shall consider the following criteria in determining whether to adopt an
ordinance designating an “H” historic district or “CR” cultural resources:
1. The area, structures, or site possesses value as a visible reminder of the cultural heritage of the
city.
2. The area, structure, or site is identified with a person, group, or event that contributed
significantly to the cultural or historical development of the city.
3. Structures within the area exemplify a particular architectural style or way of life important to
the city.
4. Structures within the area are the best remaining examples of an architectural style in a
neighborhood.
5. The area or its structures are identified as the work of a person or group whose work has
influenced the heritage of the city.
6. The area or its structures embody elements of outstanding attention to architectural or landscape
design, detail, materials, or craftsmanship.
7. The area is related to a designated historic or landmark building or district in such a way that its
preservation is essential to the integrity of the building or district.
8. Specific evidence exists that unique archaeological resources are present.
16
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
CRITERIA CONSIDERATION G: PROPERTIES THAT HAVE ACHIEVED SIGNIFICANCE
WITHIN THE PAST FIFTY YEARS
A property achieving significance within the past fifty years is eligible if it is of exceptional importance.
The National Register Criteria for Evaluation exclude properties that achieved significance within the past
fifty years unless they are of exceptional importance. Fifty years is a general estimate of the time needed
to develop historical perspective and to evaluate significance. This consideration guards against the listing
of properties of passing contemporary interest and ensures that the National Register is a list of truly
historic places.
Examples of Properties that MUST Meet Criteria Consideration G: Properties that Have Achieved
Significance Within the Past Fifty Years
• A property that is less than fifty years old.
• A property that continues to achieve significance into a period less than fifty years before the
nomination.
• A property that has non-contiguous Periods of Significance, one of which is less than fifty years
before the nomination.
• A property that is more than fifty years old and had no significance until a period less than fifty
years before the nomination.
Applying Criteria Consideration G: Properties That Have Achieved Significance Within The Last
Fifty Years: Eligibility for Exceptional Importance
The phrase "exceptional importance" may be applied to the extraordinary importance of an event or to an
entire category of resources so fragile that survivors of any age are unusual. Properties listed that had
attained significance in less than fifty years include: the launch pad at Cape Canaveral from which men
first traveled to the moon, the home of nationally prominent playwright Eugene O'Neill, and the Chrysler
Building (New York) significant as the epitome of the "Style Moderne" architecture.
Properties less than fifty years old that qualify as exceptional because the entire category of resources is
fragile include a recent example of a traditional sailing canoe in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands,
where because of rapid deterioration of materials, no working Micronesian canoes exist that are more than
twenty years old. Properties that by their nature can last more than fifty years cannot be considered
exceptionally important because of the fragility of the class of resources.
Historical Perspective
A property that has achieved significance within the past fifty years can be evaluated only when sufficient
historical perspective exists to determine that the property is exceptionally important. The necessary
perspective can be provided by scholarly research and evaluation, and must consider both the historic
context and the specific property's role in that context.
In many communities, properties such as apartment buildings built in the 1950s cannot be evaluated
because there is no scholarly research available to provide an overview of the nature, role, and impact of
that building type within the context of historical and architectural developments of the 1950s.
17
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
Comparison with Related Properties
In justifying exceptional importance, it is necessary to identify other properties within the geographical
area that reflect the same significance or historic associations and to determine which properties best
represent the historic context in question. Several properties in the area could become eligible with the
passage of time, but few will qualify now as exceptionally important.
Post-World War II Properties
Properties associated with the post-World War II era must be identified and evaluated to determine which
ones in an area could be judged exceptionally important. For example, a public housing complex may be
eligible as an outstanding expression of the nation's post-war urban policy. A miliatry installation could
be judged exceptionally important because of its contribution to the Cold War arms race. A church
building in a Southern city may have served as a pivotal rallying point for the city's most famous civil
rights protest. A post-war suburban subdivision may be the best reflection of contemporary siting and
design tenants in a metropolitan area. In each case, the nomination preparer must justify the exceptional
importance of the property relative to similar properties in the area.
18
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
FINDINGS
CALIFORNIA REGISTER OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES
This section uses the historic information discussed above to evaluate the Dome Theater (Cine Arts at
Pleasant Hill) for historic significance. The CRHR uses generally the same guidelines as the NRHP
(developed by the National Park Service); as such, selected language from those guidelines will be quoted
below to help clarify the evaluation discussion.
To be potentially eligible for individual listing on the CRHR, a structure must usually be more than 50
years old, must have historic significance, and must retain its physical integrity. The subject building was
constructed in 1967 (currently 46 years old) and therefore does not meet the age requirement. Because the
property is less than fifty years old, it will be evaluated below under Criterion G for exceptional
importance.
Criterion 1 (event)
As stated by the National Park Service (NPS), this criterion “recognizes properties associated with single
events, such as the founding of a town, or with a pattern of events, repeated activities, or historic trends,
such as the gradual rise of a port city's prominence in trade and commerce.”32 When considering a
property for significance under this criterion, the associated event or trends “must clearly be important
within the associated context: settlement, in the case of the town, or development of a maritime economy,
in the case of the port city…Moreover, the property must have an important association with the event or
historic trends”33
The Dome Theater was constructed at the south end of the Contra Costa Shopping Center in 1967. This
shopping center had been established with the construction of Montgomery Ward’s in 1962, one year
after the city’s incorporation. The 1960s was a time of rapid development for Pleasant Hill’s commercial
centers, as the new city attempted to meet the needs of an increasing residential population. Though the
Dome Theater was built during this time of expansion, research does not show that the theater is
exceptionally significant for its individual role in the commercial development of Pleasant Hill during this
time of modern growth. As such, the theater does not appear to exhibit a level of significance that would
warrant listing at the state level under this criterion.
In the post-World War II expansion of suburban communities, retail developers nationwide established
shopping centers (strip malls and enclosed shopping centers) outside of urban centers. This reflected an
effort on the part of the retail industry to “bring the city into the country,” and provide convenient access
to prominent retail establishments for those that no longer wanted to travel into city centers to shop.
Similarly, the film industry also followed its market and established several multiplex movie theaters in
or adjacent to suburban shopping centers in the 1960s and 1970s. Though the Dome Theater at Pleasant
Hill is associated with this pattern of development, it was not the first or last of its type to be constructed,
nor does research indicate that this particular shopping center/ theater combination influenced the
construction of similar facilities in different or nearby communities. Therefore, the subject property does
32
National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, online at
http://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15_6.htm
33
Ibid.
19
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
not appear to exhibit a significant, or exceptional, level of significance for association with a pattern of
suburban shopping center/movie theater development in the 1960s. Further, the original 1962 Contra
Costa Shopping Center has been significantly altered and no longer retains a sufficient level of integrity
to represent this context or style type.
For the reasons discussed above, the Dome Theater does not appear eligible for listing on the CRHR as an
exceptionally significant resource under this criterion.
Criterion 2 (person)
This criterion applies to properties associated with individuals whose specific contributions to history can
be identified and documented. The NPS defines significant persons as “individuals whose activities are
demonstrably important within a local, state, or national historic context. The criterion is generally
restricted to those properties that illustrate (rather than commemorate) a person's important achievements.
The persons associated with the property must be individually significant within a historic context.” The
NPS also specifies that these properties “are usually those associated with a person's productive life,
reflecting the time period when he or she achieved significance.”34
While prominent theater developer Raymond Syufy built the theater, it was one of dozens of theaters
constructed by his company and it does not, in and of itself, appear to illustrate his primary achievements.
Arguably, Raymond Syufy’s most notable achievement was his triumph over the major film producers in
1949 and 1950, a victory that greatly expanded his independent business in theater development in the
1950s, the 1960s and beyond. The Dome Theater was part of his company’s expansion, but does not
appear to be an exceptional representation of Syufy’s significance.
For the reasons discussed above, the Dome Theater does not appear eligible for listing on the CRHR as an
exceptionally significant resource under this criterion.
Criterion 3 (design/construction)
Under this criterion, properties may be eligible if they “embody the distinctive characteristics of a type,
period, or method of construction, …represent the work of a master, …possess high artistic values,
or…represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual
distinction.”35
The subject property was one of many domed movie theaters designed by Vincent Raney for Syufy
Enterprises in the 1960s through the 1980s. Raney had a long and prolific career designing a variety of
building types including service stations, office buildings, and commercial buildings in addition to movie
theaters. Though he designed hundreds of buildings, many of which are notable examples of design, a full
understanding of the breadth and significance of his work has yet to be developed as his productive career
spanned into the 1990s. Though his body of work may receive more academic attention as his buildings
reach the 50 year mark, Raney has not yet been recognized as a “figure of generally recognized greatness”
in his field, and therefore the subject property does not appear to be exceptionally significant as the work
of a master.
34
35
National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation.
Ibid.
20
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
A structure is eligible “as a specimen of its type or period of construction if it is an important example
(within its context) of building practices of a particular time in history.” The subject property is less than
50 years old, and while the domed movie theater is a locally distinctive and recognizable building,
sufficient time has not passed to determine the significance of this style type within the context of
architectural history. According to Criteria Consideration G: a property under 50 years of age “can be
evaluated only when sufficient historical perspective exists to determine that the property is exceptionally
important. The necessary perspective can be provided by scholarly research and evaluation, and must
consider both the historic context and the specific property's role in that context.” Though some
preliminary study and recognition of these domed theaters as notable works of architecture exists, the
information available is not adequate to justify listing at the state level for exceptional significance under
Criterion 3.
When evaluating potential historic resources under Criteria Consideration G, “it is necessary to identify
other properties within the geographical area that reflect the same significance or historic associations and
to determine which properties best represent the historic context in question.” Comparative analysis of
similar properties in the Bay Area and immediate surroundings indicates that many of Raney’s domed
theaters have closed, and in some cases have been demolished, in recent years. However, a small number
are still extant, including the Dome Theater at Pleasant Hill. Research suggests that the most important
cluster of these theaters is located near the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. This grouping of five
Century theaters are generally intact, most are in active use, and the Century 21 dome among the cluster
was the flagship theater built by the Raney/Syufy partnership. Because more significant examples exist in
the Bay Area, and the subject property is not the first or the last of these theaters in the region, exceptional
importance of the subject property is not justified.
For the reasons discussed above, the Dome Theater does not appear eligible for listing on the CRHR as an
exceptionally significant resource under this criterion.
Criterion 4 (information potential)
Criterion 4 applies to archaeological resources and consequently is not evaluated in this report.
INTEGRITY EVALUATION
Evaluation of potential historic resources is a two-part process. A property must meet one or more of the
criteria for significance, and possesses historic integrity. Since the Dome Theater was not found to display
a level of exceptional significance necessary for listing on the CRHR, and evaluation of the building’s
integrity is unnecessary. However, the building does retain a good level of integrity of design, location,
association, feeling, and materials to be considered for listing at the local level.
CITY OF PLEASANT HILL
Though properties may not exhibit a level of significance warranted for listing on the NRHP or the
CRHR, local criteria often present a broader range of options to allow for recognition of notable
properties at the local level. The City of Pleasant Hill has established a set of criteria for the establishment
of historic districts and cultural resource designations. The criteria does not outline protocols for the
evaluation of properties under 50 years of age; as such, the following evaluation uses the most applicable
criteria presented in the municipal code and does not consider age as a factor for eligibility.
21
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
While the subject property does not appear eligible for listing at the state level for exceptional
significance, it does exhibit a level of local significance within the community of Pleasant Hill. As
discussed above, the 1960s was a period of rapid expansion for Pleasant Hill, and the Dome Theater was
one of many structures completed during that decade to serve the modern needs of the growing suburban
community. Research indicates that the Dome Theater was Pleasant Hill’s first movie theater, and also
that it was the first domed theater along the 680 corridor. Further, in a community that has seen a large
number of its early (1950s-1960s) commercial buildings demolished in recent years, the subject property
is one of a decreasing number of buildings that represents the period of development that established
Pleasant Hill as a city.
Research also showed that the Dome Theater in Pleasant Hill is the only operational Raney/Syufy domed
theater remaining in East Bay. Others, such as those in Fremont and Newark, have recently been closed or
demolished. Though the architectural and cultural significance of these domed theaters has yet to be fully
understood, these designs did become recognizable at a local and possibly regional level as a trademark of
Syufy Enterprises design.
The Dome Theater is associated with an important period of development in Pleasant Hill’s history, and is
one of a diminishing number of buildings that serve as visible reminders of that period. With few
alterations, the functioning theater is also the best remaining example of the distinctive domed movie
theater building type in the East Bay. For these reasons, the Dome Theater at Pleasant Hill appears
potentially eligible for local listing.
CONCLUSION
In summary, the Dome Theater at Pleasant Hill does not appear to exhibit the level of exceptional
significance necessary to warrant listing on the California Register of Historic Places at this time.
However, the theater retains a good degree of physical integrity and does appear potentially eligible for
listing as a cultural resource at the local level.
22
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
REFERENCES
“A Brief History of Shopping Centers” (June 2000), International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
website (accessed January 2013).
Corbett, Kevin J. “The Big Picture: Theatrical Moviegoing, Digital Television, and Beyond the
Substitution Effect,” Cinema Journal, Vol. 40, No. 3 (Winter 2001), pp.17-34.
Doordan, Dennis P. Twentieth-Century Architecture. New York: Harry Abrams, 2002.
Jacobus, John. Twentieth-Century Architecture: The Middle Years, 1940-65. New York: Praeger, 1966.
Jencks, Charles A. The Language of Post-Modern Architecture. New York: Rizzoli, 1977.
---- Late-Modern Architecture and Other Essays. New York: Rizzoli, 1980.
McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf,
2002.
Margolies, John and Emily Gwathmey. Ticket to Paradise: American Movie Theaters and How We Had
Fun. Boston: Little Brown, 1991.
Meissner, Christofer. “A Revolutionary Concept in Screen Entertainment: The Emergence of the Twin
Movie Theatre, 1962-1964,” Post Script, 30.3 (Summer 2011).
Murray, Andrew and Katie Tom. San Francisco Neighborhood Movie Theater Non-Contiguous Multiple
Property Historic District Context Statement [Discussion Draft]. Office of the Legislative Analyst, Board
of Supervisors, City and County of San Francisco, 27 April 2006.
National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, online at
http://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15_6.htm
Naylor, David. A National Trust Guide: Great American Movie Theaters. Washington DC: The
Preservation Press, 1987.
Nilsen, Adam P. Pleasant Hill. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2007.
Putnam, Michael. Silent Screens: The Decline and Transformation of the American Movie Theater.
Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 1999.
Sklar, Robert. Silent Screens. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000.
Valentine, Melanie. The Show Starts on the Sidewalk. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994.
23
DOME THEATER
Final Historic Resource Evaluation
1 February 2013
Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture since 1780: A Guide to the Styles, rev. ed. Cambridge, Mass.:
MIT Press, 1992.
24
APPENDIX A: CURRENT PHOTOGRAPHS
All photographs by Garavaglia Architecture, Inc., 9 January 2013, unless otherwise
noted.
Dome theater, looking east.
New development north of theater.
Former Bally’s Fitness space to south of theater.
East theater annex with dome in background.
Southern retail space – former arcade.
Northern retail space – The Loaded Hog tavern.
Former mall entrance.
Remnant of former mall, yellow line leads to annex lobby of theater.
Mall entrance to theater annex, ticket booth in lower right corner.
South lobby entrance to main auditorium.
Main lobby.
Concession area in main lobby.
North lobby entrance to main auditorium.
Seats in main auditorium.
Interior shot of dome in main auditorium (photo by WSA Associates, Inc.,
January 2004.
Annex lobby, looking north.
APPENDIX B: HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS
Theater under construction, January 1967 (photo from Pleasant Hill by Adam Nilsen,
Arcadia Publishing, 2007).
Early signage, no longer extant (photo from Pleasant Hill by Adam Nilsen, Arcadia
Publishing, 2007).
Dome theater, 1976 (Photo courtesy of SyWest Development).
Dome theater, 1996 (Photo courtesy of SyWest Development).
Dome theater, 2004 (Photo courtesy of SyWest Development).