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Pleasanton Unified School District officials have confirmed they’re leaning toward fully demolishing the Amador Theater in the next two to three years, setting the stage for the final curtain to fall just before its centennial to make way for a modernized replacement.
In the agenda report for Thursday’s school board meeting, where the trustees will consider repurchasing the theater from the city of Pleasanton for $100, district staff provided a glimpse into the future of the deteriorating venue. The concept with Measure I passing in November 2022 has always been to bring a new performing arts building to Amador Valley High School, but the fate of the Amador Theater that dates back to 1932 had not been expressly voted on.
“The City and District are actively working on the details of the transfer. We expect to operate this facility for the next 2-3 years before it is demolished to make room for the replacement facility,” Carolyn Calderan, PUSD administrative assistant in business services, wrote in the staff report to the board.
Demolition with full rebuild is currently the “leading direction” district staff and committee members are working with for the theater at Amador Valley High, but specific plans have not been finalized by the Board of Trustees yet, PUSD director of communication Patrick Gannon told the Pleasanton Weekly on Friday after the agenda packet was released.
A key talking point during the Measure I review process two years ago was whether to renovate the Amador Theater, fully remove it or consider some middleground approach — with district officials noting at the time that renovation would be too expensive given factors such as the building’s condition, modern legal requirements and a lack of clarity on the original building plans.
Measure I initially earmarked an estimated $35 million toward the replacement of the performing arts theater at Amador with expanded use for educational space. But the specifics of what that would look like were not decided then — and design plans haven’t come to the board yet.
Thursday’s agenda brings the concept more into view, although the focus of the discussion, as written in the staff report, would be on the transfer agreement with the city as the necessary first step.
PUSD conveyed the Amador Theater to the city in 1988, a time when the city did not yet have a theater and the district could no longer handle facility maintenance and operations on its own. The terms of the 50-year deal included an option for the district to repurchase the property for $100, according to Calderan.
The city — which now has the Firehouse Arts Center for its theater needs — and the district are working toward executing a transfer agreement to go into effect on Sept. 1. “Amador Valley High School will immediately benefit from gaining access to the facility for daily use, especially in light of the small gym’s closure due to fire damage,” Calderan wrote.
In addition to the $100, the district will be taking on the full maintenance and operations costs, which the city estimates at $67,000 annually, according to Calderan.
District staff recommends the school board approve the agreement at its upcoming regular meeting, set for 5 p.m. Thursday (Aug. 22) at PUSD headquarters.
