Pittsburg's California Theatre Receives $1 Million Toward Renovation Project

Pittsburg's historic California Theatre has received a $1 million donation to use toward expanding its capacity, East Bay Times reports.

The Pittsburg City Council accepted the John H. and Regina K. Scully Foundation grant to the Pittsburg Arts and Community Foundation.

"It's not every day that a community gets a $1 million donation," City Manager Garrett Evans told the council. "The John and Regina Scully Foundation will go down in history of this community for its giving spirit."

Pittsburg Arts and Community Foundation manager Janis Glover said the foundation money will be used to add 150 seats, expanding the theater's capacity to almost 500. It also will pay to reinforce the balcony; update lighting, sound and electrical systems; add flooring and railings; and improve accessibility with a vertical platform lift.

"This was quite exciting for us - it's still surreal," she said. "In order for us to really bring larger acts to the theater, 500 seats is a good number. That definitely is going to be a plus for the foundation when trying to bring good quality entertainment to the theater."

Read more on East Bay Times.

Built by Sylvester and Salvatore Enea, the California Theatre opened in 1920 as a premiere venue for live vaudeville performances and silent films. The elegant theater was designed by architect A.W. Cornelius, who designed other grand theaters in San Francisco and throughout California, including the California Theatre in Richmond and the Fox Theater in Salinas.