Attention on deck. In the 1990s, Edwards Cinemas attempted a full-scale scorched earth policy to flatten the Fremont Theater for a multiplex. Thanks to a massive public outcry, the enemy was forced to retreat. They compromised by building a 3-screen Mission Cinemas next door to keep the old structure on life support. Today, the theater remains a Streamline Moderne landmark in San Luis Obispo, California.
Historical records show construction kicked off in 1940 under the orders of S. Charles Lee. The AO opened on May 29, 1942, housing 1,060 seats and hosting the West Coast premiere of This Above All. The opening was a high-intensity operation, raising nearly $750,000 in War Bonds. Child actor Jackie Cooper even took on the grueling duty of kissing every woman who dropped $100 on a bond during the event.
The venue has survived multiple musical infiltrations over the years, including Yes in 1996 and Lindsey Buckingham in 2012. Rob Rossi took sole command of the theater and the adjacent building in May 2017. Following a renovation to upgrade the sound system and clear space for dancing, the theater returned to service as a concert-only venue on September 1, 2017.
Though seating capacity was reduced to about 850 by 2012, the theater remains in the fight. It stands as a hardened survivor of both corporate greed and the inevitable passage of time. Mission accomplished.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Kyle McLonely
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