Can’t wait!
[via Carlos]
39 Responses to “Community meeting regarding the future of the New Mission Theater to take place INSIDE the New Mission Theater!!”
Allan Hough (7858)
Brittany Janis & Katie Cruz (104)
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Allan Hough (7858)Brittany Janis & Katie Cruz (104)
Fabulous! Looking forward to checking it out. Hopefully tickets won’t be insanely priced…
See if you can get a peek of the space up above the dome. It’s incredible.
Will we be discussing the 100 unit high end condos that will expedite the exodus of culture from the neighborhood?
No. We will not. But thanks for trolling.
Really? Because that seems the only part of this plan that needs to be stopped (and therefore discussed).
You’re talking about the future of the Giant Value. Gus Murad sold that off separately, it’s not part of this plan (although he once was trying to sell them together, he since split them). But if you want to complain to Alamo Drafthouse about their potential future neighbors, go for it. It will give them an idea of what kind of local politics they’re diving into.
Oh! Is that true? My understanding was that this was being represented as a package deal by Murad… sort of a “Allow me to build this enormous block of luxury condos and I will agree to the Alamo Drafthousing of New Mission. If that’s not the case then I was confused, and I apologize.
so, wait… is this a meeting about the proposed condos? or Gus Murad? Or just like, what the wallpaper is gonna look like and stuff like that? Or…? details please.
Is this the proper venue to talk about how bad an idea the enormous tower-of-condos is, and how good an idea restoring the New Mission is?
The condos/drafthouse deal ARE a package deal insofar as the condo development cannot happen if something useful isn’t done with the New Mission. So even though they are two separate projects, the condos can’t happen without the theatre … however I dunno if the theatre can happen without the condos; that’d be fine by me. Though if they actually manage to sell the majority of those condos, I’d be surprised. You know that giant condo tower right next to the ramp up to the Bay Bridge? Not a ton of takers.
It seems like, as much as we would like to revive the abandoned theater, the condo development is bad for the Mission community, and in particular the disenfranchised, working class, and immigrant communities that have deep roots in the district would be negatively impacted by the further gentrification.
so support of the theater could aid in the condos going through.
Yeah, I am strongly in favor of the New Mission Theatre side, but also very strongly against inserting an enormous tower of 110 condos next to it. I’m not against any new development, though.. a 2 or 4 story building would fit into the neighborhood fine.
Thnx for providing this information on your website.
As an organization that has been a part of the Mission community for 20 years now the Clarion Alley Mural Project has been negatively impacted by the ongoing development in the name of profit (which has accelerated over the past 12 years) and is being proposed here. In 2000 we were evicted from our historic arts warehouse to make way for new condos; in 2006, we were evicted from our garage space (which we moved our supplies into following the warehouse eviction). Additionally many of our organizers have been evicted and displaced from the neighborhood due to the rising rents prompted by the neighborhood gentrification.
We would hate to see the New Mission Theater taken over by a Texas corporation chain (the Alamo Drafthouse) that would in essence be the equivalent of a hipster Foreign Cinema … and we would really hate to see Mission Street become the next Valencia Street with the addition of the Alamo and the 100+ condos.
As the above commenter expressed, the development is bad for the Mission community, and in particular the disenfranchised, working class, and immigrant communities that have deep roots in the district would be displaced by the further gentrification.
Clarion Alley Mural Project
I think you’re either confused about the Alamo Drafthouse or confused about Foreign Cinema (or both), because Alamo Drafthouse is not anything like Foreign Cinema. Foreign Cinema is a pretentious overpriced restaurant that happens to project movies on a wall. Alamo Drafthouse is a movie theatre that happens to sell food and drinks.
I lived in Austin for five years and I can assure you that the Alamo Drafthouse is not just another faceless corporate theater chain. It’s actually a small, independent business that is both successful and growing. Like another commenter said, this is not like a AMC moving into the neighborhood.
The Drafthouse staff works very hard to be a part of and work with the community. The Drafthouse hosts creative and vibrant events, brings incredible film resources to fans, distributes local and independent films, and has probably done more for the Austin film community than anyone in the last decade. The same thing can happen in SF.
And, their tickets prices have always been comparable, if not less, than other movie theaters. This will give us – for the first time in a long time – an option for affordably priced movies just a few blocks from home.
It will be a great resource for the neighborhood. I think this is absolutely a win for the Mission and I cannot wait for opening night.
Well said.
Hence the description “hipster Foreign Cinema” …
I think you’re confusing being a parasitic growth on the Mission community for 20 years with being “a part of the Mission community for 20 years”.
Could you please explain what you mean by insinuating the Clarion Alley Mural Project has been a “parasitic growth on the Mission community” for 20 years?
Well, Foreign Cinema is the hipster Foreign Cinema, really.
That’s true … the Alamo would be the neo hipster Foreign Cinema.
So anyplace that shows movies is necessarily “hipster” or is the fact that it shows movies and serves food/drink. Was the Parkway Pizza Pub a hipster hangout?
no, it’s the fact that it’s tied to a 100+ condo development coming from a corporate chain out of Texas that will further gentrify and displace what’s left of the working class, disenfranchised, and immigrant communities left in the Mission …
Well, I’m absolutely against the condo development, but I am very much in favor of the theatre refurbishment.
And, although Alamo Drafthouse is inarguably based in Texas, and, I suppose, is technically a “chain”, it is a chain with a grand total six locations. We’re not talking about Loews’ or AMC, here. They’re also a company that appears to have an established history of treating their employees well. I refuse to accept your argument that restoring an abandoned building into an operating theatre and venue is somehow a force for evil.
Can some one explain to me how new housing displaces people? Is somebody living in the Giant Value building? The fact is there is a housing shortage in the neighborhood, which drives up rent. More housing == less pressure on rents.
CAMP too is very much in favor of seeing the New Mission come back to life. However, we’d much rather see it utilized in a way that supports the full community – and especially the individuals and organizations who have long been established in the neighborhood and who have helped to create the community that has made the Mission District so desirable to outsiders.
Ideas that come to mind are projects/organizations like the theater company Campo Santo, which hasn’t really had a great presentation space since Intersection for the Arts had to leave the neighborhood; or Michelle Tea’s RADAR productions, or something like Youthspace, which was a project that developed out of Coleman Advocates in the early 2000′s as a space solely for and by youth, but which was never able to find a space … we need to support our local existing arts community that’s already struggling.
Finally, the neighborhood already has the best theaters with the most diverse and interesting programming in the city – the Roxie Theater (which has been in the Mission since 1909), ATA, and Oddball Film & Video. Do we really want to invest in a corporate chain from outside of the community – whose only interest is in making a profit and that could jeopardize the existence of our longstanding community theaters?
And in fact when the Alamo tried to move in and open a branch in Brooklyn, the development was shut down for these very reasons …
In solidarity and support of our local community,
CAMP
OR we can actually invite a business in that will make money and create new jobs for people in the community. Tim League, the owner of Alamo has as long love and relationship with the Bay Area. As has been mentioned previously, this isn’t a big, faceless corporation. It’s a privately owned business owned and operated by someone who grew up in the Bay Area.
Hear, hear.
I hope Clarion Alley Mural Project doesn’t open a second place of business, because if it does, I will consider it a corporation.
Hello,
I look forward to meeting with everyone and trying to clear up any misconceptions about our plans. I can tell you that 1) we never were anywhere close to opening a theater in Brooklyn, let alone getting shut down from community opposition and 2) we will be extremely open to working with the community and making the space available for all manner of events, fundraisers, community forums, etc. Anyhow, I can explain more in person at the event!
As CAMP has already stated, we’d love to see the New Mission Theater up and operating again; however, not at the expense of:
1. The disenfranchised, working class, and immigrant communities that have deep roots in the district would be displaced by the further gentrification;
2. Our already existing Mission community theaters (the Roxie, ATA, Oddball Film & Video), which provide the best film programming in San Francisco and which have long standing roots and investment in the community.
We’ve never been a supporter of trickle down economics, which has been the model that keeps being touted by those with money – “if we just invite these business in they will make money and create new jobs for people in the community” – as we’ve seen over the past 12 years – starting with the dotcom bomb, the impact has been a non-family-friendly environment that has turned the Valencia corridor into a big kegger with hordes of loud, drunken frat-like kids pouring out onto the streets nightly from the trendy upscale venues that have moved into the neighborhood. This is in addition to the numerous evictions that the development and gentrification of the neighborhood has caused.
We’d love to see other options that support the low-income children, youth, and families in the Mission and who need more venues that speak to their needs. A great recent model of a successful community space project – is Streetopia – http://streetopiasf.com/ – perhaps a project like this could move into the New Mission Theater!!!
Clarion Alley Mural Project will be organizing our own community meeting around the development of this space – and the direction of the Mission District. Please stay tuned for more details!
In solidarity and support of our community,
CAMP
For someone who hates the middle class as much as you do, you seem awfully determined to turn Clarion Alley into a popular tourist destination for them. And then there’s the hipster fashion shoots and edgy wedding photos and grade-school field trips and suburban faux-taggers and the “hordes of loud, drunken frat-like kids” who show up at the CAMP block party. Face it, you’re part of the problem that you see.
Just to set the record straight, CAMP is fully aware that the Alley has contributed to the cool/hip Mission image that has helped usher in the gentrification and displaced the very community that CAMP originally worked with/for – as well as CAMP itself – with the eviction of 47 Clarion and the eviction of the garage. Sadly, what began as a neighborhood project to transform the alley and showcase our local artists has not only become a hipster haven for fashion and wedding shoots, but because of our eviction from the alley due to developments such as what’s being proposed with the 100+ condos and New Mission, it’s much more of a challenge to address the grafitti problem.
We will continue to support and nurture the Streetopia model that puts community above profit. We are in the eye of one of the most intense and thorough-going storms of acquisition and consolidation of wealth and power in history, one that is leaving a larger share of humanity out of it’s benefits while expanding it’s exploitive capabilities over them, and is able, at the very same moment, to tell the world with a straight face that it is about empowerment for all!
I think we have different definitions of “community space”. I want a theatre and live music venue which will be used BY the community, and that is exactly what is being proposed.
As someone who actually lives and works in this neighborhood, I’d like to feel safe when walking home at night and think an Alamo Drafthouse would help make this area safer. Vacant buildings don’t help anyone in our community. It’s possible new condos would have a portion required to be affordable (yes I want diversity and affordable housing in my neighborhood!) which would provide more housing as opposed to a giant, decaying dollar store which does not currently provide housing for anything but rats. If you’d read the open letter from the Alamo Drafthouse to SF, you’d know that they have roots in SF.
i am looking forward to sharing and hearing the perspectives of people other than myself, and to learning more about this deal and how to best contribute to a community for us all not just a few. see you soon!
Hey Camp,
I get it. But maybe you should research your targets a little more.
While in grad school, I worked as a waiter at the Alamo in Austin. Every employee, from busboy to general manager who worked 30 hours a week was eligible for health insurance. All of them. We had six screens at my location and probably 100 employees who were paid fairly, with benefits, and if you wanted, growth. A friend who started as a food runner with me is now a General Manager.
Decent jobs. Opportunity for advancement and benefits.
Stop being a knee jerk NIMBY jack arse and listen before you talk.
I’ll be first in line when they open here.