¶ … Senator Theater

Dating back to 1927, the Senator Theater in Chico, California, is now a music venue for local and touring bands and other performances. It opened in 1927 as a vaudeville and movie theater, and owners have closed it several times throughout its history for renovation and because of poor performance. In the 1970s, the theater and film company, United Artists, bought the building and converted it into a two-screen movie theater by sectioning off the balcony and building a wall, and in the early 2000s, it was renovated again and returned to a single stage venue, when the wall was removed. About 1,000 standing spectators fit comfortably into the building today.

The theater is designed in the art deco style, quite popular in the 1920s, and it is significant for a number of reasons. First, old theaters like this are disappearing across America, and preserving one like this is important both architecturally and historically. There is a large mural inside the theater that is also artistically significant, and it has been restored by the present owners to its original appearance. There is also a beautiful large chandelier in the lobby of the theater.

Another significant aspect of the theater is the tower, which was removed in the 1990s because it was leaning to one side. However, it was restored and has been replaced on the theater. Architect Timothy Pflueger, a renowned architect in the San Francisco Bay Area who designed many other impressive theaters, including the Castro Theater in San Francisco, the Paramount Theater in Oakland, and the Alameda Theater in Alameda, designed the original building. He also designed several significant downtown San Francisco buildings, including the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange, and the Pacific Bell Building (now at&T). He also consulted on the Oakland-Bay Bridge Project. Because he is such a significant architect, his work should be renovated and remembered, just as it is with the Senator Theater.