As time passes, more and more of the seemingly indestructible corners of yesteryear slowly decrease in public demand and overall popularity. While there certainly remain valiant efforts on the parts of preservation societies and independent restoration organizations, the fact emerges that not everything can be saved. Our small towns are reliant on evolving in each and every direction available, including in more practical areas…like parking spaces, office space and retail stores in downtown Chico, CA. Unfortunately, these new expansions will be made at the expense of a historically significant portion of Chico’s cultural pulse, the century-old El Rey Theater.

A testament of pure, uncompromised culture—historical or otherwise—Chico’s downtown entertainment gem, the El Rey Theater (located at the corner of 2nd Street and Salem Street in downtown Chico) held its own during its time. First opening its doors in 1905, under the name “The Majestic Theater”, it primarily serviced the local Elk’s Lodge. However, the theater also housed a vaudeville stage and frequently hosted plays. Soon after, a silver screen was installed and motion pictures were shown, creating Chico’s first movie theater. 1925 saw the name changed to “The National Theater” in honor of the company who owned the building (The National Theater Syndicate). After the name was changed again, to “The American Theater”, most likely because of the theaters hosting of various American Legion events, a 1946 fire hollowed the building and destroyed the theater. About a year later, the theater was rebuilt, and once again, renamed “The El Rey Theater”, this time only because owners purchased an illuminated theater sign from another burned down theater called “The El Rey”.

In the years since, the theater has stoically denied the advances of modern technology, standing tall and unrelenting in the face of multi-screen mega-theaters and IMAX’s larger than life movie experiences. Recently purchased by Eric Hart, the restorer and owner of another downtown Chico historical theater (The Senator Theater, now a music venue), the fate of the El Rey remaining a substantial business venture was fairly low. The El Rey attempted, in the last few years, to appeal to a different kind of audience with its KFM 93.9 sponsored midnight shows which featured cult classics like “Animal House” and “The Goonies”, or especially popular older films for those with nocturnal lifestyles. However, the fact that Chico’s 14-screen theater, Tinseltown, is primarily the pinnacle of modern day movie-going had provoked steadily decreasing ticket sales for the last 5 years at the El Rey, which only features one screen. As a result, Hart opted to shut down the theater and make room for a three-level, multi-functional building. The building will have to be almost entirely gutted and equipped from the top down with steel reinforcements. The first floor will be for retail stores, the second and third for rentable office space. The site will also be reconfigured to fit a partially underground parking facility near the back of the building.

Initially, the idea of shutting down what has become not only a digression from modern wizardry, but also an antiquated window into a different time, seemed to be a true travesty. For a faction of Chico’s ever-growing populace, simply strolling downtown to an old, comforting single screen theater was a luxury that not too many cities are afforded. Even Redding, CA’s old Cascade Theater was recently restored, through ample fundraising, telethons and the like to morph into a classy venue for virtually any kind of event. This fortitude yielded the city a theater performance by jazz musician Robert Cray, and an impending performance by Wayne Newton. Sadly, there simply hasn’t been enough public concern over saving the El Rey, which given Chico’s superior entertainment quotient could have had even loftier possibilities than that of Redding’s restored theater. Not all of the timeless features of the theater will be lost, however, according to local architects. Plans to incorporate the theaters stylish fairy murals along the walls within the new building have been hinted at, as well as sporadic reminders of the building’s history.

Hart has expressed his remorse for not being able to save the theater, but has also offered to dub the renovated building The Majestic, in honor of its original ambition and purpose. While this collateral does connote a certain level of penance, it won’t bring the theater back, and that seems to be the most unfortunate aspect. True, Chico does need to evolve. Chico does need to expand its potential and afford its citizens with the quality of living that other more notable locales offer. I suppose it’s fitting that the theaters final film featured will be the Oscar-nominated “Sideways”, a heavily acclaimed script; a highly accomplished cast; a landmark film. The El Rey, for all its structural faults and all its disadvantages, was always a place heavily acclaimed, highly accomplished and a true landmark for the North Valley, and it will be missed.