On July 9, 2022, The Marin IJ (link) posted an article sharing the current state of the Hamilton Theater.
Novato City Manager
Adam McGill stated, “The city is not involved at all. It could turn out to just be housing."..."The building must stay,” he said. “It is a historical building so if we were to sell it to a developer, they can build houses all around it but that building does have to stay. What isn’t true is that does have to be a theater.”
The State Law
What does this really mean? If the city decides to sell the property, a 2019 state law requires that it first prioritize negotiations with developers proposing housing, school sites, parks or open space before placing it on the open market as surplus property. The state law does not apply if the city decides to lease the theater.
Novato City Council
Councilwoman Pat Eklund, who has sat on the council since 1995, said she has seen three past efforts to restore the theater. She said all fell short for a variety of reasons, including the millions of dollars in repairs that would be needed to renovate the theater.
Eklund said she commends this latest idea, saying there has long been a desire by Hamilton residents to see the site restored as a theater.
“I think that if she is able to get a little bit further in her exploration and show that there is a high feasibility of putting this together then I think the city should look at it,” Eklund said. “That would complete in some respect the Hamilton Base Reuse Plan because we had always intended to have that area be a center of the arts.”
Hamilton HOA
Nancy Kawata, a 25-year Hamilton resident and president of the Hamilton Homeowners Association, said she recently surveyed the association’s members to ask what improvements they would like to see in the community. Restoring the theater was at the top of the list for most residents, she said.
“People are thinking out of the box on ways to use this wonderful building and I do realize fully that restoring the theater would be a huge endeavor,” Kawata said. “There has been lots of damage inside. I realize there would be meetings and obstacles that would have to be addressed. But then again I always come back to the fact that this is a part of the destination of Hamilton, the city of Novato and Marin County. It’s really important.”
So what do you think? Some things concern us.
Our community relies on this property. Aside from the amazing historical implication of this property, it is relevant to businesses surrounding the area.
This land parcel begins at the corner of Hamilton Parkway and follows along South Palm Drive to North Oakwood Drive adjacent to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Hamilton Montessori School, and Unity in Marin Church. This land parcel includes the building(s) where the Hamilton Community Center, Splitz Dance Academy, and Faith Builders Tabernacle. All of these businesses along with the many Art Studio leasees use the Hamiton Theater parking lot for overflow.
Also when the Hamilton Amphitheater has its events for its hundreds of attendees, the seven parking spots (only one of which is handicap) is not sufficient so the attendees use the Hamilton Theater parking lot. In addition, the Unity in Marin Church hosts weddings and private events and uses the parking for overflow.
The Golden Gate Transit and Marin Access Paratransit both have stops in front of the Theater.
The real issue here is that this land parcel and historical structures need to be considered in their entirety. Filling the parcel with housing will lead to many issues in many ways. This is probably why three committees have come and gone, but we at Hamilton Arts Foundation are willing to work through all these issues.
Volunteer
If you want to help preserve this property, pledge to volunteer.
Power In Massess
If every Novato household gave $50, we could raise $8,500,000 and the Theater and its parking lot would be revived. If you want to pledge your support, click here. We will not be collecting any pledges until the City has given its blessing. Let's save our jewel.