TOUR THE HISTORIC ORINDA THEATRE

Name: TOUR THE HISTORIC ORINDA THEATRE
Start: 2025-09-28T11:00:00-07:00
End: 2025-09-28T12:00:00-07:00
Location: Orinda Theater

Schedule

Sun Sep 28 2025 at 11:00 am to 12:00 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

Orinda Theater | Orinda, CA

September 28th, Matias Bombal will conduct one-hour public tour of the historic 1941 Orinda Theatre the last Sunday of this month at 11 a.m. He will relate the history of the theatre and describe its Modern Baroque and Streamline appointments to tour goers.
The Orinda Theatre was designed by architect Alexander Aimwell Cantin for Donald Rheem who opened it December 27, 1941. With some influence from the Streamline Moderne style, notable among its appointments were auditorium wall and lobby ceiling murals by Anthony Heinsbergen with pioneering use of UV pigments in the paint which made the murals glow under "black" light. A developer bought the property in 1984 with plans to demolish the theatre to build a shopping center. A grass-roots movement sprung up to convince the community at large of the value of saving it; after many struggles the shopping center was built around the theatre, which was renovated and re-opened in 1989. A new "movie palace wing" was added in 1996 with two more screens in vintage-style auditoriums. For the last eleven years, operators Zemrak-Pirkle Productions, LLC have been the stewards that keep the theatre a vibrant part of the community with first-run films, live shows and special movie events. The Time-Out website, based in France, listed the Orinda the 23rd most beautiful theatre in the world in 2025.
The first public tour will be 11 a.m., Sunday, September 28th. There will be no charge for the tour, but donations to assist the ongoing operational costs of the theatre will be accepted.
The tours will continue on a monthly basis the last Sunday of each month at 11 a.m.
2 Orinda Theatre Square #101, Orinda, CA 94563. Parking garage in the same block and on-street parking. BART: Orinda Station, steps from the theatre.
www.orindamovies.com @TheOrindaTheatre
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