Public Safety Concerns Closes Historic Fremont Theater Until Further Notice
Dave Alley
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – The historic Fremont Theater in downtown San Luis Obispo will remain closed until further notice due to public safety concerns.
The City of San Luis Obispo said it has suspended the building’s Certificate of Occupancy, effective immediately so that an engineer can determine if the theater’s marquee sign is not a hazard and a risk to public safety.
A powerful storm last month damaged the theater’s iconic sign, causing a portion of the structure to fall onto the ground.
“After some of the larger storms in mid-February, it came to our attention that a portion of the exterior of the Fremont’s large, iconic tower sign had fallen into the street,” said Timothea Tway, San Luis Obispo Community Development Director. “So the city took the immediate action to close Monterey Street and close the sidewalk to ensure public safety. Since then, we’ve been working with the property owner as they get engineers out to the site to further assess the structure.”
San Luis Obispo officials said its staff “met with the property owner, who conveyed new information based on additional limited observation indicating that the structural integrity of the sign structure cannot be confirmed at this time.”
“The city continues to work with the property owner as they assess the damage to the tower sign above the marquee, and we will continue to work with them to make sure that we’re ensuring public safety, which is our number one priority as well as the rehabilitation of this iconic historic structure,” said Tway. “We continue to learn more about the structural integrity of the sign, so that’s why, out of an abundance of caution, the city has suspended the certificate of occupancy for that building. Until there’s further evidence from a licensed engineer and agreement from the building official that the building safe to open it will remain closed to the public.”
When contacted by News Channel 3-12 on Monday, Fremont Theater owner Rob Rossi indicated a structural investigation is set to begin Tuesday to determine the extent of the damge.
Rossi added the 35-foot fin sign goes back to the very construction of the historic theater that dates back to 1942.
He is hoping to reopen the theater as quickly as possible, targeting a goal of two weeks.
The closure has forced the popular venue to already postpone two scheduled events, Carlos Mencia on Friday night, and Emo World Tour on Saturday night.
Rossi added theater management is working with other local venues to serve as a new site for scheduled events that have been impacted, as well as attempt to book new dates when the theater eventually does reopen.
With the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival set to be held on April 23 through April 28, Rossi is optimistic the longtime venue for the popular event will be ready to go.
“I’m ust really looking forward to seeing how they were able to reconstruct this and hopefully bring it back to what it used to be,” said Linda Mayer on Monday while walking past the theater. “Maybe even better, but certainly retaining the historic structure of what it was. I live in Cambria now, but I’ve been coming here since I was in my teens, so it has a lot of significance in history. Just to know all the movies and things that have gone on there, and the the plays and things that are the concerts that are still going on. It’s really sad to see it in its current state, but really hopeful that it’ll be back to normal soon.”
While the Fremont Theater remained closed, nearby businesses, including Buona Tavola, Shin’s Sushi and The Bridge Café are open to the public.
“We encourage the public to patronize them,” said Tway. “There’s signage out on the street reminding everyone that they can access the businesses near the Fremont Theater.”
In addition, the San Luis Obispo County Courthouse, which is located across the street, and San Luis Obispo County Government Center next door will also remain open during normal business hours.