As revitalization plans for Guadalupe’s nearly 90-year-old Royal Theater move forward, an upcoming hearing will determine whether the state will ask the federal government to recognize the structure as a historical building.
During a Jan. 21, 2022, meeting, the State Historical Resources Commission is planning to decide whether to nominate the theater for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. After the state’s historical resources commission review, the nomination will go to the National Park Service for final review and listing on the national register.
The inclusion could benefit aspects of the theater’s redesign project, including making it eligible for federal preservation grants for planning and rehabilitation, federal investment tax credits, and possible state tax benefit and grant opportunities, according to the National Park Service, which runs the historic places register.
No matter the state commission’s decision, the theater’s revitalization initiative will move forward.
“The revitalization will happen regardless. However, with a historical designation, additional positive outcomes are probable,” said Thomas Brandeberry, president and CEO of Los Amigos de Guadalupe.
Brandeberry said that the ongoing project’s design team has “from the beginning of the process, worked from the assumption that the Royal Theater will be approved as a historical building,” and shaped their plans to fall in line with historical code standards set by the state.
Plans for the theater’s revitalization include the construction of a three-story complex, which will be attached to the back of the theater’s original building. Pitched as a full-fledged performing arts center, the redesigned venue would facilitate live performances from local and visiting artists, and it would also have classroom space for creative workshops and classes and an amphitheater and additional space for community members to rent for various events—from business conferences to weddings.
As for the Royal Theater’s original building, which opened in 1939 and operated until the 1990s, the design team plans to preserve its vintage appearance, keeping the theater “as close to its original look as possible,” Brandeberry said.
To prepare for the Royal Theater’s designation hearing in January, Guadalupe officials are currently collecting letters of support from local residents, which will be read out loud during the meeting.
“We are encouraging community members to take this opportunity to write letters, and remotely attend the meeting, where they will be given an opportunity to speak directly to the SHRC [State Historical Resources Commission],” Brandeberry said.
The deadline to have a letter included in the meeting’s written comment portion is Jan. 6, 2022. The public will have the option to attend the meeting virtually and provide additional feedback during public comment period.
If the Royal Theater is granted historical designation, Brandeberry said the outcome will encourage other property owners in Guadalupe “to pursue historic designations for the numerous intact historic buildings within the commercial core and residential neighborhoods.”
For more info on the Royal Theater’s revitalization, members of city staff and the project’s design team will host a detailed presentation on their efforts during the Guadalupe City Council’s meeting on Dec. 14.
This article appears in Dec 9-16, 2021.
