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The long-suffering but historic Lorenzo Theater is on its way to a new life as a multipurpose entertainment venue and community space thanks to a fresh influx of cash from Alameda County.
The county Board of Supervisors in June approved $17.8 million for the second phase of a project to rehabilitate the building, which was built in 1947 as a 700-person theater and severely damaged by two fires in 2020.
“The Lorenzo Theater is a cultural landmark and a source of pride for San Lorenzo,” said Sandi Rivera, director of the Alameda County Community Development Agency. “This restoration is a key step in revitalizing the downtown area and creating new opportunities for community, culture, and economic growth.”
Most of the money is coming from insurance payouts for the fires. The project, awarded to Plant Construction Company in San Francisco, is expected to kick off this September and wrap up in December 2026, according to county officials. A groundbreaking ceremony was held last week.
The work will tackle interior reconstruction and preservation of the theater’s exterior, including the marquee, tower and ticket booth.
It will also include restoration of the Lorenzo’s historic mural, painted by prolific theater muralist Anthony Heinsbergen, who used fluorescent paint and black lights for the work, according to a website maintained by the Lorenzo Theater Foundation, which has advised the county on the project.
The now-complete first phase of the renovation included stabilizing the building’s structure, putting on a new roof and installing new trusses and doing a full seismic upgrade and debris removal.
Empty since 1982, the theater was built in the “art moderne” architectural style and is on the California Register of Historical Resources.
It has been the subject of several plans that never came to fruition over the years, including converting it to a brewery, a teen center, a classic car showroom and a daycare, according to the foundation’s website.
The county bought the building in 2009 for $415,000 from a local veterinarian who had plans to convert it to an animal clinic, said Jaimie Orfanos, assistant director of the county’s Economic and Civic Development Department.
Now, the idea is to open the space up for multiple uses, Orfanos said.
“It needs to be many things, it can’t just show The Rocky Horror Show any more,” she said, adding that potential uses include as a movie theater, a live theater, a music venue, a banquet hall and community facility, among other things.
“It needs to be really vibrant and living a full life,” Orfanos said. “This is really at the heart of San Lorenzo.”
— Story by Kiley Russell, Bay City News Service
