Lark Theater
Encyclopedia
The Lark Theater is a single-screen Art Deco
cinema
in Larkspur, California
.
, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The Lark was designed by architect William B. David, who began his career in the firm of S. Charles Lee and went on to design many Northern California cinemas of the period, including the Lark's sister theaters the Park, in Lafayette, California
, and the Noyo in Willits, California
.
, the building was empty and in disrepair. The theater had been dark for five years, and was slated for demolition in 2003, when local residents mounted a campaign to "Save the Lark." Sufficient funds were raised to restore the theater's interior and exterior, and to do so with environmentally safe materials. Local professionals donated services and volunteers, led by co-founder and Executive Director Bernice Baeza, worked to restore the Lark to its original splendor. For these efforts, the Lark Theater was awarded the 2005 Art Deco Preservation Award from the California Art Deco Society and certified as a green business by the County of Marin. Later, a successful capital campaign made it possible for the non-profit Lark Theater LLC to purchase the building.
On July 9, 2004, the Lark Theater re-opened as an independent, non-profit community film and culture center with a screening of the 1949 film noir
classic Impact, which was partially shot in Larkspur. Since that time, the Lark has offered cultural programming which includes first-run, independent and classic film, an annual Youth Film Festival, live broadcasts of events of civic interest such as the Presidential debates and inauguration, fundraisers for local schools and non-profits, panel discussions and live music.
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
in Larkspur, California
Larkspur, California
Larkspur is a city in Marin County, California, United States. Larkspur is located south of San Rafael, at an elevation of . As of the 2010 Census, the city's population was 11,926. Larkspur is located north of San Francisco near Mount Tamalpais. Larkspur's Police Department is shared with that...
.
History
Built in 1936 over a horse-shoe pit, the Lark anchors the North End of Larkpur's historic downtown district, and is designated a Larkspur Heritage Building. It is a contributing structure in the Larkspur Downtown Historic DistrictLarkspur Downtown Historic District
Larkspur Downtown Historic District, known also as Old Downtown Larkspur, is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.Lark Theater is a contributing property in the district.-References:...
, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The Lark was designed by architect William B. David, who began his career in the firm of S. Charles Lee and went on to design many Northern California cinemas of the period, including the Lark's sister theaters the Park, in Lafayette, California
Lafayette, California
Lafayette is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 23,893. It was named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero of the American Revolutionary War...
, and the Noyo in Willits, California
Willits, California
Willits is a city in Mendocino County, California, United States. Willits is located north-northwest of Ukiah, at an elevation of 1391 feet . The population was 4,888 at the 2010 census, down from 5,073 at the 2000 census. Willits is at the center of Mendocino County and its redwood forests...
.
Closure and renovation
Over the decades of its existence, the Lark has been a first-run movie theater and an art-house venue. But by the late 1990s1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, the building was empty and in disrepair. The theater had been dark for five years, and was slated for demolition in 2003, when local residents mounted a campaign to "Save the Lark." Sufficient funds were raised to restore the theater's interior and exterior, and to do so with environmentally safe materials. Local professionals donated services and volunteers, led by co-founder and Executive Director Bernice Baeza, worked to restore the Lark to its original splendor. For these efforts, the Lark Theater was awarded the 2005 Art Deco Preservation Award from the California Art Deco Society and certified as a green business by the County of Marin. Later, a successful capital campaign made it possible for the non-profit Lark Theater LLC to purchase the building.
On July 9, 2004, the Lark Theater re-opened as an independent, non-profit community film and culture center with a screening of the 1949 film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
classic Impact, which was partially shot in Larkspur. Since that time, the Lark has offered cultural programming which includes first-run, independent and classic film, an annual Youth Film Festival, live broadcasts of events of civic interest such as the Presidential debates and inauguration, fundraisers for local schools and non-profits, panel discussions and live music.