Ingleside's El Rey theater will become a church once again — and host occasional film screenings, too.
Optimal Partners sold the 1931-built movie palace to The Father's House San Francisco, a church operating out of a former Walgreens space several blocks away in Lakeside Village.
Robyn and Tim Bittle, the church's co-founders, told The Light they were excited to move into the neighborhood and become a part of the community.
Robyn Bittle said she was excited to renovate the building because she was aware that the building had been an eyesore. The details of the sale, such as the purchase price, were not shared with The Light.
"It was so sad to us that a church shut down, and the church is meant to serve a community, so we're just excited to be in that neighborhood and serve our neighbors," she said. "That's the reason why we're in the city."
The church will begin applying for permits and create a timeline for renovation work, the Bittles said. They expect to begin work before the end of the year.
"We want to open it up to the community for families to come and watch some classical films and some after-school stuff we're looking at using one of the wings for," Tim Bittle said. "A lot of great community things we're looking forward to doing around that space."
Kath Tsakalakis, a Lakeside Village organizer and member of the Ocean Avenue Association board of directors, hailed the purchase.
"We are so excited that The Father's House is making its forever home on Ocean Avenue!" Tsakalakis said. "They will breathe new life into the old El Rey for decades to come, and their wonderful families will be bringing much-appreciated footfall to the small businesses along the commercial corridor."
Marlon Lee's storefront faces the theater. The Ocean Dry Cleaning owner called the purchase good news.
"The property has been in a dilapidated state for many years now, attracting some to constantly put up graffiti," Lee said. "So to know that our new neighbors will be a church is great news."
Supervisor Myrna Melgar told The Light she "had hoped (and was helping)" the site would be developed into housing.
"But I am happy that the Father's church will find its forever home there," Melgar said. "The building has served that purpose before, for decades. I know they will take good care of the building and be excellent neighbors. I have worked with Pastor Tim before and they are a dynamic and growing congregation that has programs and offerings that will bring much-needed foot traffic to that side of Ocean Avenue."
Historic Landmark
The theater was once buzzing with activity. Aside from the theater space, it has two large storefronts and two small storefronts. The first Gap clothing store operated out of the eastern wing back in the '60s.
The theater was designed by acclaimed San Francisco architect Timothy Pflueger, who was responsible for other movie palaces such as the Castro Theatre and Paramount in Oakland, along with a host of other Art Deco buildings, including City College of San Francisco's Science Hall.
After serving as a theater and commercial center for over four decades, the building was operated as a church from 1974 to 2016. After the church went into foreclosure, Optimal Partners bought it at auction for a little more than $1 million.
Optimal Partners had proposed renovating the building and constructing apartments, designed by architect John Goldman, on its small parking lots. Those plans were abandoned not long after seeking pre-approval from the Planning Department.
Urbano Ezquerro, the longtime representative for the partners, did not immediately respond to a call for comment.
Ingleside real estate agent Peter Tham said he welcomed the possibility of improvements and activation.
"It’s been sitting vacant for far too long and, like other old theaters in other parts of the city, has become quite the eyesore when traveling down Ocean Avenue," Tham said.
The building hasn't had any tenants since longtime owner A Place To Meet Jesus, previously named Voice of Pentecost, was evicted in 2016. While the building has been a magnet for squatters and most of its storefront windows are boarded up, some improvements have been made: The tower's facade was restored, and it was reroofed.
Woody LaBounty, head of preservation group San Francisco Heritage and former history columnist for The Light, said his group is "optimistic that the planned use will be sympathetic to the preservation" of Pflueger’s historic theater.
"We look forward to working with the new owners on the future of this significant landmark," LaBounty said.
The Bittles said they will hold a community meeting about their plans for the building in the coming months.
Anne Marie Kristoff (she/her) is a recent graduate from San Francisco State University's journalism program. She enjoys writing about the arts, entertainment and nature.
Therese Poletti
