Plaza Theatre renovation committee announces new partnership amid fundraising efforts

As city leaders launch an effort to raise millions of dollars to renovate and reopen the Plaza Theatre, a partnership was announced Thursday between the newly formed Plaza Theatre Restoration Steering Committee and the Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau.

City leaders said they hope the partnership will attract community and international support.

“This is a big organization that has a big connection with the valley in general,” said Palm Springs Councilmember J.R. Roberts. “They can help us promote, they can help us find money, but most importantly right now they can help us find a celebrity to this scale to do a large fundraiser for us.”

A spokesperson for the bureau said the architecture of the theater is well worth saving.

“Architecture is what Palm Springs is known for and it impacts the whole destination,” said Joyce Kiehl, director of communications for the Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Visitors come from all over the world to be part of it.”

The Palm Springs Preservation Foundation also presented a check of $50,000 toward the project outside the Plaza Theatre Thursday morning. It was the largest donation the non-profit has ever made.

Gary Johns, president of the foundation, said he hopes to see the theater become a driver of local business as it once was.

“Millions of people a year walk by this theater,” Johns said. “(The theater brings) 400-500 people a day or an evening into the downtown area. They’ll have dinner, they’ll shop beforehand.”

To donate, visit savetheplazatheatreps.com.

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