Plaza Theatre hosts free community presentation on restoration, reopening

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) -- The Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation hosted a community presentation looking at the theatre's re-opening and progress of its restoration.

The free event took place at 11 a.m. Sunday inside the Palm Springs Convention Center.

The one hour presentation walked attendees through the theatre’s history from the time it originally opened until today.

The event also showed the historical significance of the building, as well as the many events held inside it that helped put Palm Springs on the map, including several movie premieres and film festivals. 

Organizers say the theatre’s rich past is a perfect reminder to showcase what the space is capable of in the future.

"The theater was built in 1936 and from the opening, it had a unique connection to Hollywood, and a lot of what happened to the theater had a lot to do with building the brand of Palm Springs," VP of the Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation, Kevin J. Corcoran said.

The theatre is scheduled to open in December with actress Lily Tomlin set to star in the inaugural show.

The cost of remodeling is expected to be nearly $3 million higher than initially predicted. The City of Palm Springs project had an original cost of $34 million.

The foundation is still working to raise additional funds for the theatre as it will need to pay back the city $10 million in construction costs.