City leaders are taking steps to revive the Royal Theatre, a once-abandoned gem in the heart of downtown that could play an important role in sprucing up Guadalupe's image.

While the city has no definite plans for the old movie house, city staff members have begun making repairs inside. Staff and volunteers have cleaned the theater inside and out, from clearing spider webs off the walls to removing empty buildings in the back.

"It's a house clean-up," said City Administrator Carolyn Galloway-Cooper.

The building was fumigated to get rid of bugs, including black widow spiders, that often lurked under the seats, she said.

The carpet in the aisles has been replaced, said Recreation Coordinator Kristina DeFraga. Several of the seats, which are either torn or broken, are also being repaired by a local upholsterer, she said.

City employees have demolished the empty structures that were behind the theater, eliminating problems with transients hanging around, Public Works Superintendent Mike Pena said.

The heating was also fixed after theater patrons had complained for a long time about being cold, Galloway-Cooper said.

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That was perhaps the easiest problem to fix, she said. When a Southern California Gas employee checked the gas furnace, he found that the pilot light was out.

The theater will also be getting a new parking lot on what is now a dirt slope behind the building, Galloway-Cooper said. Dirt is being moved to fill in the gap and, after the city engineer inspects the area, construction bids will go out to pave the lot, she said.

The single-screen theater was built in 1939 and played a variety of films until it was shut down in 1989 and abandoned for eight years. In 1997 the city bought the marquee and paid for its restoration, and the theater reopened under private ownership.

When attempts to operate the theater failed, the city purchased the building in mid-2000. It is now used for special events and live performances.

City leaders are looking into attracting more artists and performers, and are considering plans to build a dressing room in the future.

The city's Redevelopment Agency, which is also the City Council, has expressed serious interest in making the old movie house a success, and it has set $100,000 aside for theater improvements. About $5,000 has been spent so far.

Local upholsterer Armando Reyes, who was hired by the city to fix the seats, said he has a lot of work ahead.

He has removed about 40 chairs from the theater. Depending on the amount of work needed, a chair can take 2 to 3 hours to fix. Some of the chairs simply need to be upholstered, he said, and the only challenge is to find material that matches the rest of the seats. Other chairs are broken and have to be welded, he added.

Getting the chairs fixed will be a welcome relief. Sections of the seating area have to be taped off during performances because they are dangerous.

There are also plans to upgrade the look of the theater's exterior. Galloway-Cooper said she was approached by an area storefront-designer, Avila Sign and Design, to renovate the entrance.

While she likes the designer's proposal, Galloway-Cooper said, she first needs the agency's permission and has to follow the proper procurement procedures.

* Staff writer Elizabeth Rodriguez can be reached at 347-4580 or by e-mail at erodriguez@pulitzer.net.

Oct. 23, 2003