Empire Theater to be Demolished for Apartments

The long-shuttered Empire Theater in West Portal is facing the wrecking ball and a rebirth as a nine-story residential building.

The arts venue at 85 West Portal Avenue is slated for demolition, and local builder DM Development is plotting to build 64 residential units across nine floors at the site, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

DM is acting as developer for a group led by Jesse Appleton, whose family has owned the theater for more than 100 years. Appleton and a partner bought it in 2021 from other family members following longtime operator Cinemark’s abandoning its lease and closing the theater, ripping out seats, screens and projectors in the process.

“The [former operator] mothballed it, stripped out all the equipment and just left it,” Appleton told the Chronicle. While his group explored bringing the facility back as a theater, the building’s poor condition and the opening of a multiplex nearby meant theater operators weren’t interested in moving in. As a result, the team opted to build housing instead, planning for 62 two- and three-bedroom rental apartments at the site.

“We want something that is going to endure. We want to stay in this long term. That is our goal,” Appleton said.

To bring the project to life, developers will take advantage of two state laws that allow the structure to be taller and denser than currently allowed by zoning regulations. Senate Bill 330 doubles the permitted density on the site, and Assembly Bill 2011 requires a streamlined 90-day approval. Of the 64 units, 10 will be below market rate, with five affordable to households earning 50 percent of the area median income, and five units meant for households making 120 percent of the area median income. Groundbreaking is expected next year.

Historic theaters in San Francisco have been trading hands or floated for renovations or redevelopment over the past year.

Last April, the San Francisco Planning Commission approved a zoning change for the Alexandria Theater to allow for the construction of 75 housing units. In June, the fate of the Clay Theatre was revealed as its new ownership plots upgrades for 4K digital projection, 35mm film capabilities, new acoustics and accessibility improvements. And last month, the San Francisco Giants purchased the Curran Theatre from Shorenstein family scion Carole Shorenstein Hays.

— Chris Malone Méndez