by John R. Adkins
jradproduction@gmail.com
After numerous delays, the Division of the State Architect finally approved the plans for the Diego Rivera Theater on Dec. 12. City College was awaiting DSA approval before finalizing its contract with Rudolph and Sletten construction company and scheduling the groundbreaking ceremony.
With the groundbreaking now set for Jan. 22, faculty members and advocates for the Theater Arts Department’s new home finally have a reason to celebrate.
Positioned between the Harry Britt Building and the STEAM building on Frida Kahlo Way, the three-story performing arts center will feature practice rooms, recording and broadcast facilities, a recital hall, studio theater, and a main 600-seat performance hall with balcony seating.
The main lobby will serve as the new home of Diego Rivera’s priceless 30-ton mural, “The Marriage of the Artistic Expression of the North and of the South on This Continent,” more commonly known as “Pan American Unity.” The Ingleside Light reported that the DSA cited a review of the “support anchorage” for the building’s contents as a cause of the delay.
Former faculty member and mural historian Will Maynez has pushed for conservators to conduct wellness checks on the mural while it sits stowed away on Ocean Campus. Theater Arts Department Chair Madeline Mueller has staved off retirement for years, if not decades, waiting to witness the construction of a new performing arts center.
“Having a community theater is the college’s best chance of generating revenue by offering a space to rent for concerts and shows,” Mueller said, referencing the building’s constant delays amidst the backdrop of the college’s financial woes. “You can’t rent out classrooms.”
With a 32-month construction timeline, the college can expect to visit the Diego Theater in the fall of 2028. The project will cost over $150 million and will be funded primarily by the 2020 bond measure, Prop A.