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A legal issue between Palm Springs and a downtown restaurant that could have delayed the opening of the restored Plaza Theatre has been settled.
The dispute involved the city’s efforts to widen to 20 feet a 10-foot easement leading into Kalura Trattoria, an Italian restaurant at 124 S. Palm Canyon Drive, next door to the city-owned theater.
The Palm Springs Fire Department said the wider path was needed to make the property compliant with building and safety codes. Otherwise, people would not be be able to enter and exit the theater – which is undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation – quickly and easily, especially during an emergency.
Kalura Trattoria’s owners opposed that move, saying it would disrupt their business.
Besides making the building harder to access, the restaurant uses the area the city wants to enlarge to serve customers. That arrangement is possible as long as the theater, which sits back from the sidewalk, isn’t being used.
In November, the city council passed a “resolution of necessity” regarding the restaurant easement, the first move a city makes when it’s considering using eminent domain to take control of private land for public use.
That battle ended before it went to court.
Earlier this month, Palm Springs announced an agreement had been reached under which Palm Springs agreed to pay Kalura Trattoria $500,000 for “loss of goodwill” caused by the outdoor patio being moved.
The city also pledged to provide the restaurant with a new outdoor patio that will seat 60 people. That facility will be located within the right-of-way in front of the restaurant. The city also pledged to upgrade the courtyard outside the theater, as well as its surrounding area.
Palm Springs, which has donated $10 million to help pay for the restoration, also agreed not to charge the restaurant for use of the right-of-way inside the relocated patio area. That policy will remain in place as long as the restaurant is located there.
Kalura Trattoria has been in business since 2002.
The restaurant’s owners said they were “thrilled” with the agreement, and called Palm Springs’ efforts to revive its downtown “truly commendable.” They also applauded the city’s support of small businesses.
“We are thrilled to have collaborated with the city to reach this agreement,” said Joseph Amodeo and Ignazio Battagila in a statement released by the city. “The new patio made possible by this agreement will provide our customers with a beautiful space to enjoy Kalura Trattoria. We are also delighted to see the renovated Plaza Theatre take shape.”
J.R. Roberts, president of the Palm Spring Plaza Theatre Foundation, the group overseeing the renovation, said he is also satisfied with the settlement.
“It’s very important,” said Roberts, a former Palm Springs city council member. “The building is old and doesn’t have a lot of exits. If there’s an emergency, most people will try to go out the front door. You have to be able to get out of the building quickly.”
Demolition started one year ago and is nearly complete, Roberts said.
The theater at 128 S. Palm Canyon Drive opened in 1936 with the premiere of Camille, a romantic drama starring Robert Taylor and Greta Garbo. Legend has it that Garbo snuck into the theater to avoid the mob of fans and watched the movie from a hiding place.
Later on, Jack Benny, Frank Sinatra, and other mega-stars performed at the Plaza Theatre. The venue became known outside of the Coachella Valley in part because of its live national radio broadcasts of The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show,
The theater began hosting the Palm Springs International Film Festival in 1989, the year the festival began. It later became home to the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, a vaudeville show that ran for 23 years but closed when the the theater shut down in 2014.
The Plaza Theatre is expected to become part of the film festival again once the restoration is completed, but there are no plans to bring back the follies on a permanent basis, Roberts said.
The foundation’s main task has been fundraising. So far it has raised $17.5 million, $8.5 million short of its $26 million goal.
David Lee, Hollywood writer, producer and a longtime Palm Springs resident, donated $5 million to the restoration project in 2022, not long after the foundation was formed. That helped keep the effort afloat after it slowed during the pandemic.
Besides being a potential money-maker for the city, the Plaza Theatre is a cultural landmark that should not be allowed to disappear, according to Lee.
“It’s a major part of downtown Palm Springs, but it’s deteriorated, and I can’t just stand by and watch it go away,” Lee said in a 2023 interview with IE Business Daily. “The theater will be restored, and people will go there because it will be used for a lot of things. It will be like going to a club.”
Brad Prescott, a retired real estate developer who lives in Palm Springs, recently donated $1 million to the foundation. He also committed to matching all donations made between now and Dec. 1 – the day the theater is scheduled to reopen – up to $1 million.
Prescott could not be reached for comment.
The foundation plans to keep raising money after the theater reopens. That revenue will be used to attract shows, and other events, to the downtown landmark.
“We’re going to try to have a wide variety of entertainment,” Robert said. “It will be a lot more than movies.”
Denver-based Oak View Group LLC, which develops and manages sports and entertainment arenas – it built Acrisure Arena near Palm Desert – will manage the theater. The venue will pump about $40 million annually into the Palm Springs economy, according to Roberts.
The restored theater will have 700 seats, 100 fewer than the original. The reduction will provide more comfortable seating, and make it easier to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Actress-comedian Lilly Tomlin is the second act booked to perform at the Plaza Theatre, followed by Jane Lynch, another comedian and actress. As for opening night, that will remain a secret for awhile.
Roberts did drop one hint regarding what the theater’s interior will look like after it’s restored.
“When you walk in it will look like 1936,” he said.
