Raymond Theatre Update

posted by Ross Melnick on June 23, 2005 at 8:05 am

PASADENA, CA — The following email was sent by the Friends of the Raymond Theatre:

“Dear Friends of the Raymond Theatre:

We kindly ask all our supporters to take a second to read this e-mail. A rumor has been going around that we have lost our battle to save the Raymond Theatre. To make sure our supporters are clear on the issues…

The Raymond Theatre has NOT been lost.

The facade has been renovated to it’s original 1921 design and retrofitted, otherwise the theatre IS in tact. However, we ARE in the final hours of our 17 year effort. We are perhaps two or more Design Hearings away from the City granting building permits to start demolition.

Can we save the Raymond Theatre? Yes, we can!

How much time do we have? One Month (or more).

Can we save it in one month? Yes!

However, we absolutely cannot save the theatre without more IMMEDIATE volunteer help OR without further funding.

What we have:

We have legal measures to take further action.

We have a buyer willing to purchase the theatre.

We have celebrities willing to hold media conferences and rallies to demand the Raymond be allowed to be sold and saved.

We hold out hope with continued requests, Pasadena Heritage will uphold their preservation easement and choose to protect the theatre, rather than allow it to be redeveloped.

What we need:

We do not have enough capital to take all the legal action necessary.

We do not have enough volunteer support to keep all ends of this project afloat during this critical time.

We do not have enough people attending or speaking at hearings which are critical to defending the theaters rights, while we can!

We need more people writing Pasadena Heritage requesting they uphold the easement at:

MANY historic buildings are literally saved hours before demolition.

We have ONE MONTH left to go!

We need volunteer help ASAP!

We need donations immediately.

Please help by choosing one or more ways you can help today.

VOLUNTEER – We need 10 people to volunteer ONE MONTH of their time. You will be asked to give 1 or 2 hours a week to assist. (Our Volunteer Committee communicates through Yahoo Groups, there are no meetings to attend, join us now and see how you can help immediately!)

DONATE – We need donations to help us legally defend the theatre in the final hour. Donations are tax-deductible and may be sent to: Friends of the Raymond Theatre P.O. Box 91189, Pasadena, CA 91109 or donate via PayPal.com. Our e-mail address for PayPal is

ATTEND THE JUNE 29TH HEARING – We need your presence at the June 29th hearing at the Pasadena Conference Center, Room 211 at 6:30 sharp. Empty hearings room show the lack of support! Help defend the rights of the Raymond, while we still can!

Often times people feel “someone else will attend a hearing, volunteer time or donate,” why help? We and other non-profits find this to be one the hardest uphill battle we face. Each and every person who helps DOES make a difference. It’s going to take major mobilization from our supporters to meet our goal.

Before you click *delete" please give one more thought to attending a hearing, volunteering or donating because for the Raymond Theatre, it’s now or never!

Thank you for helping us preserve Pasadena’s Historic Raymond Theatre!

Sincerely,
Gina Zamparelli
President, Friends of the Raymond Theatre
Office: (818) 541-9522
Fax: (818) 541-9523
Website: www.raymondtheatre.com
P.O. Box 91189
Pasadena, CA 91109

PS: OFTEN ASKED QUESTION ABOUT VOLUNTEERING. We do not restrict those who live in other cities, states or countries from volunteering. Our volunteers work on Yahoo Groups, through e-mail. We have many jobs that can be done from a distance and others that do require local help."