![Cinema Treasures](/images/app/logo.png?1723737594)
Saved from fire, Hemet Theatre in need of restoration funds
HEMET, CA — The 1921 single-screen Hemet Theatre, which was saved in January from a fire that destroyed three next door businesses, is closed and its re-opening likely to be delayed for quite some time. Fund-raising events are in progress, and the owner is selling his vintage film poster collection.
The single-screen movie house on Florida Avenue in downtown Hemet suffered smoke and water damage in the Jan. 20 fire that destroyed three adjacent businesses. The concrete used in its construction in 1921 prevented the flames from consuming the theater, but the screen and many of the seats were damaged.
A second fundraiser to benefit the theater is planned for May 16 at Sweet Baby Janes, a barbecue restaurant at 124 S. Harvard St. in Hemet. The restaurant donated 30 percent of its proceeds from a fundraiser in March to the effort to restore the theater.
The full story is in the Press-Enterprise.