Hamilton Theater
555 Palm Drive,
Novato,
CA
94949
555 Palm Drive,
Novato,
CA
94949
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Built in 1938, the Hamilton Theater is a charming, 320-seat, Spanish-styled theater that served the armed forces that were stationed at Hamilton Field. It is an original structure, erected at the beginning of Hamilton Field’s pre-World War II development. The theater’s inclusion in the original Hamilton plan shows the importance of film in our culture and its ability to entertain, inform, educate, and above all, bring people together. The theater was in operation as late as 1994 and has a newer cinema screen. The building itself has become the symbol of the new Hamilton community, part of Novato, California, about 25 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Hamilton Theater Committee (HTC)is an ad-hoc group of over thirty Novato residents. The group has met weekly since October 2004 to consider options for re-opening the theater.
Donn Davy, chair of the HTC stated, “Wouldn’t it be great to restore the wonderful, old Hamilton Theater to provide a site for community-based programming for families, such as classic and independent films, day use events, school programs and choral productions at reasonable prices? With the City Council’s support, we can ‘Bring the Big Picture to Life!’, restore this historic place, provide a much needed community venue and leave a lasting legacy of which citizens of Hamilton and Greater Novato can be proud.”
Community members agree. A survey sent out by the committee to over 830 Hamilton residents found overwhelming support for the restoration of the Hamilton Theater for film, school productions, lectures, music and live theater.
Contributed by
Donn F. Davy
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
I visited Hamilton several times in the 80’s.The Coast Guard piddled there a bit and the Presidio choppers lived there.I thought that Hamilton had to be the most beautiful base in the US.The bldgs were just gorgeous.The hangers were clasics.I still believe it should have retained an aviation function to benefit the community at large,but the tree-hugger enviro weenies are unbeatable in the Bay area.Witness the bird flipped at the battleship recently to show the mentality of the area.The same forces that dictated no aviation at Hamilton are determined to bulldoze the great El Toro facility,so desperately needed by the community as a major airport for SoCal.The was or is a great theater at Toro too.
Sorry about the mess above.The subject just drives me nuts.
There is a photo of the charming Hamilton Theater at this website:
View link
The link in the blurb above points to another theater in New York.
1939 photo added of the Hamilton Field Theatre, credit & copyright below website.
http://www.chp1010.com/gallery/index.php/CHP-History/Marin-Collection/1939-0616#comments