The California Theatre opened in 1927 as a movie theatre so refined it was known as the "cathedral of the motion picture.”
It stayed a “movie palace” until the 1970s, when it became a concert venue.
But today, the building looks far different.
The theatre is decaying in the middle of downtown San Diego — fenced off with boarded windows and lots of graffiti.
It’s been shuttered since 1990.
“This isn't serving downtown, this isn't serving the city. It's a vacant building,” said San Diego City Attorney Heather Ferbert.
Her 16th floor high-rise office overlooks the dilapidated structure.
The site could finally see some changes due to a legal settlement reached between the building’s owners, Australia-based developer Caydon Property Group, and the City Attorney’s Office.
It follows a lawsuit filed by the city two years ago.
“The end result will either be they successfully sell the property, hopefully to someone who is ready to develop the site, or they have to demolish it,” Ferbert said.
The property must be formally listed and actively marketed for sale by Aug. 30.
The owner then has until the end of 2026 to finalize the sale of the property.
If that doesn't happen, Caydon Property Group will have 90 days to obtain permits for the controlled demolition of the structures on site.
“Either way it will end up with a better result for that location than what's sitting there now continuing to deteriorate,” Ferbert said.
KPBS reached out to the now-bankrupt owner for comment. They did not immediately respond.
KPBS also reached out to the Save Our Heritage Organisation.
The group lobbied successfully to get the building’s historic protection.
They also filed a lawsuit to stop a previous redevelopment effort that would have replaced the ground floors of the building with a parking garage.
They declined to comment on the latest settlement.
Ferbert said the historic designation may not protect the building from demolition.
“There may be ways to apply and mitigate historic resource requirements and still demolish the building. We've seen it happen in other instances as well, it can be done,” she said.
The settlement requires Caydon Property Group to reimburse the city for investigative costs and to maintain site security.
If the owners fail to comply with the terms of the settlement, they could face up to $1 million in civil penalties.
“What is sitting there now is not acceptable and we are not going to continue to let that sit,” Ferbert said.
