Inside the Clay Theater revamp

LIFTING THE VEIL a bit on plans to restore Fillmore Street’s historic Clay Theater, the new owners have begun offering small groups of neighborhood residents a look inside — and a preview of what’s to come.

Last week project director Cody Allen — point man for local investor Neil Mehta, who put up the money to buy the theater and other nearby storefronts — began leading small groups of Pacific Heights residents into the empty shell of the Clay. They saw little new; the theater still looks much as it did the day the seats and other furnishings were ripped out and hauled away in early 2020. But Allen described in detail what his team plans to do, complete with floor plans and drawings.

Among the highlights:

• The number of all-new seats in the theater will be reduced from 260 to 185 or so.

• The Clay will present more than 500 film screenings each year — with “best-in-class digital and 35mm projection” — plus another 100 talks and other performances.

• Films will be first and second-run, with preview screenings, premieres and talks with actors and directors. Also on the bill: book launches and community events.

• A new screen will be moved forward to accommodate a backstage green room for visiting artists.

• The lobby will be reconfigured to make room for a lobby cafe with concessions, small plates and wine and beer — plus books and merchandise. New restrooms will be built upstairs, accessible via stairs or a lift, and a small balcony will be added with a dozen additional seats.

• All historic elements of the Clay, including its marquee and neon blade, will be restored under the supervision of historic preservation architects from Page & Turnbull. Soundproofing will be enhanced.

• Next door, in what was most recently the Alice & Olivia boutique, a new all-day restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“It’s unbelievable what they’re doing,” said Jonathan Pontell, a retired Hollywood television director who now lives nearby. “I never realized the extent of it. It’s amazing.”

“I went, and I thought it was fantastic,” said Helen Huckleberry, who lives with her family on Clay Street just behind the theater. “Everybody’s so excited about it.”

Cody Allen acknowledges the advantages of letting his neighbors in on what’s going on.

“The reaction has been wonderful,” he says. “People are particularly excited about our plan for lobby enhancements, creating a space where people can gather afternoons and evenings for a coffee, a bite or a glass of wine. They’re supportive of the idea that the Clay Theater should be open to all on a daily basis.”

Allen says the corner space will remain separate from the theater and the lot line — which currently runs through the theater — adjusted. His group has a letter of intent with a restaurateur for “an elevated all-day dining concept offering breakfast, lunch and dinner to theatergoers and to the neighborhood as a whole.” A lease is expected by the end of the year, with an announcement coming in early 2026.

Huckleberry organized the tours on behalf of the Pacific Heights Resident Association, where she serves on the board of directors.

“They all booked up at once,” she says — even bringing in new members eager for a look inside the Clay.

More tours for association members — mostly booked up already — are taking place this week. Some will be joined by Ted Gerike, the new director and chief creative officer of the Clay. Gerike founded the acclaimed Los Angeles cinema-bookstore hybrid Now Instant and has led digital content for New York’s Metrograph cinema since 2021.

Says Allen: “Ted is at the vanguard of a new generation of theater operators and entrepreneurs obsessed with reimagining what the in-person cinema and theatrical environment can be.”

Allen says more tours are in the works and will be open to all neighbors. To get on the list, email info@clay-sf.org.

EARLIER: “Clay Theater is coming alive again“