Work to make the old Bay Theatre movie house ADA-compliant is expected to start in September.
Meanwhile, the projection room of the Main Street Seal Beach icon is being remodeled.
‘Making noise’
“Hopefully, we’ll be making noise in September,” said owner/developer Paul Dunlap, of the Dunlap Group.
According to Dunlap, the construction crew will need to work on the street, the sidewalk and the entrance of the movie house in order to comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Projection room
Photographs were posted on social media earlier this month showing work being done on the projection room. “We’re going to be able to show media in three formats,” Dunlap said.
“I’m excited about that,” he said.
When the renovation is completed, there will be four projectors, able to show 16mm, 35mm and digital media, according to an unsigned social media post for the Bay Theatre.
Dunlap said most modern films are in digital format, but some enthusiasts prefer the older formats.
He acknowledged that it’s too soon to talk about what sort of films will be shown in the movie house.
“We’re going to really try to showcase a lot of our local filmmakers,” Dunlap said. He anticipates showing work by filmmakers from Seal Beach, Long Beach and Los Alamitos.
“Within Seal Beach, there’s quite a lot [of filmmakers] as it turns out,” Dunlap said.
The Bay Theatre has been closed since 2012. Dunlap bought the old movie house in 2016.
