It is with great sadness that we begin to say goodbye to the Sunset Theater. This week, demolition began on our long-beloved, long-abandoned landmark.
Designed by San Francisco architect Albert Larsen & built in 1950, Sunset Theater debuted with a screening of John Wayne’s “Sands of Iwo Jima”. The opening of the theater was an exciting affair, featuring an amphibious tractor on display to promote the film with over 2,000 attendees and a performance from the Lodi Union High School Band. Until then, there were no theaters outside of Downtown Lodi and the Sunset was a big deal!
The project to restore Lodi’s first City Hall and Firehouse is being accomplished with 100% community-donated funding, volunteer labor and in-kind donations. Once restored, the first floor will be used by the Lodi Historical Society to house the Lodi Historical Museum and the second floor will be used by the Lodi Professional Firefighters Union for their Meeting Hall.
To-date, we have raised over $330,000 in cash donations from incredibly generous individuals and companies throughout the Lodi community.
