Celebs Lend Support to save Pasadena's Historic Raymond Theatre

Immediate News Release

May 13, 2004

Contact: Gina Zamparelli
Founder, Friends of the Raymond Theatre
Phone: (818)-541-9522
Fax: (818)-541-9523
E-mail: zconcerts [at] aol.com
Website: http://www.raymondtheatre.com

Theatre photos and concert video footage available upon request

Members of Oingo Boingo will be available for interviews at 7:30, Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield, Room 247, Pasadena, CA)

Celebrities lend support to save Pasadena's Historic Raymond Theatre. Members of band Oingo Boingo to attend City Council meeting on May 17

Pasadena, CA - May 13, 2004 - This Monday, May 17, 2004, the Pasadena City Council will be making critical decisions over the fate of the Raymond Theatre (formerly known as the rock venue Perkins Palace).

Members of the band Oingo Boingo will be attending the City Council hearing to show their support.

A growing number of celebrities are lending their support to save the venerable rock venue from conversation to a condo, retail, office complex. David Lee Roth, Slash (ex- Guns N' Roses/Velvet Revolver), Jackson Browne, Billy Idol, Carrie Hamilton, W.A.S.P. and many others have lent their help and support.

The Raymond Theatre (a.k.a. Perkins Palace) is a historic and cultural landmark included on the National Register of Historic Places. Over the theatre's 83-year history, it has presented entertainment ranging from vaudeville and movies, to theatre and concerts.

The theatre was known in recent years as Perkins Palace, and was once one of LA's top concert venues. Artists such as Phil Collins, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Fleetwood Mac, Willie Nelson, Guns N' Roses, Jackson Browne, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Motley Crue, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Van Halen, and many others have graced its stage. The theatre has also served, as a backdrop to many television shows and movies such as 'This is Spinal Tap,' 'The Bodyguard,' 'Rock N' Roll Tonight, Live from Perkin's Palace.'

The Raymond Theatre was sold to Pasadena developers Gene and Marilyn Buchanan in 1987 as a redevelopment property. Since then, the Buchanan's have attempted to convert the theatre to many alternate uses, against the wishes of the community and many in the entertainment business.

Gina Zamparelli, whose company formerly managed and produced concerts at the Raymond Theatre, formed Friends of the Raymond Theatre in 1987. Friends of the Raymond Theatre's mission is to protect the venue against redevelopment and assist in it's revitalization.

Today, Friends of the Raymond Theatre has over 7,000 members worldwide, standing behind preservation of the Raymond Theatre. They have stopped three proposed developments planned for the Raymond Theatre over the past 16- years. They have filed a lawsuit against the City of Pasadena and the developers in which is currently pending in the Appellate Courts, second district.

On May 17, the Pasadena City Council will be calling the developers project up for design review and evaluation of consistency issues based on original approvals. The Pasadena Design Commission evaluated the redevelopment plan for the Raymond Theatre and found it inconsistent with the Council's original project approvals, granted January 2002.

The City Council will render their vote at Monday's hearing.

For further information and celebrity statements: http://www.raymondtheatre.com

RAYMOND THEATRE CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING:

Date: May 17, 2004
Place: Pasadena City Hall
100 North Garfield, Pasadena, CA
Council Chambers, Room 247
Time: 6:30 p.m.


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