I Saw It at the Dome: New Facebook Page Dedicated to Contra Costa's Retro Cinema Landmark

I just got invited to join a brand new Facebook page, which asks people to share their favorite memories of seeing a movie at The Dome, the Pleasant Hill landmark movie theater that is slated to be torn down and replaced with -- ugh -- yet another sporting goods chain.

I have many memories to share on the page, I Saw It At The Dome.  I recently saw Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. I had thought, oh, I'll just see it in Walnut Creek. Well, this was over the Christmas holidays and you all know what a nightmare parking can be in Walnut Creek -- especially in Walnut Creek during the holidays and even in its herald parking garages. Parking just didn't exist. A friend said, "Go see it in The Dome."

Of course! Where else should I go see the biggest, most entertaining and envelope-pushing movie of the season but at The Dome?  It was a great experience. A lot of others had the same idea. The matinee showing of the film was pretty packed.

The Dome has been living under the threat of destruction for years, ever since what's become known as the Crossroads Shopping Center along Interstate 680 started to get fixed up. I understand. That mall was definitely an eyesore for a long time and needed a makeover. SyWest Development wants to modernize the southern half of the center, which includes the geodesic-domed movie theater.

Pleasant Hill city leaders seem to think that a sporting goods store in that location would be a good idea. So much for creative solutions to economic challenges. Cultural attractions actually do drive business and make a city more attractive to residents and to businesses. You can't get more cultural than an art-house cinema that shows movies, like, with subtitles.

Hmm, if we lose The Dome, what happens to the future of art-house cinema in central Contra Costa?

Believe it or not, there are a fair number of suburbanites who like to see movies that are not based on comic book adventures or taken over by one CGI thrill ride after another.