Phase 2 Construction at the Fox Paves Way for Certificate of Occupancy/Opening in 2021

Though it was saved from the wrecking ball in 2004, it’s been a lengthy rehabilitation process for Fullerton’s historic Fox Theater but all towards a worthwhile end. That end will shine a little brighter in 2021, as the Fox is about to undergo a $3.125 million Phase 2 construction project after the first of the year.

Fox board members review HVAC designs with DLR Group architects.

Utilizing a state of California grant of $2.5 million, acquired with the help of Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva and federal historic tax credits of approximately $625,000, the Fox will get crucial infrastructure and more restoration work completed. 

In order to get a “certificate of occupancy” from the City to have regular events at the Fox without special permits (as has been the case over many years), this next phase will address the items the City requires. Included in this will be a completely new HVAC system, a new main power supply, improved ADA access, and, perhaps the most exciting item for those who have been to recent Fox events, completed bathrooms.

The lobby bathrooms now under construction will be completed and useable.

These are all big-ticket and necessary items, but also included will be some fun, visual features for the community, such as a restored lobby, staircase, and more of the Fox’s historic mural renovation.

“This is an exciting and important step for the Fox to be enjoyed by more people, more often, beginning in 2021,” Fullerton Historic Theatre Foundation (FHTF) Board President Leland Wilson said.

The FHTF board understands the importance of the infrastructure aspects of the project but is also aware of including some visual aspects for the community to see progress with continued restoration work that is at the heart of the Fox project.

Overseeing the design are architects from DLR Group who were part of Westlake Reed Leskosky (WRL) when WRL did the original restoration plans in 2006. DLR professionals are not only designing and managing key design scopes of the project, they are also working closely with the individual sub-contractors who will be doing their own design-build projects to keep costs down.

“Rehabilitations within a historical context, such as the Fox Fullerton Theater, can be complicated and challenging” Jordan Levin, Culture and Performing Arts Leader for DLR Group, said. “But [it] will also be rewarding when completed. This will be a theater that the local community and the surrounding region will be able to enjoy for generations.”

A complete new electrical system will be installed and matched up with work already completed.

The project is currently in the design phase with construction to start in the spring and finishing in the fall of 2021.

For information on year-end, tax deductible gifts or naming opportunities to the Fox please contact Leland Wilson at: lwilson@foxfullerton.org or (714) 504-3862.