Sebastiani Theatre: The Building That Gives Sonoma Plaza a Stage

By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.

A plaza is shaped by the uses around its edges. At Sonoma Plaza, Sebastiani Theatre brings a performance setting into the same civic landscape as shops, public gardens and historic buildings.

Its familiar tower and marquee belong to a larger story: an ambitious Depression-era movie house that developed a continuing community role, with preservation now tied to adapting the building for future use.

Construction and the first screening were separate milestones

The theatre’s history records Samuele Sebastiani building the movie house in 1933 to a design by James W. Reid. Its first film was screened on April 7, 1934.

Keeping those dates separate helps clarify the building’s beginnings. The familiar opening year describes the public event, while the preceding construction belongs to the process that made it possible.

The operator also records the formation of a supporting foundation in 2008 and the merger of theatre and foundation into a charitable institution in 2018.

That institutional history matters to the building. A cultural venue needs an operating organization as well as walls, seats and a stage.

The original design supported more than film

The 2023 City planning packet brings together the project narrative and historical-resource analysis. It describes an institution whose uses include movies, youth programs and performing arts.

The packet explains proposed accessibility work, repairs, life-safety improvements, building systems and support spaces for performances. These needs connect preservation with the practical requirements of running a public venue.

A theatre’s historic appearance is only one part of its continued usefulness. Performers require backstage facilities; audiences need suitable circulation and amenities; the organization needs rooms that support the work happening on stage.

The planning record is especially useful because it shows the relationship among those functions. It presents an older building as a working institution with specific operational needs.

Public support is part of the local arrangement

The City’s 2024–2025 budget includes theatre rental and associated costs within Community Activities, alongside other forms of support for local nonprofit facilities.

This places the theatre within a civic network. Its value is considered in relation to recreation and community services, rather than solely as a private entertainment business.

Such arrangements help explain why a relatively small historic venue can retain a central role. Financial support, an operating organization and public interest all contribute to the continuity of the address.

The restoration program concerns the next chapter

The operator’s restoration and expansion page presents the project as a transition and invites people to learn about the plans.

The planning material describes proposed work. It is most useful when read as a record of the intended improvements and the reasons behind them; current project progress should be taken from the theatre’s latest announcements.

This avoids collapsing the entire preservation story into a single finished moment. Cultural buildings often move through planning, fundraising, technical preparation and construction before a new phase of use begins.

A landmark understood through activity

For someone learning Sonoma, the theatre offers a useful counterpoint to a purely architectural tour of the Plaza. Its significance comes from what happens inside as well as what can be seen from the street.

A screening, youth performance or community event adds another remembered use to the building. That repeated activity is part of how an older public-facing place remains connected with the town around it.

That relationship gives the historic address a purpose that extends into the present.

Explore real estate and home for sale in Sonoma, or contact Diamond to discuss a location that fits your plans.

Sources checked October 28, 2026. Historical details are attributed to the linked primary records and site operators. Check the operator for current visiting arrangements.