The property was originally home to a 488-seat theater which opened in 1946. The property operated as a theater until closing in 1991 due to competition from multiplex theaters. The site has remained vacant, and in recent years had been planned to be newly built into a 235-seat main theater and an upstairs theater for performing arts, concerts and conferences. The property has been owned by the non-profit Novato Theater group since 2012, who purchased it from the City of Novato on the condition that the property only be used as a theater. The City of Novato in 2023 approved an agreement which rescinds this condition and allows for development of the property.
