Friends of the Cerrito Theater -- consisting of dedicated community volunteers -- played a key role in the restoration and reopening of the city's historic Cerrito Theater. The 1937 Art Deco movie house had virtually disappeared when it closed in the early 1960s. Its building became a storage facility for Kiefer's furniture for many years. After Kiefer's closed and the building went on the market in 2001, residents were delighted to find that the striking Art Deco murals and mirrors inside had survived. That year marked the beginning of Friends of the Cerrito Theater as a project of the El Cerrito Community Foundation.
Several years of hard work, including volunteer restoration and securing city support and an operator, came to fruition on Nov. 1, 2006, when the newly refurbished theater opened with "Casablanca." Friends of Cerrito Theater says the restoration involved more 2000 supporters and 425 donors. The organization continues as "a watchdog group dedicated to protecting the theater's historic elements," according to its website.