Fremont Theater in Downtown SLO to Remain Closed Until Further Notice

Sidewalk protective structures and portion of Monterey Street remain temporarily closed, nearby restaurants are open for business.

Due to public safety concerns, events cannot be held at the historic Fremont Theater until an engineer can evaluate the risk and determine that the damaged sign is not a hazard to the building. 

The City of San Luis Obispo has suspended the building’s Certificate of Occupancy, effective immediately, due to safety concerns and new information provided by the building owner. The community can expect a temporary closure of the sidewalk and pedestrian tunnels directly in front of the Fremont until the building is deemed safe. 

This morning, City staff met with the property owner, who conveyed new information based on additional limited observation indicating that the structural integrity of the sign structure cannot be confirmed at this time. Out of an abundance of caution and in order to ensure the safety of the public, the City suspended the Certificate of Occupancy for the building.  

The property owner has been notified and is actively working to relocate scheduled events. The City acknowledges the responsiveness and cooperation demonstrated by the Rossi family and their team throughout this process. 

Nearby businesses, including Buona Tavola, Shin’s Sushi and The Bridge Café, as well as the nearby courthouse and County Government Center, remain open during normal business hours. 

Previously the sidewalk in front of the Fremont Theater was open to the public with temporary protective structures in place to protect pedestrians, but the street still remained closed.

To safely reopen the area as quickly as possible and protect pedestrians during construction, shipping containers were in place and serving as pedestrian tunnels. Lighting and security cameras were also installed as additional safety precautions. The City will make every attempt to keep the sidewalk open throughout this project, however, temporary closures may be periodically necessary depending on work being performed to ensure safety.  We appreciate the public’s patience as construction projects of this type are dynamic.