BEACONS - Nathaniel J. Bice - Castro Neon Blue painting

Castro Neon Blue

Acrylic on panel

24”x12”

Framed using floorboards from the Castro Theater

Castro Neon 

This painting depicts the Castro Theater’s neon blade sign at a single stage in its cycle. The Castro Theater first opened in 1922, but the date of the blade sign and marquee neon is unknown since neon signs were not yet popular or widely available when the theater first opened. 

If you watch the sign, you’ll see that it goes through cycles of different looks by turning parts of the neon on and off. It’s interesting to paint it with only certain parts lit up, because the color of the neon completely changes everything about the scene.

The Castro Theater and its sign have become a symbol of the Castro neighborhood as the most famous gay neighborhood in the world. For decades, the theater put out a monthly schedule of movies and patrons could pop in for a movie on a whim, making the theater a gathering space for locals as well as a pilgrimage for queer people all over the world.

It’s this access that many fear will be lost with APE’s takeover and the removal of the theater seats, signaling the prioritization of more expensive, exclusive live events. However, the beautiful architectural details of the space have finally gotten the loving restoration they deserve, and the neon sign is freshly painted and brightening the neighborhood again.