According to Tijuana's Historical Society, during the 1930s there was a small bullring where el Roble sits and it was in 1940 when it became a movie theater, part of the era where movie palaces across the country were managed by the quasi-public agency Compañía Operadora de Teatros S. A., known as Cotsa.

They were concrete structures, built in the art deco style, which screened the movies of Mexico's golden era of cinema and from Hollywood.

In Tijuana, the most important of these palaces were Cine Bujazán, located on avenida Constitución between Sixth and Seventh streets downtown; and the Gran Cinema, on Fifth Street at the corner of Niños Héroes.

The Cine Roble was remodeled at the end of the 1960s, becoming the best movie theater in the city.

That's where the best English-language films were screened in the ensuing two decades, said Francisco Martínez, 52, who worked as a projectionist at the theater from 1980 to 1990.

"I get very nostalgic when I see the Cine Roble. I not only worked there, but since I was a kid I went there as a spectator," Martínez said. "I'm glad they are remodeling it; I felt depressed seeing it languish."

The old movie palaces in Tijuana and the rest of the country shut their doors for good after the federal government sold them as a package with other media for $645 million, wrote Gustavo García and José Felipe Coria in their book ""Nuevo cine mexicano."

Their new owner was Ricardo Salinas Pliego, who parlayed his investment into two television channels that would eventually become Mexico's TV Azteca network. The Cine Roble was closed and part of its space modified and used for an Elektra appliance store, which remained opened for eight years.

Afterward, the place was shuttered.

Today, it has a new owner, Alejandro Ruiz Arretche, who also owns the local entertainment center Las Pulgas. The remodeling will cost nearly $3 million, said César Castro, the project's manager.

Castro said that at first the plan was to demolish the theater and build a parking structure. But then they thought it would be better to remodel the building because there is no place in the entire city with a capacity of 2,500 for concerts and theater productions.

Castro estimates the new theater will be ready to open by year's end.

Marco Nuño, who represents the downtown district, predicts that theater will spark not only economic but cultural development in that area, something he said is much needed.

Omar.millan@sandiegored.com