Through renovations, restorations, and origins dating more than a century, the Guild Theater has been a pillar of Oak Park, creating connections and memories across greater Sacramento.

Built in 1915, the theater was originally one of several movie houses that served Oak Park. After it sat vacant for many years, St. HOPE acquired the building in 2003 and brought new life and purpose to the space.

“At the time, it was completely dilapidated. It was boarded up for a number of years,” says Adrianne Hall, chief operating officer of St. HOPE. “When we came in, there were two feet of water down in the front, and everything was pretty much in disrepair.”

The Guild is Oak Park’s only theater still standing from the early 20th century. While a second renovation in 2020 introduced a bar, music studio, and a new front lobby, St. HOPE has preserved the theater’s original rounded arches and patterned brick exterior.

“Having this Black-owned theater was really important to us and making sure that we’re retaining culture in this area and bringing in events that are culturally relevant,” Hall says. “Being able to have control over that is what we feel is important for this neighborhood.”

The Guild hosts various free and low-cost events, including monthly movie matinees, an annual Black film festival, comedy nights, speaker events, and tours. “We try to keep our prices for our events at a lower cost to accommodate the community,” says Brandy Dean, St. HOPE’s special projects coordinator.

Many notable guests have spoken and hosted events at the Guild, including Olympian Allyson Felix, actor Jay Ellis, civil rights activist Al Sharpton, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, basketball great Isiah Thomas, and Martin Luther King III.

Unfortunately, some recent events have been cancelled due to low turnout, including Dedrick Weathersby’s Tutti Frutti: A Tribute to Little Richard Concert. However, the theater’s staff hopes to bring the event back. “We have a great relationship with the producer of that event,” Hall said. “We would love, love, love to have him back…we just have to make sure that the timing is right.”

St. HOPE, established in 1989 by Kevin Johnson, a former NBA all-star and Sacramento mayor, originated as an after-school program at Sacramento High School. In 2003, the nonprofit expanded to open its own independent charter school district.

“The purpose of St. HOPE is to maintain culture in the Oak Park community,” Hall says.

Hall has been a part of the St. HOPE family since 2001, when she assisted in project development, including their public schools and the Guild Theater. After serving as special assistant to Johnson during his time as mayor, she returned to St. HOPE in 2016.

Left to right, Brandy Dean, Dru Burks and Adrianne Hall at The Guild Theater on Wednesday, Aug. 6. As a former St. Hope student, Dru Burks says his passion is “bringing the community together” through the Oak Park venue’s concerts, films and events. Cristian Gonzalez, Solving Sacramento

Like Hall, the rest of the Guild team has deep ties to St. HOPE and Oak Park. Dean interned for St. HOPE in 2008 while in high school before rejoining in 2022.

Dru Burks, who has managed the Guild since 2018, was a St. HOPE student in the early ’90s. “’I’ve been here since day one, so I’ve seen St. HOPE start from back in ’89. But the passion for me coming back is bringing the community together,” he says.

St. HOPE also rents out the Guild and its connected outdoor space, Esther’s Park, bringing in events and crowds, including a church group every Sunday. “You get a melting pot of people that may have never come to Oak Park before, but now feel comfortable and are happy to come to a place in Oak Park and see what we’re doing,” Burks says.

The Guild Theater is part of St. HOPE’s 40 Acres Complex, a 22,000 square-foot facility on the corner of Broadway and 35th Street. The space, which gets its name from the unfilled promise of 40 acres and a mule given to formerly enslaved African Americans after the Civil War, serves as a “cultural destination” that incorporates components of everyday life, as Hall describes. The complex includes the theater, Esther’s Park, apartment spaces, coffee shop Old Soul Co., Fixins Soul Kitchen, and barbershop World Class Faders.

“It’s really cool to have this complex in Oak Park,” Dean says. “It makes it a hub here for people just to have enjoyment within the community.”

St. HOPE’s bookstore, Underground Books, is also a part of 40 Acres Complex. It continues to serve as one of the neighborhood’s few literary destinations, Oak Park’s library having been closed in 1993. Opened in 2003 by Kevin Johnson’s mother, Georgia “Mother Rose” West, the bookstore was created to provide the community more access to books and education.

“Mother Rose grew up here in Oak Park and was really passionate about this community, and she wanted to make sure that culture was retained in the neighborhood,” Hall says.

Mother Rose passed away last December. Her mission, though, carries on at Underground Books, which continues to host author talks and youth literacy programs.

The Guild’s history only continues to grow as St. HOPE sets its sights on introducing more community members to the space and its events.

“There are still a lot of people out there that say ‘I never knew this was here,’” Burks says. “Our big thing is to let people know that this theater is here, and it’s been here forever.”