Empress Theatre (California) repainted and the "Empress Theatre" sign was painted into the pediment. Its window panels were uncovered and refurbished, seats from Fox Theatres were salvaged and installed, gypsum decoration was re-gilded, and period-appropriate carpeting was laid. The Empress thrived throughout the decade. 1989 On Tuesday October 17, the Loma Prieta earthquake, measuring 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale, shook the San Francisco Bay Area; the Empress Theatre was not spared. To repair damage from the quake and make the building seismically safe for use was a task so monumental that it caused the theatre to sit vacant and derelict for nearly
George Coates Francisco. Coates collaborated with Steve Jobs in 1988 to create a multimedia production for the unveiling of Jobs' NeXT Computer System and was featured for this production in the 2015 film, "Steve Jobs", directed by Danny Boyle and written by Aaron Sorkin. Coates' "Right Mind" opened the American Conservatory Theater's 1989-1990 season. It was brought to a close October 17, 1989 when the Loma Prieta earthquake caused extensive damage to the landmark Geary Theater, with the set for "Right Mind" on stage. A year to the day after the earthquake, Coates’ show "Architecture of Catastrophic Change" opened in his new