January 24, 2008

San Jose Repertory Theatre honors the Hammer family

Event to unveil ‘Susan and Phil Hammer Theatre Center’ sign

The San Jose Redevelopment Agency and the San Jose Repertory Theatre plan to honor former San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer and Board Trustee Phil Hammer on Monday, Jan. 28 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Their names will be added to the San Jose Repertory Theatre facade.

The Hammer family names will be added to the San Jose Repertory Theatre facade.

The event will take place at 101 Paseo de San Antonio (between Second and Third streets). Besides the Hammers, Mayor Chuck Reed, Councilmember Sam Liccardo Harry Mavrogenes, the executive director of the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, Timothy Near, artistic director of the San Jose Repertory Theatre and J. Richard Braugh, from the San Jose Repertory Theatre’s Board of Trustees will be on hand.

The San Jose Repertory was founded in 1980 and produced its first season at the Montgomery Theater in 1981. In November 1997, the company opened the doors of a dramatically designed state-of-the-art building on Paseo de San Antonio. The project was made possible through a partnership with San Jose, the San Jose Redevelopment Agency and the San Jose Repertory Theatre Company.

The new venue has allowed the company to grow and serve local audiences and youth with quality performances and outreach. Naming the San Jose Repertory Theatre's downtown building after former San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer and Phil Hammer, a member of the board of trustees, is a recognition of the Hammers' support for the arts and more than 40 years of service and leadership in San Jose.

As mayor, Susan Hammer led the effort to build a permanent home for the San Jose Repertory Theatre when she made the project a priority for the San Jose Redevelopment Agency in 1991. Phil Hammer was a key participant in the San Jose Rep's fund-raising efforts. The San Jose Redevelopment Agency contributed $28.5 million to the project, and the theatre company raised $3.2 million. The agency invested $60,000 in the sign installation.