Editing Pleasant Hill, California (section)

== History and architecture ==

Before colonization the area was inhabited by members of the [[Bay Miwok]] people. The San Ramon Valley Branch Line of the [[Southern Pacific]] entered service in 1891 with two [[flag stop]]s in the area that would become the City of Pleasant Hill: Hookston, located today where the [[Iron Horse Regional Trail]] crosses Hookston Road, and Sparkle, where the Southern Pacific and [[Sacramento Northern Railway]] intersected and today stands the Pleasant Hill [[BART]] station. The area began to be [[Suburbanization|suburbanized]] in the 1920s following [[Prohibition in the United States|prohibition]], as the many local [[vineyard]]s were removed and the formerly agricultural land was subdivided for housing. Monument Boulevard was named after the Soldiers Memorial Monument to commemorate veterans and war dead of [[World War I]] from Contra Costa County. It was erected on December 11, 1927, at the intersection of Monument Boulevard and the Contra Costa Highway, now Contra Costa Boulevard. The monument depicts one black and three white soldiers. It is {{convert|45|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} tall, constructed of formed concrete, and weighs 150 tons. In 1954 the monument was moved to its current site at the intersection of Boyd Road and Contra Costa Boulevard to make way for the construction of [[Interstate 680 (California)|State Route 21]].

Developed largely in the years following [[World War II]], the area did not have a post office until 1948. The city [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] in 1961.<ref name=CGN>{{California's Geographic Names|681}}</ref>

[[File:Dome Theater - Pleasant Hill, California.jpg|thumb|left|CinéArts "Dome" Theater, 2013]]

On February 21, 1967, Century 21 Theaters opened an 895-seat dome theater between Monument Boulevard and Hookston Road, just off I-680. The futuristic dome-topped cinema became an iconic landmark for the newly incorporated city.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22148831/dome-movie-theater-pleasant-hill-may-be-demolished |title = Dome' theater may be demolished |work = San Jose Mercury News |date = March 12, 2013 |access-date = January 1, 2014 |author = White, Lisa P. }}</ref> The theater was designed by prolific Bay Area architect Vincent&nbsp;G. Raney. It had a distinctive 50-foot-high domed ceiling and oversized curved screen. The theater was initially built to showcase the [[Cinerama]] widescreen process developed in the 1950s. The screen was later updated to standard flat-screen.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://cinematreasures.org/architects/94 |title = Architects &#124; Vincent G. Rainey |publisher = Cinema Treasures |access-date = January 1, 2014 }}</ref> In 1973, four additional single-screen auditoriums were added to the front of the building. Renamed as Century&nbsp;5 Theatres, it continued to be known familiarly as the Dome.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=2718 |title = Cinema Tour Database |publisher = Cinematour.com |work = Cinema History Around the World: CinéArts at Pleasant Hill |access-date = January 1, 2014 }}</ref>

The city hall of Pleasant Hill was designed by architect Charles Moore. Completed in the late 20th century, it has won several awards for architectural design.

For most of its history, Pleasant Hill did not have a true [[downtown]] or [[Main Street]]. In 1991, the city began planning the redevelopment of the area around the intersection of Monument and Contra Costa boulevards. In July 2000, Downtown Pleasant Hill finally opened. The privately owned and operated outdoor [[shopping center]] was designed to resemble a typical small Main Street.

[[File:Dome Theater Interior - Pleasant Hill, California.jpg|thumb|left|Interior of the CinéArts "Dome" Theater on its last night of operation – April 21, 2013]]
Starting in 2003, CinéArts operated the former Century 5 Theatres, screening primarily independent and foreign films. Due to changes in viewing habits, as many people screened movies at home, business continued to decline. The theater's property owner, SyWest Development, closed the Dome on April 21, 2013. On its last night of operation, CinéArts screened [[Stanley Kubrick|Stanley Kubrick's]] classic ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]].''<ref name="demolition"/>

Sywest gained the approval of the Pleasant Hill City Council for its proposal to tear down the theater and redevelop the property as a two-story, 73,000+ square-foot building to house a Dick's Sporting Goods. Supporters of the theater submitted two separate appeals to overturn the approval of demolition: one by a resident of Pleasant Hill, and one by Save the Pleasant Hill Dome (SPHD) organization.<ref name="demolition">{{cite web |url = http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_23118312 |title = Demolition of Pleasant Hill's 'dome' movie theater put on hold |publisher = Contra Costa Times |date = April 27, 2013 |access-date = January 1, 2014 |last = White |first = Lisa P. }}</ref> Both appeals were voted down by a majority of the city council; Mayor Michael G. Harris and councilmember Ken Carlson voted in favor of the appeal.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22802037/film-buffs-try-save-pleasant-hills-dome-movie |title = Film buffs try to save East Bay dome movie theater |work = San Jose Mercury News |date = March 18, 2013 |access-date = January 1, 2014 |author = White, Lisa P. }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.contracostatimes.com/contra-costa-times/ci_22987386/fans-pleasant-hills-dome-movie-theater-file-appeal |title = Fans of Pleasant Hill's 'dome' movie theater file appeal to stop demolition |publisher = Contra Costa Times |date = April 9, 2013 |access-date = January 1, 2014 |last = White |first = Lisa P. }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.contracostatimes.com/contra-costa-times/ci_23065867/pleasant-hills-dome-movie-theater-screens-fade-black |title = Pleasant Hill's 'dome' movie theater screens fade to black Sunday |publisher = Contra Costa Times |date = April 19, 2013 |access-date = January 1, 2014 |last = White |first = Lisa P. }}</ref> SyWest had the Dome demolished on May 8, 2013, precluding any further court action.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Pleasant-Hill-s-movie-dome-destroyed-4499940.php |title = Pleasant Hill's movie dome destroyed |publisher = SFGate |date = May 8, 2013 |access-date = January 1, 2014 |author = Jones, Carolyn }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.contracostatimes.com/contra-costa-times/ci_23199465/pleasant-hills-dome-movie-theater-demolished-this-morning |title = Pleasant Hill's dome movie theater demolished this morning |publisher = Contra Costa Times |date = May 8, 2013 |access-date = January 1, 2014 |last = White |first = Lisa P. }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/dome-pleasant-hill-demolished-despite-community-op/nXmDr/ |title = Dome theater in Pleasant Hill demolished despite community opposition |publisher = KTVU |date = December 20, 2013 |access-date = January 1, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140102200109/http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/dome-pleasant-hill-demolished-despite-community-op/nXmDr/ |archive-date = January 2, 2014 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

On October 14, 2019, a magnitude 4.5 earthquake shook the city.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/earthquake-san-francisco-pleasant-hill-4-5-magnitude/ |title=4.5 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Near Pleasant Hill; Felt Around Bay Area |work=[[CBS News]] |date=October 15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-14/earthquake-4-7-quake-reported-near-walnut-creek-calif |title=San Francisco Bay Area rattled by 4.5 earthquake |date=October 14, 2019 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |first1=Rong-Gong |last1=Lin II |first2=Jacyln |last2=Cosgrove |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015063653/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-14/earthquake-4-7-quake-reported-near-walnut-creek-calif |archive-date=October 15, 2019 |url-status=live |url-access=limited}}</ref>