United Artists Theatre Berkeley CA About To Hit The Dust

[Terry Monohan]

Last nights big meeting with the city of Berkeley CA about the fate of the old classic huge art deco United Artists Theatre ended very bad. They approved the demolition . The new deveopers want to build a big housing complex on the theatre property in downtown Berkeley CA. They may keep the front and a little of the deco lobby they say in the new 17 story building. They bought the theatre from Regal for 7 million dollars.

The UA is the only movie theatre left in this big college town. The city is only interested in new tax money coming in town and cares less about saving this classic theatre building for a new generation to enjoy for movies or bringing in shows that never play the Berkeley stage.

The city needs to see what they do in NYC and other cities. The United Artists Theatre is built solid from 1932 with plenty of steel and cement. With a little more steel build up on the bottom they can build above the roof on the old theatre property to add more housing downtown.

Let the Planet Entertainment people do the bookings like they now do at the Fox Oakland Theatre and soon Castro Theatre in San Francisco.

When the destruction hits on this classic large former cinema with a big stage house there will be few places left in downtown Berkeley for entertainment just a city of empty lots like the torn down Shatuck Cinema and a ton of new apartments and condos going up now for rich college students to sit and watch streaming TV.

[Ryan Gallagher]

Oooof. So sad to hear. Our campus adjacent cinemas closed and were repurposed eons ago in Austin, but at least two in downtown are surviving (though only film about 30% of the time). Yeah NYC has done some crazy things to both develop and preserve historic theatres. I think one got jacked up several stories and new construction built under it!

This 2022 article is paywalled but seems to be the best overview of the project:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/28/b...uare-lift.html

[Ed Gordon]

In Seattle, we are lucky to have the organization, STG (Seattle Theater Group). They have be instrumental in saving classic theaters, such as the Paramount:

[Mark Ogden]

Yeah NYC has done some crazy things to both develop and preserve historic theatres.

The single largest structural move in New York City history happened in 1999 when the 4000 ton Empire Theatre was moved down 42nd Street so that the AMC Empire 25 could be built around it. They had inflatable Laurel and Hardy balloons pulling it along on rollers. It was quite a spectacle.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Not good! It's a really nice place... I saw Temple Of Doom there back in 1984...

[Scott Jentsch]

It's unfortunate that the Regal UA Berkeley appears to be destined for the wrecking ball. I don't know that saving the facade is a good thing, as it's just a cruel reminder of what used to be there, but no longer is. For those that have had similar things happen to historic theaters they're familiar with, how does it feel afterward? It just seems like it would turn the facade and marquee into a gravestone.

Speaking of NYC and impressive theater relocation feats, the one that came to mind right away was the elevation of the Palace Theatre's auditorium 30 feet above street level in Times Square in 2022. I was in Times Square in 2023, and you couldn't tell that it was there. From what I've read, the facade was lost many years ago. I regret not specifically looking for it, but I believe that it was surrounded by scaffolding and blended into the rest of the near-constant construction and reconstruction seen during my visit.

[Ryan Gallagher]

The single largest structural move in New York City history happened in 1999 when the 4000 ton Empire Theatre was moved down 42nd Street so that the AMC Empire 25 could be built around it. They had inflatable Laurel and Hardy balloons pulling it along on rollers. It was quite a spectacle.

The inflatable workers are a really nice touch. No one has time or will for such publicity/humor anymore.