A developer wants to tear down the magnificent United Artists theater in downtown Berkeley, a paragon of Art Deco architecture that was built by Hollywood icons Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin. 

Operating from 1932 until February 2023, the UA Berkeley is one of the finest Art Deco theaters in the Bay Area and perhaps the only one of its kind in the state that is capable of being restored. It was built as an opulent vaudeville theater with a stage, dressing rooms, a green room, and an orchestra pit. When it opened to enthusiastic crowds, a local newspaper called it the “the greatest theatrical event in the history of Berkeley.” 

Despite operating as a multiplex in recent decades, it is still a grand Art Deco theater resplendent with lavish period decor that has been well maintained over the years. It is a historical landmark at the city and state levels and was found eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. 

Even so, a developer wants to knock it down to build an apartment tower. The proposal is to retain just a small fraction of the facade and lobby while tearing down the grand four-story theater itself. A state law promoting housing construction has the plan on a fast track. Housing is undoubtedly of vital importance, but not at the cost of a theater of such immense architectural and cultural value.

Meanwhile, Berkeley now has ZERO commercial cinemas operating in the downtown and only one left in the whole city. Short-sighted city leaders are doing nothing. This is unacceptable.

The city planning department is obligated to put the development proposal through a full review under the California Environmental Quality Act, which protects historic resources like the UA theater. Planners must not grant any bogus exemptions to the developer!

The UA Berkeley could be restored as a glorious live performance venue on par with the Paramount in Oakland that economically invigorates the downtown. Or it could continue as a movie house. The possibilities are many, but not if this historic landmark is DESTROYED! 

Cities benefit from an environment rich in cultural and artistic offerings—as well as irreplaceable historic architecture that connects the future with the past.

Please sign our petition and join us at savetheuaberkeley.org and on Facebook. (Please note: contributions solicited with your signature do not go to Save the UA Berkeley. They go to Change.org, which provides the platform for the petition.)

Thank you. 
SAVE THE UA BERKELEY 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo credit: Margaret Herrick Library