Will you fight to save the United Artists Theater in Berkeley?

Why does the scoreboard at Oakland’s Grand Lake Theater read in huge letters, “Help Save UA Berkeley”?

“Because it's an architectural masterpiece,” says Allen Michaan, the owner of the Grand Lake, who has been a regular at the United Artists Theater in downtown Berkeley since he saw “The Godfather” there in 1972. “Berkeley has lost so many absolute gems in recent years, and the UA, the most beautiful of them all, is the last one, next to the Rialto on College Avenue.”

The four biggest stars of early Hollywood – Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and director DW Griffith – founded United Artists as an independent production company in 1919 and expanded its operations to include ownership of movie theaters over the next decade.

On September 16, 1932, they unveiled their greatest creation: the United Artists Theater, not in Hollywood, but on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley. In the sold-out hall were Pickford and Bing Crosby, who signed autographs for lucky theatergoers. The biggest attraction was “Down to Earth,” starring Will Rogers.

This gem of a movie palace featured Art Deco chandeliers and murals, silver-gleaming railings, large men's and women's lounges with luxurious furnishings, and Roman drinking fountains with sparkling ice water. There was also a 25-foot-deep stage for live performances, dressing rooms, a lounge, an electric concert organ, a spacious orchestra pit, and clusters of blue, green, white, and yellow lightbulbs lit from below the balcony railing.

It was enchanting and although it went through many changes, including being converted into a multiplex cinema in the 1970s and 1980s, it has remained enchanting ever since.

Unfortunately, all of this is in danger.

In Berkeley, movie theaters are closing at a rapid pace, including the historic California Theater across the street, which a developer has final approval to demolish.

Now the UA, the best cinema of all, is also on the brink of collapse. It stopped operating almost two years ago and a building contractor has bought the cinema. He plans to raze the palatial building to the ground – with the exception of parts of the facade and the foyer – and build a residential tower.

The proposal is met with resistance from ordinary citizens like Rose Ellis. For her, the happiest moments of her childhood in Berkeley were the visits to the UA.

“I marveled at the beauty of the details, like the railings and murals in the lobby, and said to myself, 'Thank God this is here.' I wanted to come here and see all this beauty for the rest of my life,” Ellis says.

“I went to a Facebook group and read that people were saying it was a done deal, and I was like, 'Why is it a done deal? Isn't anyone going to fight for it?' I called my friend Ben Ondrasek, who is in a group to save downtown Santa Clara, and he always says, 'There's no such thing as a done deal.'”

“He asked me, 'Are you ready to fight for this?' I said, 'Yes,' and he said, 'OK. I'll show you how.'”

That was in April 2023. Since then, dozens of supporters have attended public meetings, while hundreds have written letters to city officials urging them to find a way to protect the entire theater.

They believe the theater should be preserved as a universal venue for arts and entertainment, like the Paramount Theater in Oakland. Fortunately, most of its signature Art Deco decorations and architectural elements are still intact, hidden behind the false walls that were built when it was converted to a multiplex. Or, failing that, it could once again become a unique historic multiplex. The bottom line, they say, is: Don't destroy this irreplaceable theater.

The dispute is finally coming to a head. The project should be subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because the UA is a city landmark and is on the California Register of Historical Resources. However, the project developer claims that a recently passed state housing law allows it to bypass CEQA review. Without the additional scrutiny that review would bring, supporters fear the UA could be doomed to fail.

The matter is now in the hands of the Attorney General's Office, which is expected to finalize the CEQA decision by the end of the month. But there is still time to have your say. Visit savetheuaberkeley.org online and click the “Take Action” button.

“Yes, Berkeley needs more housing,” says Michaan. “But at what cost? If we let this treasure disappear, it will never come back.”

Martin Snapp can be reached at [email protected].

Originally published: September 25, 2024 at 5:00 am

Will you fight to save the United Artists Theater in Berkeley?

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