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The forgotten history of the UC Theatre

UC Theater, 1917

If you’ve ever wandered down University Avenue, you mayhave passed a boarded-up marquee between ShattuckAvenue and Milvia Street and wondered, “What is that?What’s going on in there?”

There are two correct responses to that question. One wouldbe, “Nothing, anymore.” And the other? “Nothing … yet.”

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This seemingly abandoned building is actually a historicallandmark in the town of Berkeley. It’s been protected since2002, when it went out of business because of lagging ticketsales and a call for renovations that were just too expensive.

The UC Theatre, as it is called despite having no actualaffiliation to the university, was built in 1917 and designed byJames W. Plachek. Does that name sound familiar? Itmight — Plachek was the noted Berkeley architect of thecity’s original Main Library and the Martin Luther King, Jr.Civic Center Building. Opened as the movie industry began to boom in America, the “motionpicture theater” was designed to seat up to 1,300 patrons. And it did, serving thousands ofcustomers who came to see movies as they evolved from black-and-white silent films toTechnicolor “talkies.”

Closed only briefly for a remodeling after a 1940 fire, the theater continued to show featurefilms until the 1970s, when the ownership of the building switched hands. Gary Meyer, apartner of Landmark Theaters, the largest independent art-house movie theater chain inAmerica, acquired the UC Theatre in 1976.

After that, the UC Theatre began to show revival films, usually in double or triple features,becoming one of the foremost venues in the Bay Area to play both domestic and foreignclassics. It became known for its late-night live “Rocky Horror Picture Show” renditionsuntil 2001, when the theater was closed because it needed seismic retrofitting andLandmark Theaters could not afford it.

UC Theatre, 1942

Despite the theater standing bare-boned for a few years after its closing, the city hoped itwould be saved. Different plans were considered, from Oakland’s Kimball’s Carnival lookingto turn it into a jazz club in 2005 to a possible reopening by Meyer as a movie palace again.

Finally, in 2009, the current plan of converting the theater into a musical venue wasproposed by David Mayeri, Berkeley native and UC Berkeley alumnus, of Bill GrahamPresents, an entertainment company that works to promote musicians and organizeconcerts. Mayeri got his start in the music industry with an internship at the BerkeleyCommunity Theatre.

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He hopes to be able to provide the same opportunities to current Berkeley residents and, asa means of reopening the theater and carrying out his proposition, set up a nonprofitorganization through which to start the project. The Berkeley Music Group, as it is called,seeks to “oversee the theater’s refurbishment, its concerts and youth-oriented educationalprogramming.”

Interior of UC Theatre currently

At the theater’s press conference on Wednesday, he announced that the theater is officiallyslated to reopen by fall 2015 after undergoing construction beginning this summer. TheBerkeley Music Group has already raised more than half of the $5.2 million that the projectneeds for reconstruction, which will implement a state-of-the-art audio sound system andtheatrical lighting, build a general admission floor and remodel cabaret-style tables andchairs in the seating hall. Overall, the total capacity will be 1,460 people.

The UC Theatre is already well on its way to becoming a staple in the Downtown Berkeleyarts district. Once the theater is open, he said, it will host up to 100 musical acts, filmshowings, comedians and speaker lectures a year. It will be both open to the public forcommunity events and available for private rental for parties. Mayeri and Berkeley cityofficials, including Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, hope the reopening of the theater willrevitalize University Avenue, providing an economic boost for surrounding stores andrestaurants.

In addition, the Berkeley Music Group is set to initiate programs for youth at the theater.After a career in concert production of more than 30 years, Mayeri will re-establish the sametypes of experiences he had that first got him interested in it. He will offer hands-onworkshops, internships and paid job opportunities to Berkeley residents ages 17 through 25to foster community involvement through cultural events.

The forgotten history of the UC Theatre | The Daily Californian http://www.dailycal.org/2014/04/25/forgotten-history-uc-theatre/

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Digital rendering of the reopened UC Theatre

UC Berkeley students, both those interested in the music industry and event production andthose who simply enjoy a good time, will be wise to take advantage of the new “old” theaterwhen it reopens its doors next year.

Image Sources: Rina Neiman of the Berkeley Music Group

Contact Holly Secon at hsecon@dailycal.org.

Correction(s):A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that David Mayeri interned at the UCTheatre. In fact, he interned at the Berkeley Community Theatre.

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