Fox Oakland Theatre
Location | 1807 Telegraph Avenue Oakland, California, US |
---|---|
Coordinates | 37°48′28″N 122°16′12″W / 37.8079°N 122.27013°W |
Public transit | 19th Street Oakland Uptown Transit Center |
Owner | City of Oakland |
Operator | Another Planet Entertainment |
Type | Indoor theatre |
Seating type | Orchestra, Balcony |
Capacity | 2,800 |
Construction | |
Opened | 1928 |
Renovated | February 5, 2009 |
Closed | 1973 |
Website | |
thefoxoakland | |
Fox-Oakland Theatre | |
Oakland Designated Landmark No. 23 | |
Art Deco architecture | |
NRHP reference No. | 79000468[1] |
ODL No. | 23 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | February 2, 1979 |
Designated ODL | 1978 |
The Fox Oakland Theatre is a 2,800-seat
History
Originally intended to be named "The Bagdad" because of its
In March 1929, the theater was renamed the "Fox Oakland" when William Fox bought the West Coast Theatres chain and merged it with his Fox Theatres chain. The launch of the Fox was expected to earn high earnings in the downtown district. Reestablishing the movie industry, the Fox offered the opportunity to stray from the silent films and helped introduce the "talkies" by having a live stage show.[6]
Years of Closure
Attendance significantly dropped in the 1960s
By 1975 the building was in such disrepair that the City's Public Works Department presented a plan for the City to purchase the property, demolish the building, and create a parking lot.[7] However, their plans floundered and on Jan. 24, 1978 the Mann Theater Group sold the theater at auction to Mario and Erma DeLucchi for $340,000. A few months after the purchase, Mr. DeLucchi died of a heart attack and plans for a restoration of the theater never took off.[7] With the support of then-Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson the building was designated an Oakland City Landmark in 1978 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places the following year.
Restoration
In 1996, the Oakland Redevelopment Agency bought the building for $3 million. In 1999 a group of concerned citizens formed the Friends of The Oakland Fox and some badly needed restoration work began.[10] In December 2004, the Oakland Redevelopment Agency received a $2.9 million grant for further restoration of the theater.
When mayor Jerry Brown needed to find a new home for the Oakland School for the Arts, a charter high school dedicated to the arts, the task fell to the Redevelopment Staff who conceived of the idea of placing the school in the retail and office space that surrounded, and were part of, the Fox Theatre building. Restoring and reopening the theater in a shared use plan with the school was quickly championed by local developer Phil Tagami. Friends of the Oakland Fox played a role with the Oakland Redevelopment Agency in raising funding for the elaborate $75 million restoration process.
Reopening
February 2009 marked the beginning of a new era for the Fox. After being neglected for forty years, the once glamorous theater made its comeback as a 2,800-seat concert hall.
New Features
The Oakland Fox Theatre is the home of the Oakland School for the Arts, a charter school founded in 2002 which enrolls students from 6-12th grade specializing in the arts.[13] In 2011 Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe opened their second location in the building: it is co-owned by Green Day's Mike Dirnt. Rudy's closed on Thursday, July 26, 2018.[14]
Architecture
With terra cotta, rich colors, intricate gold accents, and distinctive dome, the theater's design redefined architecture in the 1920s. The interior of the Fox Theatre was delicately crafted and said to be described as "mystical".[6] With its intriguing resemblance of an Indian temple, the Fox Theatre was a fascinating attribute to downtown Oakland. At this time, theaters across the nation strived to be more than just a typical building. The designs of various theaters were inspired greatly by Middle Eastern and Indian architecture.[6]
See also
- Fox Theater (disambiguation) for Fox Theatres in other U.S. cities
- Grand Lake Theatre
- Paramount Theatre (Oakland, California)
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "Theater History". Friends of the Oakland Fox. 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
- ^ a b Fox Oakland Theatre Restoration Project. 2007. Oct. 2009 <http://www.oaklandfox.com/>.
- ^ a b Bagwell, Beth. Oakland: The Story of a City. Oakland Heritage Alliance, 1996.
- ISBN 9781439634059.
- ^ a b c The Fox Oakland. 2009. Another Planet. Oct. 2009 <"The Fox Theater, Oakland California | Another Planet Entertainment | APE Concerts". Archived from the original on 2010-01-01. Retrieved 2009-11-20.>
- ^ a b c d "Friends of the Oakland Fox". www.foxoakland.org. Archived from the original on 2011-05-24.
- ^ "Archives". Los Angeles Times. 22 June 2003.
- ^ "Homegrown Horror: 1978's Nightmare in Blood Unleashes a Vampire on San Francisco".
- ^ "Home". foxoakland.org.
- ^ 7
- ^ "President Obama at Fox Theater in Oakland: Raw Video, Photos and More".
- ^ 5
- ^ "Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe has somehow failed, will close Oakland branch". SFChronicle.com. 24 July 2018.
Sources
- Bagwell, Beth. Oakland: The Story of a City. Oakland Heritage Alliance, 1996.
- Fox Oakland Theatre Restoration Project. 2007. Oct. 2009 http://www.oaklandfox.com.
- Friends of the Oakland Fox. 2004-2009. Oct. 2009 http://www.foxoakland.org.
- "Kylie Minogue preps for first ever North American tour." Live Daily. 6 May 2009. Oct. 2009
- Oakland School for the Arts. 2009. Oct. 2009 website.
- The Fox Oakland. 2009. Another Planet. Oct. 2009 Fox Oakland.com.
- "Oakland's Historic Fox Theatre Reopens." CBS Channel 5, 5 Feb. 2009; Oct. 2009.