Stop the demolition of the historic UA theaterRead or Edit the Letter Dear Berkeley city staff, ZAB, and City Council, I’m writing to demand that city staff, the Zoning Adjustments Board, and the City Council take action to prevent the destruction of the historic United Artists theater at 2274 Shattuck Ave. in downtown Berkeley. It is unacceptable to let a developer retain a fraction of the facade and lobby while tearing down the palatial four-story theater itself. Built in 1932, the UA is on the California Register of Historical Resources, is National Register-eligible, and is also now a city landmark, thanks to an LPC decision earlier this year. Without a doubt, the building is a cultural and historical resource under the CEQA statute; the proposal to demolish it is a “substantial adverse change” requiring extensive CEQA review. The city must insist that all oversight laws and processes are followed and not give baseless exemptions to the developer. Constructed during the Great Depression by Hollywood icons Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford, the UA Berkeley is arguably the finest theater ever built in the city and one of the few Art Deco movie palaces of its kind in the state that could be preserved. Despite being converted to a multiplex 50 years ago, the theater is resplendent with Art Deco architectural detail, decor, and furnishings; it has been relatively well-maintained over the decades, its historic features surviving various retrofits thanks to local preservationists who insisted the original auditorium be preserved behind false walls. The Historical Resource Evaluation on the UA, paid for by the developer, is not an honest and credible assessment; it would be unethical for city officials to consider this document the final word on the status of this landmark property. The UA presents a tremendous opportunity for Berkeley. It has the potential to be restored as a glorious, midsize live performance venue like Oakland’s Paramount, galvanizing an economic and cultural renaissance in the downtown. The many cities in the Bay Area and nationwide that have chosen to preserve their historic theaters never regret doing so. Another option is for the UA to remain a historic multiplex theater that serves a public eager to resume moviegoing after the pandemic. The future possibilities for this splendid building are numerous—but not if complacent city leaders allow a developer to level it into oblivion. Berkeley citizens are watching with alarm as a mass extinction event for movie theaters unfolds: The Shattuck Cinemas has been freshly demolished while the beloved art deco California and the most valuable of them all, the UA, sit on the precipice of ruin. This all goes against the city’s Downtown Area Plan, which was the product of over 200 public meetings and explicitly calls for the retention and support of downtown cinemas. This plan is still in effect. Building more housing is no doubt vitally important, but it does not have to cost Berkeley one of its most magnificent landmark buildings in the UA. City officials must maintain control over land use decisions, fostering downtown development that maintains a mix of arts and culture and commerce alongside residential growth. The UA Berkeley served as a community hub and entertainment venue for 91 years, and that tradition should continue. Its destruction would be an irreparable blow to the city’s historic and cultural fabric that leaders must avoid at all costs. Thank you for your consideration. You can add formatting using markdown syntax - read more BCC yourself Sign Now 136 signatures Join us You’ll receive periodic email telling you what is going on and suggesting ways you can help. You can unsubscribe anytime – but we hope you won’t. Thank you for signing up! Name Email Sign UP Follow
