Mission & Purpose

Our most urgent goal is to rescue the UA Berkeley from destruction. To that end, we are trying to raise awareness among the public, the media, and city leaders about the immense architectural and historical value of this theater, whose resplendent Art Deco origins have been obscured by decades of multiplex retrofits.

We are also calling on city leaders to landmark the building (more on that below).

What the public needs to know is that, despite outward appearances, the UA is a palatial Art Deco theater that is capable of being restored to its original grandeur. Opened to enthusiastic crowds in 1932, the theater was built with 1,800 seats, a stage, 12 dressing rooms, a green room, and orchestra pit—features that are believed to still exist. It also boasts an abundance of splendid Art Deco decor such as railings, light fixtures, and murals that have been well maintained over the decades.

This is why we argue that the city of Berkeley has an incredible opportunity to have, anchoring its downtown, a theater on par with the Paramount in Oakland. A restored UA wouldn’t have to remain a movie house. It has the potential for a range of offerings including live music, theater, musicals, dance, speaking events, and private parties.

Panoramic Interests, a San Francisco-based real estate developer working with Trachtenberg Architects, has filed an application with the city of Berkeley to demolish the theater (except the facade and part of the lobby) to build a 17-story tower of residential units, only a tiny fraction of which would be deemed affordable. A state law (SB 330) has the proposal on a fast track. Building more housing is undoubtedly of vital importance, but we feel that the city can meet its housing goals without tearing down this magnificent theater with so much potential.

We are calling on the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission to confer local landmark status on the UA Berkeley, which arguably should have been done many years ago. While this designation would not necessarily stop the housing proposal from moving to approval, we argue that landmarking the building could aid the preservation effort and in the end it is the right thing for city leaders to do. The City Council, Planning Commission, and Civic Arts Commission also have the power to landmark the UA.

In the end, we want to work with city leaders to find a way to save the entire UA from ruin, so that it can be preserved for future generations.