Oakland’s Fox Theater To Get Facelift

posted by Patrick Crowley on December 3, 2002 at 11:46 am

OAKLAND, CA — The Fox Theater in Oakland, CA is about to get a huge facelift — with $750,000 allocated for the restoration of the theater’s facade — according to a new report from the Oakland Tribune.

Thanks to a $375,000 grant from the State Historical Resources Commission, along with matching Central District Redevelopment funds, the City of Oakland plans to restore the Fox’s store fronts, exterior masonry and terra cotta, and central dome.

“We’re excited the city got this grant,” said Gary Knecht, spokesman for the Friends of the Fox. “Even though we don’t know how or when the theater will actually be used again, we would like to hope that this incredible public treasure might be open for public tours within about a year, so that the people of Oakland can begin to realize what a valuable resource it is. We’re working hard to celebrate a grand reopening of the theater sometime before the end of the decade.”

In an earlier 2001 restoration, the Fox Theater’s marquee and blade sign were restored and relit at a cost of $650,000, thanks to the efforts of Friends of the Oakland Fox and the Wagner Sign Company.

Read the full article
Read the press release
View photos of the marquee and blade restoration