Park Theater For Sale

posted by budyboy on May 3, 2005 at 8:28 am

LAYFAYETTE, CA — I noticed the Park Theatre is for sale when driving by it recently.

Listing is by Grubb and Ellis.

Located in bucolic SF suburb where all the homes are more than a million dollars, and all the children are not only above average, but also have their own cell phone…

Comments (6)

scottfavareille
scottfavareille on May 3, 2005 at 9:02 am

I am a bit concerned about this, considering that Renaissance Rialto recently sold the Oaks Theater in Berkeley. I hope it doesn’t mean that the Orinda and Grand Lake theaters(two classic showcases) are in trouble. It is a shame that a small independent like RR is being hurt by the monopolization of the East Bay by the Century Theaters chain. I prefer going to both the Park and the Orinda for their better projection standards, better staff, and better(& cheaper) buttered popcorn.

budyboy
budyboy on May 3, 2005 at 12:26 pm

And Century owns the Dome in Pleasant Hill, which puts it in a precarious position. Seems that the old Dimension 150 theater is worth preserving, I still go there to see movies even though the staff is oblivious to the majic of the place, ie, they never use the curtains any more, (when I asked the Asst Mgr he didn’t even know if they worked!) and the big screen is just used as any billboard on the highway. Shame, shame………

scottfavareille
scottfavareille on May 3, 2005 at 12:58 pm

And the Dome in Pleasant Hill is scheduled to be razed & replaced with a new CineArts as part of the rebuilding of that shopping center in which it is in.

FoxFan
FoxFan on May 3, 2005 at 6:10 pm

Don’t you folks know that CENTURY THEATRES owns the shopping center that their old Pleasant Hill domes reside? Surprise! Surprise!
They are putting indies out of business all over the United States.
The Justice Dept is in the process of investigating them now.
Its true! Do a google search and see all the articles ranging from
Sacramento, San Jose down to Palm Springs!

Gogo
Gogo on May 4, 2005 at 1:39 pm

Nooo not the Park Theater too! Didn’t Renaissance Rialto also operate Movies By the Bay in the old Alameda navy base? That was a great theater that featured only classic movies.

I hope the Orinda won’t be next. It is my all time favorite theater in the SF bay area.

GaryParks
GaryParks on May 5, 2005 at 1:26 pm

This shouldn’t be taken as totally solid fact, but this is what I have heard: Renaissance Rialto will vacate the Orinda when their lease is up in ‘06. I’m not sure about the Oaks, but they’re looking to be out of there soon. The theatre on the old Alameda Naval Air Station is still going to be used for auctions, and the Grand Lake will carry on as it always has, being the only regular movie house operated by RR. I have a feeling there will be others very much interested in operating the Orinda. The citizens of that area fought very hard to keep it in the 1980s. Indeed, one of the reasons—maybe even the chief one—Orinda incorporated as a city was to have a say in the theatre’s fate.

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