Alameda Theatre
2317 Central Avenue,
Alameda,
CA
94501
2317 Central Avenue,
Alameda,
CA
94501
25 people
favorited this theater
Showing 51 - 75 of 122 comments
What a joy! I lived just a couple of blocks from this beautiful building in 1961-62. Even at a young age, this place impressed me. It says something about the propriety of movies in that era that we went to the Alameda every Tuesday evening. It just excites me that folks had the foresight (not to mention money) to get this done. I live far away now, so I won’t see it in the foreseeable future, but maybe some day …
Saw Indiana Jones in main theater last night. I would not step one foot into the new addition, no matter how hard my husband tried. (I was never against the renovation, I was against the megaplex and the garage). What I did see from the doorway, the additon looked sterile. The original theater though is beautiful!!!
The one and only time I had been in that lobby was when it was a dance club in the 90s. I was trying to remember what my 16 year old self saw 16 years ago. My husband on the other hand who was a regular at said dance club went around and told me how these doors were always chained shut, how they used to hang out in this stairwell, how the DJ booth was over here. how these couches used to be red etc.
This theatre is beautiful, and the renovation of it into a modern cineplex is tasteful. I was completely against the building of the ugly parking garage and multiplex addition, and still am not crazy to have them here. That aside, the original building is fantastic. A wall in the lobby (opposite the original main entrance) has been carved out for a new snack bar, which now sits in the back of where the auditorium used to begin, but that is the only big change that I noticed. The murals on the upstairs mezzanine are in fragments, and hopefully will be restored soon. It’s been a dream of mine, for years to see this place showing movies again, and seeing the neon sign lit up at night is gorgeous and uplifting. I went to see “Indiana Jones” on Thursday night, for the 7pm showing, in the main auditorium. The screen was open upon entering the theatre, which was a bit disappointing, seeing as the lovely original curtain is still there. I know they are likely experiencing growing pains right now with the theatre just opening, but I was annoyed to find the brand new movie was badly scratched all the way through (after just a couple showings). I can only imagine this was the fault of an untrained or neglectful projectionist. The picture was out of focus for the first 20 minutes of the presentation, and there was the shadow of the film frame along the bottom and right side of the screen. The sound system is good, however. After watching this film, I went to check out the screening of “Singing in the Rain” that was happening on one of the newer screens. After a delay, because the film was threaded backwards (!), the movie ran fine. I noticed that both with the newer screens, as well as the main auditorium, however, that the screen material is highly reflective, resulting in glare (depending on where one is sitting). This is especially aggravating because it distracts from the movie. Hopefully as time passes, they will get their bearings and improve on the presentations, because the theatre itself is stunning, and a jewel for this city.
We went to the opening gala on Thursday, and also to see Indiana Jones on Saturday night. The 7 pm show in the main theater was sold out so we bought tickets for the 8:15 pm show in theater 5. We found our seats, very comfy, and everything seemed fine for us. This showing also sold out. The show started about 3 minutes late but I think that was because people were trying to find places to sit together in the theater with only 1 seat gaps left. There was a Coke left in my seat cupholder from the previous show that I got up and threw away, so cleaning crew may need some more training. But overall, things seemed to run smoothly and I am so glad to have the main theater restored— it looks fabulous.
Jackeboy—
Here is how to get there by public transit:
Take BART to the Fruitvale station. Take the AC Transit 50 bus to Park and Santa Clara stop. Walk one block south and one half block west to the theater.
We recently saw a show Ironman in the new theater. Our ticket shows theater 5. When we first got in the theater it was chaos, no one showed us where theater 5 was. We finally figured out it was on the second floor, but the signs says Indiana Jones. One movie goer went downstairs to ask and verified Ironman will be showing up there. So we waited until Indiana Jones is over, normally the cleaning crew would come in and clean the theater, we waited and finally decided no one will be cleaning. We got in the theater and sat down and waited for the show. My son decided to go downstairs to buy refreshments, but decided the line is too long. On his way up an usher asked him where he was going so he said to watch Ironman.. the usher told him that Ironman is not showing upstairs, but downstairs in theater 4. I lined up to buy refreshments, the place was messy, wet counters and the counter crew was in chaos and confused. One girl opened the popcorn machine, not knowing it was in the process of popping kernels. She finally realized this when the lid opened up and few kernels hit her on the face. Overall… this place needs better management, training for the theater crew, tickets should be accurate, lines should be manage, better signs…etc…
Any one know if the theatre is near a BART station, or any public transit from San Francisco?
Here is the link to the grand opening gala on 5/21 and the family opening event on 5/24: alamedatheatreopening.com
I took a photo of the cineplex addition yesterday. They’ve added the stucco walls and windows.
The marquee soffit is now restored and operational, with a firmament of yellow, red, and blue bulbs. The effect is spectacular!
The parking garage and megaplex is huge, ugly and I am sad. When you view the corner from Peet’s coffee all you see is a massive wall of concrete. The Twin Towers and City Hall are completely block from view.
When I first heard circa 2004 that they were planning to build this massive parking structure I wrote city development and told them about my worries. They told me not to worry and they are not in the design phase yet. circa 2005 when it was in design phase I wrote and became more involved and was told (as well as many others) I was too late, we should have made our stance known earlier… Now I wonder if my original letter was ever passed on to the correct people or if it was dumped into the trash.
I was never against the renovation of THE THEATER I was against the parking garage and the megaplex. It is ugly, ugly, ugly
During a recent tour of the under-construction Alameda I was given a couple of weeks ago, I was told that the colors of paint now on the vertical sign and marquee are replicated after the originals, which were found by scraping. They are consistent with the colors of signage popular at the time—definitely Jazz Age— orange and black being often combined with greens, blues, aquas, and turquoises for a very dramatic effect.
Also, the great amount of red neon on the signage is constistent with other theatres designed by Pflueger. In the late 1980s, I remember the marquee of the Pflueger-remodeled New Mission in San Francisco. Its marquee is very similar in design to that of the Alameda, albeit not as wide, being on a narrower facade. It was in near perfect operation at the time, and all the tubing, including the lettering, was red. I don’t know about the New Mission’s vertical sign tower as I never saw that in operation. A friend who grew up going to Pflueger’s El Rey in San Francisco (now a church, and the neon’s gone) tells me that the marquee and signage of that theatre had a similarly red-dominant neon color scheme.
If anyone’s interested, the marquee was lit up this weekend and I took a photo:
http://flickr.com/photos/gwen/2044845472/
Looks pretty swank though the lettering on the vertical looks atypically thin for this kind of design from that era. I’ve only seen [in person and in photos] the pre-restoration marquee, does anyone have photos of it in its original state?
I just took a hard hat tour Of the Alameda Theatre and talked with several people incuding Ken Koch who is working on the poject. The Lobby looks fabulous as well as the Auditorium. They have a new slope for Stadium seating that looks tastefully down. They have expanded the lobby into the back of the house for concessions which will service the entire multiplex.The Vertical Marquee has been restored and they are currently working on the canopy.I took a tour of the BaLcony which has been undivided but is not being restored at this time. I was told that more money was needed to restore the Balcony which isn’t in that bad of shape a little paint,restoration and seats.I wish the City of Alamdeda would step in and furnish the funds for the Balcony which then could be used for many civic events. I would at least restore the lodge part of the Balcony which are the best seats in the house. The painting has been done by Evergreen who is also working on the Fox Oakland. The Main Auditorium still needs its seats and light fixtures.I must say Im impressed by what I have seen thus far. The multiplex which is being built next store still has ways to go before competion.The historic Alameda lobby will connect to the new multiplex. This is the first time I have been in the Alameda since I saw “Thats Entertainment” in 1975. Ken Koch who I talked to at length grew up In Alameda and saw many movies during his youth at the theatre. He heads up the decorative electrical elements of the theatre and has been on site during the past four weeks and this is the first time he has been in the theatre in decades.I think the citizens of Alameda will be pleased and should insist that the Balcony be restored.brucec
I wish the Alameda success with there theatre. Is the Mezzanine portion of the theatre going to be used when the historic theatre reopens. Even when the theatre was tripexed the Mezzanine was kept with the main Auditorium. I hope the stadium seating in the historic house does justice to the theatre and not look horrible the way it does with the Egyptian in Hollywood. Most historic movie theatres always had a portion of the theatre as stadium seating either in the back Lodge area or in the balcony of the theatre. The El Capitan in Hollywood was restored many years ago now and the most popular seats are in the Mezzanine portion of the theatre. I have seen many movies here since the restoration and people race to the Mezzanine when they would let the line of people into the theatre.brucec
I’d like “Lost Memory” to contact me at “” We are planning the grand re-opening celebration for the Alameda Theatre and would like to see the program from 1933 you posted on this site. We want our graphic people to see it to use as a template for our program.
Please email me.
Best Regards,
Robb Ratto
PSBA, Executive Director
Terry and all other interested theatre lovers:
The work is really coming along. Steel for the second story of the new cineplex has been installed. Much more importantly, the scaffolding inside the historic theatre has come down. The ceilings and up high work has been completed and I’m told looks great. I’m touring the theatre tomorrow and will have new pictures on the Park Street website “shopparkstreet.com” by Thursday.
I don’t know if the downstairs auditorium in the historic theatre will have a curved scope screen, but I do know the screen will be either the biggest or second biggest in Northern California. The original curtain is being restored and will be installed later this year. The developer, Kyle Conner, had the THX people out to test if that sound system would work. However it pans out, the historic theatre will have the best sound system possible. The last time I saw plans for the cineplex, the number of seats ranged from 300 in the largest auditorium to about 125 in the smallest. The main auditorium in the historic theatre will have about 500 seats. The opeing of the new cineplex and the historic theater should take place in early March of next year. For the latest and greatest on the project go to the city of Alameda web site or to ours, shopparkstreet.com. Between the two of us you can really see how the project is shaping up.
Best Regards,
Robb Ratto
PSBA, Executive Director
Robb thanks for the info on the remodel. It will be great, the movie people of Alameda will have a big movie theatre to go to again. Hope they put in a big curved scope screen in the main theatre. And curtains that work. The stereo will sound great in the old Alameda. Do you know how big the smaller cinemas will be on the side building? When will be the grand opening?
Greetings to the people of Alameda from Ray Jordan, former co-owner and operator of the dance club in the lobby of the old Alameda Theater, known as the “Twilight Zone” on Friday and Saturday for young people and Big Band Swing on Sunday for us older folks. This old Art Deco building holds a lot of special memories for many of us. I know it does for me. On “MySpace.com” there are countless messages from former patrons, now in their 30s and 40s, reminiscing about the “good old days” (LOL) at the Twilight Zone twenty years ago.
In the mid-80’s there was much talk about tearing down the old theater. A group called the “Friends of the Alameda Theater”, through their strenuous efforts, kept it from being turned into a pile of rubble. Had it not been for them, there would be NO discussion about a MegaPlex theater today. Count your blessings.
We left the Bay Area in 2000 to become full-time RVers and world travelers. For the past year or so our latest adventure has been renovating a 26 room mansion built in 1837, transforming it into a Bed and Breakfast (www.allegroguesthouse.com) in the Adirondacks in upstate New York. Most of the 665 people in this tiny town appreciate us breathing life back into this old relic, though there are probably a few who don’t. Oh well. If Bill Gates were to announce that he was giving every person in Alameda a million dollars, you can bet someone would form a small group to oppose his generosity. Go figure…
Our plans are to get back to full-time RVing in the near future. We look forward to visiting old friends and family in Alameda, as well as seeing the progress and changes in the Alameda Theater. We’d love to be there for the Grand Opening.
We understand that, since we left the Bay Area, there have been major changes, such as the second bridge to Vallejo as well as a second bridge being constructed to Treasure Island. This is called PROGRESS. We all need to get used to it, and life goes on.
The Alameda Theatre rehabilitation is moving along very well. Seismic upgrades are pretty much finished inside the building. New pillars in the front of the theatre will be poured soon. Much more importantly, work is progessing on the ceilings. Once done, scaffolding will come down and work on the walls and floors will begin. Ornate details on walls and ceilings will be fixed as the budget allows.
If Timothy Pfluger were designing theatres today, he’d be designing them with stadium seating. The new rehabilitated main auditorium of the historic theatre is going to be a everyday working auditorium. Without stadium seating and the best sound system available it wouldn’t be able to compete in the very competitive Bay Area market.
The exterior of the historic theatre is not being changed (except for the enlarging of two existing exit doors that will connect the old with the new) for the new 7 screen cineplex or the new parking garage. In fact, great care was taken when the foundations of the two new buildings were poured to not undermine the existing foundation of the historic theatre.
On another note, not only did the opponents of the project lose their initial court case, they’ve lost their appeal and the appeal court refused to rehear the appeal. They now claim they’re going to appeal to the state supreme court. Both the original judge and the three appeals judges ruled that not only were they wrong in their assertion of what constituted the approval of the project (why they loss because of not filing lawsuit within 30 days of approval) both decisions went on to say that even if they had filed on time, they would have lost because they failed to prove their case. I doubt if the Supreme Court will even hear the case.
The entire project should be complete by this time next year.
So they are putting stadium seating in? That doesn’t sound like a bad thing.
I was born and have lived in San Francisco for most of my entire life. Now that I live in Alameda, it would be a great revenue for Alameda to revive and remodel the Alameda Theater so the Alameda residents don’t have to get out of the island to across town to watch a movie or 2. My cousin, Frank Lee and his wife Lida Lee own 2 theaters in San Francisco: Presidio Theater and the 4 Star Theaters. He is planning to revive and remodel the Cinema 21 Theater to open up a 3rd theater in San Francisco so the San Francisco residents have movie theaters to go to watch great movies! For more information of the movies and showtimes at the 4 Star and the Presidio Theaters in San Francisco, check the website: www.4starmovietheatre.net For information of movies and showtimes at the Central Cinema Theater in Alameda, check the website: www.centralcinema.net
Lily Leung
I think that Timothy Pfluger would turn in his grave finding out that the main floor of this wonderful theatre is being turned into stadium style seating, with only 450 seats?
Living in Alameda as a boy, I must state that I miss those wonderful days deeply. Along with the Old Rio on Park st. Many Saturdays were spent in the theater. I remember when “Trantula” came out and, then they ran “King Kong” wonderful movies. haha. You must remember to a young boy these adventuresome films were great and not forgotten. The alameda like the Oaland Fox, Paramount was really a first rate theater. I saw many wonderful films there.
When I see that these memories of the past are fading and, the wonderful years gone by, my heart sinks with sadness. The young today will never experience those great times. When “Rock Around the Clock” blasted on to the screen as the intro to Blackboard Jungle, the whole theater went nuts with teenagers dancing in the aisles. It was an experience that can’t be forgotten either.
The Alameda theater was beatiful in decor. well organized and maintained. It was never dirty or dingy. It was first class in Alameda.
I found a new 2006 photo of this Alameda Theater.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/echoman/239461013/