Oakland Kinema Theater

Oakland Photo Theater Fri, Sep 29, 1911 – Page 5 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California) · Newspapers.com

I’ve found more mentions of this house in the trade journals (Moving Picture World July 1, 1916; Motion Picture News April 7, 1917) and in the newspapers (The San Francisco Call October 30, 1912; Paramount Pictures ads in the Mill Valley Record various issues in June, 1916) as the Oakland Photoplay Theatre than as the Oakland Photo Theatre (San Francisco Call July 22, 1913; The Edison Kinetogram September 1, 1912.) The vintage photos do all show both “Photo” and “Play” on the marquee, separated by the name Oakland Theatre. Butt hen it did get listed as the Oakland Photo Theatre in the 1916 Polk guide. It would be helpful if someone could find one of the weekly or monthly programs the house probably issued,or at least a display newspaper ad for it.

It looks as though either this Kinema was operating after 1917, or there was a second Kinema in Oakland. This web page features a number of theater cards advertising both the Kinema and the Franklin theaters. Only one card, from 1917, gives the location of the Kinema, but the fact that so many list both the Kinema and the Franklin indicates that the whole set came from Oakland (there is also one card from the T& D Theatre,) and they are dated as late as 1920.

The Oakland Photo Theater’s architect/planner was Charles W. Dickey (who also designed the Claremont Hotel). It was demolished by Capwell’s in 1922 for a larger commercial building, also since demolished.