New Peralta Theatre

1488 14th Street,
Oakland, CA 94607

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Additional Info

Architects: Allen J. Yerrick

Functions: Housing

Styles: Mission Revival

Nearby Theaters

New Peralta Theatre

The New Peralta Theatre was opened in 1915. After closing in 1953, it became a church.

It was all but destroyed by a fire on September 27, 2004. The remains still stand in 2009 and have been repurposed for housing.

Contributed by William Gabel

Recent comments (view all 9 comments)

gsmurph
gsmurph on December 8, 2003 at 4:28 am

The New Peralta Theater was built in 1915 for Wallace Clark, a real estate magnate; the architect was Allen J. Yerrick. It was a Mission Revival-style theater that operated until 1953; soon afterwards it was converted into the Mt. Zion Spiritual Temple, a very prominent Black church (particularly in the 1960’s and 1970’s)founded by “King” Louis Narcisse. It remains a church today, though apparently not Mt. Zion.

gsmurph
gsmurph on January 4, 2004 at 3:54 am

A sign on the New Peralta reads WEST COAST KINGDOM—-MT. ZION SPIRITUAL TEMPLE—-apparently the church is, contrary to speculations in my initial post, still known as Mt. Zion.

gsmurph
gsmurph on September 30, 2004 at 6:31 pm

Some terrible news to report—-the former New Peralta, more recently Mt. Zion Spiritual Temple—-was severely damaged by a fire this past September 27. Though the church intends to rebuild, the building’s future is very much in doubt.

gsmurph
gsmurph on September 30, 2004 at 6:47 pm

Looks like another treasure lost.

gsmurph
gsmurph on November 6, 2004 at 10:37 am

Update—-As of November 2, the burned-out former New Peralta was still standing; its future still remains in doubt.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on December 5, 2009 at 12:41 pm

This was taken a few years ago. The aerial view of the roof shows severe damage.
http://tinyurl.com/yghpfea

gsmurph
gsmurph on March 29, 2014 at 12:55 pm

Went by there recently on the bus and repair/renovation work seemed to be occurring (FINALLY!). Not sure if it’ll be a church again though.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on October 10, 2021 at 8:57 am

Motion Picture Herald, Aug. 16, 1952: “The 450-seat New Peralta in Oakland, closed by William Garren, June 21, was set to be reopened August 10 by Robert Wells.”

robboehm
robboehm on October 10, 2021 at 2:51 pm

The theatre and the adjacent building were reimagined as the 6 unit Peralta Theatre Lofts. In the photo I’ve uploaded, Unit F, on the left is the former theatre and boasts 12 foot ceilings among other amenities.

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