1 week Ago By Martin Snapp
Once upon a time, there were more movie theaters in Berkeley than there were in Hollywood, all of them over-the-top pleasure palaces that made walking past them on streets like Shattuck Avenue a sheer delight. Even more dazzling was what you found when you went inside, with all stops pulled out to provide a truly sumptuous visual feast.The queen of them all was the gorgeous 1,800-seat United Artists, built in 1932 by Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and D.
W. Griffith, titans of Hollywood’s Golden Age.Related ArticlesSnapp Shots: Remembering ‘Berkeley’s Waving Man’ ahead of his birthdaySnapp Shots: East Bay’s Habitot Children’s Museum needs new homeWith Art Deco chandeliers, railings glistening like silver as well as Roman drinking fountains spouting sparkling ice water, it was a visual experience that first-time moviegoers would never forget — and that was before the movie even started.
A local newspaper called opening night “the greatest theatrical event in the history of Berkeley.”Berkeley’s theaters survived the Great Depression, World War II and competition from television, video cassettes and DVDs, but they were no match for the pandemic. One by one, they started closing and were bought by developers who tore them down to make way for apartment buildings.
Now, only the UA Is left standing, and it’s in danger of meeting the same ignominious end. It staved off demolition once before by turning into a multiplex, but the developer who now owns the building wants Berkeley to give him permission to raze it and erect an apartment tower, with only the façade and lobby (which would be converted to a café) preserved to “maintain the Art Deco look and feel” of the theater’s interior.Local preservationists say that’s not enough, arguing that the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA, for short) requires the city to conduct an environmental impact review before greenlighting the demolition of any building on the California Register of Historical Resources.
And the UA is on the register.But last fall city staff threw the preservationists a curve ball by granting the developer an exemption to the CEQA review requirement. Now they’re hopping mad, and the preservationists plan to turn out in force on April 22 when the matter goes before the City Council for its final decision.
“We are not NIMBY!” says Rose Ellis, founder of Save the UA Berkeley. “We just want the city of Berkeley to follow the law!”I feel torn personally about this. I happen to know the developer slightly, and I like him.
He is not a bad person. He’s trying to make a living, and he’s entitled to that.I also feel for the preservationists.
For them, it’s not an economic issue. It’s a quality-of-life issue. Simply put, Berkeley is a better place to live in with the UA than without it, and its citizens have the right to insist on keeping it that way.
And I feel for the city staff, who are caught between a rock and a hard place. It’s no secret that Berkeley suffers from an acute housing shortage, and I can understand why they see this project as part of the solution.But the bottom line is what Mick Jagger said when he came to San Francisco with the Stones in 1981.
He was treated to a ride on a cable car, and, like everyone else, he was delighted by the experience; but his smile turned to a deep frown when he was informed that there was a serious political move afoot to get rid of them.“Once they’re gone,” he said, “you can’t get them back.”Herb Caen printed that in his column, and presto! No more talk of axing the cable cars.
I’m no Herb Caen, but I think the only solution is that good old American favorite, the compromise. When the UA was converted to a multiplex they didn’t destroy the orchestra pit, the vaudeville stage, or the sumptuous furnishings and decorations. Instead, they simply walled them off, and they’re still there!So let the developer have his apartment tower on the upper floors, making sure to insulate it from any sounds coming from below; and let the lower floors be restored to a glorious live performance venue like the Paramount in Oakland, which has worked miracles in invigorating the city’s downtown.
Or it could continue as a movie house or something in between.This is the first emotionally charged issue facing Berkeley’s new mayor, Adena Ishii (who, you might recall, I also like) and her City Council. I have no doubt that they’re up to it.
Martin Snapp can be reached at [email protected]..
