Oaks Theater

The Oaks was originally a single-screen theater; the auditorium was split in two about 1973.

According to the website the history is:

The Oaks Theater was originally opened in 1925. It was designed by the Reid Brothers, the architects of the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland and the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.

The Oaks Theater was leased to Renaissance Rialto in October 1994. It was immediately closed for a short time for restoration and renovation which gave this beloved neighborhood theater the look and feel to a classic movie palace. The Oaks was reopened in December 1994.

Noteworthy decorative additions to the theater are:

Chandeliers from the Fox Theater, Oakland

Wood and etched glass doors from the Garden Theater (San Jose)

Custom made light fixtures along the walls were made from decorative pieces scavenged from the long closed T & D Theater in Oakland's downtown.

Original Oaks Theater chandeliers which were purchased by Renaissance Rialto from the operators of the Oaks Theater in the 1980's were restored and reinstalled.

The Oaks is a lovely place to see a movie!

Even though some of the Chandeliers were "stolen" for use at the Alameda Naval Air Base theatre...but that theatre is BEAUTIFUL!

The owner here keeps a very comfortable little theatre to see films in. Needs some new seats...but theatre#1 still has a balcony that is used for overflow traffic. Good sized auditoriums and REAL butter. Check it out!

According to RR's website, The Oaks will be operated by Metropolitan Theatres starting Fri 02/18...

The Oaks opened September 15, 1925, in a gala that consisted of dedication speeches, a select photoplay program, a vaudeville segment(!, but then it did [and still does] have a stage fly tower), and a concert on the new $25,000 Geneva organ by organist Sebastian Apollo (the theater as a whole cost $200.000 to build). Originally Modified Moorish (or Spanish Colonial) in style, subsequent remodelings have given it an Art Moderne facade.

A group of neighbors is researching the history of the Oaks Theater. If you know anything about it, please email us at kevinconniesutton@yahoo.com, or call at 510-526-0831. We're starting a little "support" group to keep the theater alive.
From remarks above, looks like esp frenchjr25 and gsmurph know a bit of history of the Oaks. If you get this, pls email or call.
Thanks!

Here is a recent photo of the Oaks Theater.

This is a 2006 photo of the Oaks Theater.

This is another photo of the Oaks Theater.

A recent night view of the Oaks Theater can be seen here.

1940 Photo

1980 Photo

1986 Photo

Here is a 2008 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/dncen2

2008 night photo of the Oaks Theatre courtesy Tom Spaulding.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tspauld/2985049557/in/set-675202/

As this page notes, the Oaks opened September 15, 1925. One of the very first films to screen at the theater after its opening was "The Street of Forgotten Men," which showed at the theater from September 23-26, 1925. The film, which still exists, is remembered today as the first film in which silent film star Louise Brooks had a part.

The Oaks was a second run theater in the 1920's and 1930's. Other Louise Brooks films which screened there, after initially showing elsewhere in Berkeley, include

"The American Venus" (May 13, 1926 with "The Timber Wolf")
"A Social Celebrity" (Sept. 3-4, 1926)
"It’s the Old Army Game" (Oct. 10-11, 1926)
"The Show-Off" (Mar. 3-4, 1927)
"Now We’re in the Air" (Jan. 22-23, 1928)
"The City Gone Wild" (Jan. 18-19, 1928 with "Rose of the Tenements")
"A Girl in Every Port" (June 17-18, 1928)
"Beggars of Life" (Feb. 24-25, 1929)
"Canary Murder Case" (June 23-24, 1929)
"God’s Gift to Women" (July 22-24, 1931 with "Woman Hungry") **
"When You’re in Love" (June 17, 1937 with "Tundra")
"King of Gamblers" (Sept. 11-14, 1937 with "The Singing Marine")

** As far as I am aware, "God’s Gift to Women," made its East Bay debut at the Oaks.