UC Theatre
2036 University Avenue,
Berkeley,
CA
2036 University Avenue,
Berkeley,
CA
12 people
favorited this theater
The 1,300-seat UC Theatre closed in March 2001 after 84 years in business when the downtown art house was no longer able to survive on poor ticket sales.
An upcoming seismic retrofitting had been deemed too expensive by Landmark Theatres and its parent company, Silver Cinemas, which recently filed for bankruptcy. Already in debt and littered with unpaid bills, the UC could not afford the $300,000 retrofitting cost.
The only hope now is with the city of Berkeley itself, where the mayor is still looking into a plan to keep the theater in business and, possibly, even renovate the structure.
Many local residents hope that Gary Meyer, who co-founded Landmark Theatres and ran the UC in the late 1970’s, will save the theater and reopen it —a feat he accomplished with the Balboa, in nearby San Francisco.
Contributed by
Ross Melnick
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 35 comments)
Here is a 2000 photo of the UC Theater before it closed.
This website has a vintage photo of the UC Theater.
Here is an article I wrote about the u.c., I loved that place…
View link
Yeah, a great theatre.
View link
One that I miss daily.
1980 Photo
1986 Night Photo
The UC is coming back to life, as a live music venue…
View link
The UC was such a great place to see a film!
Growing up in 1970s Montana I did not have much of an opportunity to see anything but mainstream Hollywood movies. Moving to Berkeley in ‘86, it was the UC that made me a lover of the independent cinema. I too have been saddened when I have happened by there in recent years.
I’m curious to know if there are any photos of the inside of the house, prior to the fire in the 1940s?
I was so sad to learn of the demise of the UC. After my marriage ended and I became the sole parent of two adolescent boys, I began bringing them from Orinda to Berkeley 2 or 3 times a month. We discovered samurai movies together there: Zatoichi, the blind masseur swordsman, was our favorite. One evening I arrived to find a line for tickets clear around the block; the show was 47 Ronin, a samurai epic cherished in Japan. Also saw The Last Waltz and Woodstock there, discovered many rock performers thereby. Wonderful memories of the movies, esp. the audiences, and the ambience. My kids, now in their 40s, dearly remember those times too.
The February, 1919, issue of The Architect and Engineer of California featured a portfolio of the work of James W. Plachek, architect of the UC Theatre. There are two exterior photos of the theater and, following a page of text, two interior photos depicting the foyer and lobby (scroll down.) Pictures can be enlarged by clicking on the + sign in the toolbar at the bottom right of the web page.