History
The Grand Lake was designed as a single auditorium theater by the Reid Brothers for West Coast Theaters, Inc. After it opened on March 6, 1926, it held vaudeville and silent movie showings, but with the arrival of "talkies" it began to exclusively show sound films. In 1928, the Grand Lake became part of the Fox Theaters chain, and in total, changed ownership five times until 1980. In 1980, the theater was purchased by Allen Michaan of Renaissance Rialto, Inc.
The theater's exterior is surmounted by a giant illuminated rooftop sign. Neoclassical faux columns and urns line the main interior space and the ceiling is adorned with a crystal chandelier in the lobby and classical frescos in the auditorium. The theater's interior artwork is considered to be Art Deco.
After purchasing it, Renaissance Rialto, Inc. spent $3.5 million on renovation and expansion. In 1981, the balcony of the auditorium was split into a second auditorium. In 1985, neighboring storefronts were purchased and attached to the theater. These were transformed into a small Egyptian Revival styled auditorium and a small Moorish styled auditorium. After the expansions of the 1980s, the Grand Lake Theater had a total of four screens and 1619 seats. The main auditorium is also equipped with a Mighty Wurlitzer organ hidden beneath the floor. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the historical organ rises for a brief concert before the movie.
Most recently, Allen Michaan has spent close to $300,000 to install twin 3-D projectors in two of the 84-year-old Oakland movie palace's theaters - similar to the state-of-the-art setup Pixar has in its private screening auditorium, and he also repainted the building at a cost of $170,000.
Michaan has said that "he will not let the Grand Lake Theater, ... die" in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.
Read more about this topic: Grand Lake Theater
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