Fox Theater Ready for New Life after 30 Years

OAKLAND, CA-After 30 years of being closed, the Fox Theater’s neon marquee sign was re-lit last week at a public celebration for the historic building’s first step at a comeback.

The theater, which is located at 19th Street and Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, is a 30,000-sf building that sits on a 50,000-sf lot. The city has already sunk an estimated $2 million into the project, but has yet to develop a master plan for the project.

The theater’s further renovation may go either of two ways. The city is considering restoring the theater as a roadhouse, or transforming the space into an office and retail complex.The city purchased the theater from an independent owner in 1996 with the intention of redeveloping it into a performing arts center with a surrounding entertainment district.

The City of Oakland Community and Economic Development Agency and Friends of the Oakland Fox were present at the celebration, as well as Mayor Jerry Brown and several Oakland City Council members, at the relighting of Fox Oakland Theater’s marquee sign.