CC SA-BY Our Oakland
The Palace Theatre at 1445 - 23rd Avenue was originally built in 1923 as a Vaudeville theater. The 1,146 seat theater was decorated in Spanish Mission style. 1 In 1931, the theater was remodeled to show movies and to look like a palace. 2 The opening article lists it as the New Palace, 4 but it was often referred to as simply the Palace. During the mid-1930s it was again known as the New Palace, apparently for distinction from the Palace Theater in San Leandro. There was also a Neptune Palace Theater at Neptune Beach in Alameda.
In 1953, the building was sold to the Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church.
Circa 2014, the building was purchased(?) by Lucid Dream Lounge, LLC, with the purpose of turning it back into a performance space, with a capacity of 820+ people. It also houses Kenjitsu Dojo Oakland and a number of artist's studios.
In March 2023, the building was purchased by the BayTech Charter School with plans to renovate and use it as a STEM education center including "a gymnasium, lobby areas, several classrooms and administrative offices while retaining much of the building’s historic architecture." 3
1950 Sanborn excerpt
Links and References
- Theatres of Oakland by Jack Tillmany and Jennifer Dowling
- www.palacetheateroakland.com website (via archive.org)
- Historic Oakland theater and church will become tech charter school East Bay Times March 16, 2023
- New T. & D. Theater Opened in Oakland Oakland Tribune August 16, 1923
