The Fox and the Paramount.
Miraculously, both the Fox (1928) and the Paramount (1931) have survived and are thriving in a revitalized Uptown Oakland district.
The Fox was closed for years; at one point the plan was to raze it and replace it with a parking lot. Miraculously, it made it through years of closure and neglect and then after a $68 million restoration it reopened in 2009. Read more here.
The magnificent Paramount also went through a long period of neglect and decline but was rescued earlier (in the in the 70s) and has been beautifully and lovingly restored. It was San Francisco architect Timothy L. Pflueger’s art deco masterpiece. Read more here. I took the interior photos at the Paramount on a tour – these take place on the first and third Saturdays of each month. Recommended. This place is stunning. Booking information is here.
The Fox and the Paramount (in this set), and the Grand Lake in the Lake Merritt set, are the big three surviving theaters in Oakland and…drum roll, are all still open! Bravo, Oakland!
