Grand Lake Theatre
Oakland, CA Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo
The grand opening of the Grand Lake Theatre was March 6, 1926. It opened
as a vaudeville show and silent movie house. You can still hear the sounds
of the Mighty Wurlitzer on Friday and Saturday nights! Expanded in 1981
and 1985, converting balcony seating and storefronts along Grand Avenue
into multi-screen auditoriums. Many thanks to Adriene Biondo for info.
Look up at the big rooftop sign above Oakland’s Grand Lake Theatre. This movie palace doesn’t leave all the entertainment to the screen. The enormous illuminated display puts on a show over the neighborhood, giving passing motorists something to admire without even stopping at the ticket window.
The Grand Lake opened on March 6, 1926, presenting vaudeville and silent films. Designed by the Reid brothers, it brought an elaborate movie palace to the neighborhood near Lake Merritt. Going to the movies here meant entering a building with enough decoration to keep the eyes busy before the house lights went down.
Grand Lake Theatre Marquee
Oakland, CA Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo
That rooftop sign deserves a little attention of its own. Measuring roughly 72 feet across and 52 feet high, it uses thousands of incandescent bulbs to create its moving light patterns. The sequencing mechanism works something like a mechanical music box, switching the lights through their routine. Quite a production for an advertisement perched above a theatre.
Keeping all those bulbs working has been a show in itself. When Allen Michaan took over the theatre’s lease in 1980, he and his crew replaced approximately 9,000 lightbulbs by hand. Apparently, bringing back a movie palace sometimes starts with a very long climb and a lot of screwing in bulbs.
Grand Lake Theatre
Oakland, CA Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo
The restoration continued inside. A second auditorium arrived in 1981, followed by Egyptian- and Moorish-themed rooms in 1985. The expansion gave the Grand Lake four screens while keeping the theatrical surroundings part of the experience. More movies on the bill, with a little extra scenery around the seats.
The street-level marquee has also become an attraction beyond announcing films. Management’s political and social messages have given passing traffic plenty to read over the years. At the Grand Lake, checking the marquee can involve more than deciding which movie to see.
Grand Lake Theatre
Oakland, CA Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo
Inside, the Mighty Wurlitzer carries on another movie-palace tradition. Live organ performances recall the days when a theatre supplied its own musical entertainment, adding something that a recording over the speakers can’t quite duplicate.
UPDATE: The Grand Lake remains open and reached its 100th anniversary in March 2026. Restoration continues, including a major effort to maintain the rooftop sign’s historic machinery. A century after opening night, this Oakland landmark still offers movies inside and a light show above the street. Fortunately, the Grand Lake’s biggest attraction hasn’t been reduced to a photograph. 10-26
Tower Theatre (Closed)
Marysville, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The tall facade at the Tower Theatre in Marysville still gives the old movie house a little presence along the street. The coming attractions may have stopped, but the building’s name certainly fits. Here’s a theatre that knew how to rise above the neighboring storefronts.
The Tower opened on January 17, 1941, with Gene Autry in Carolina Moon. Designed by theatre architect William B. David, it brought a fresh Moderne look to a site with an earlier history of moviegoing.
After its cinema years ended, the property passed through several other uses, including an events hall and a church. Quite a change of programming behind that familiar entrance.
UPDATE: The Tower no longer operates as a regular movie house, but the historic building survives. Its distinctive exterior remains a reminder of the days when downtown Marysville had another screen to choose from. 10-26
Bal Theatre
San Leandro, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Check out the colorful entrance at the Bal Theatre in San Leandro. The facade and marquee give this old entertainment venue plenty of personality, making the trip inside look promising before anyone checks the evening’s bill. Even without a ticket, there’s something worth stopping to admire.
The Bal opened on July 1, 1946, promoted as the Bay Area’s most modern theatre. Its approximately 800 seats welcomed postwar movie crowds into surroundings described as dazzling and lavish. Apparently, a quiet little opening wasn’t the idea.
Bal Theatre
San Leandro, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The broad marquee provided room to announce the attractions, while the bold lettering above made sure motorists knew which theatre they were passing. It’s the sort of entrance that recalls Saturday movie outings and evenings spent beneath the glow of a neighborhood movie house.
The Dillman family purchased the theatre in 2008, beginning another chapter of preservation and entertainment. Live performances joined movies and community events beneath the familiar marquee. The names on the bill changed, but the old building still had a job to do.
UPDATE: The Bal remains open, hosting concerts, comedy, tribute shows, and other events. Performers now give audiences plenty of reasons to gather inside this former movie palace. Fortunately, the colorful entrance still leads somewhere, with another evening’s entertainment waiting behind the doors. 10-26
Colonial Theatre
Sacramento, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The old Colonial Theatre in Sacramento has had more than one kind of attraction on its marquee. Its Deco styling recalls the neighborhood movie-house era, although later years brought adult films before the doors eventually went quiet.
The Colonial opened on June 7, 1940, with a double bill of Married and in Love and Mexican Spitfire. Opening-night newspaper coverage promised a brilliantly illuminated marquee, giving Stockton Boulevard a new nighttime attraction.
UPDATE: The Colonial is active again as an events venue, including horror-film programs and Rocky Horror screenings with a live shadow cast. Another old theatre with something on the bill, and apparently a few more reasons for the audience to join the show. 10-26
Grand Lake Theatre
Grand Lake Theatre Marquee
Grand Lake Theatre
Grand Lake Theatre
Tower Theatre (Closed)
Bal Theatre
Bal Theatre
Colonial Theatre
