Berkeley will lose Shattuck movie theater
Landmark’s Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley, one of the premier destinations for movie lovers in the East Bay for more than 30 years, will permanently close on June 1, the operator confirmed to The Chronicle.
“Our landlord is moving forward with redevelopment of the property, therefore our Shattuck location will close effective June 1,” Margot Gerber, vice president of marketing for the Los Angeles-based Landmark Theatres chain, said via email Thursday.
She did not share any additional details about the future of the movie house in the heart of the city’s downtown district, but the theater’s website is not offering tickets for any screenings beyond Tuesday.
A representative from the city of Berkeley’s planning department said the agency is not aware of the theater’s plans, but an application has been submitted to demolish the property.
“The proposed project at 2065 Kittredge (St.) involves the demolition of a building fronting Harold Way,” said Alene Pearson, deputy director of the Planning and Development Department. “But no demolition permit has been issued by our department as of yet.”
The Berkeley theater, which opened in May 1988 and has been operated by Landmark since 1994, occupies the space on the ground floor adjacent to the Hotel Shattuck Plaza in downtown Berkeley. Its 10 screens have offered a mix of Hollywood blockbusters alongside independent and foreign films.
Located a block in either direction from the UC Berkeley campus and the Downtown Berkeley BART Station, the Shattuck Cinemas underwent a complete renovation in 2008, introducing revamped lighting, seating alternatives and a new concession area. A bar and cafe called Lot 68 Lounge was also added to the lobby, allowing patrons to bring cocktails, wine and beer inside auditoriums during select movie times.
The name is a tribute to Francis Kittredge Shattuck, a founder of Berkeley, who more than 150 years ago bought the land dubbed Lot 68 where the theater now sits.
Hotel Shattuck Plaza is operated by Palo Alto-based BPR Hotels. The Chronicle has reached out to the company for details about the future of the property.
Chicago-based developer CA Ventures has submitted a preliminary application to build an eight-story, 189-unit “off-campus student housing community” on the site currently occupied by Landmark’s Shattuck Cinemas, according to a report last month by the real estate site SF Yimby.
A previous proposal for an 18-story residential high-rise was blocked in early 2020 by local opposition. The property was sold in March 2021 for $20 million, according to the report.
Earlier this year, Landmark shut
tered the Embarcadero Center Cinema, San Francisco’s hub for first-run art house movies for more than a quarter of a century.
With the closing of the Shattuck Cinema, Landmark, owned by the Cohen Media Group, will be left with 35 theaters nationwide, including four in the Bay Area: the Opera Plaza in San Francisco, the Albany Twin, the Piedmont Theatre in Oakland and the Aquarius Theatre in Palo Alto.