HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GRAND LAKE THEATER

HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GRAND LAKE THEATER

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 40 (Tuesday, March 3, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 3, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E181] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GRAND LAKE THEATER ______ HON. LATEEFAH SIMON of california in the house of representatives Tuesday, March 3, 2026 Ms. SIMON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Grand Lake Theater, a historic movie palace located in Oakland, California. The Grand Lake Theater opened its doors to patrons on March 6, 1926, boasting a Neoclassical facade designed by famed Bay Area architects the Reid Brothers and a striking, 52-foot-tall rooftop sign complete with 2,980 colored bulbs. At the time of its opening, the Grand Lake was the largest theater West of the Mississippi River. Its 2,200 seats and full theatrical stage hosted silent movies, and many stars of the vaudeville era, including the Jazz Age comedy duo Burns and Allen. With the increasing popularity of so-called ``talking pictures,'' the Grand Lake transitioned to exclusively screening movies in the late 1920s. Even during the 1940s, at a time when the city of Oakland played host to 49 different cinemas, the Grand Lake stood apart for its opulence and architectural flair. The Grand Lake was not immune from the difficulties brought on by the decline of theater attendance in the post-war era. In December of 1979, the theater's ground lease was purchased by Allen Michaan's Renaissance Rialto theater group. Mr. Michaan invested heavily in the historic theater's restoration, expanding the number of available movie screens by renovating the original retail wing of the building into two smaller movie palaces in the Egyptian and Moorish styles and restoring the enormous rooftop display, the largest surviving rotary contact incandescent sign in the world. In the early 1980s, a Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ was installed in the main auditorium, delighting movie-goers with vintage music on Friday and Saturday evenings. In 2021, Mr. Michaan purchased the actual property of the Grand Lake from the descendants of its original owners, ensuring its future preservation. The Grand Lake Theater is a beloved icon of Oakland and anchor of the vibrant Grand/Lakeshore neighborhood. In recent years, the Grand Lake has played host to a vast array of community events, charity fundraisers, and film premieres, most recently debuting the films ``Freaky Tales'' and ``Sinners,'' the Oscar-nominated movie by Oakland director Ryan Coogler. The historic theater has been the winner of the East Bay Express's ``Best Place to See a Movie'' readers' poll for over a decade and, in 2025, was named by Variety as one of ``The 21 Coolest Movie Theaters in the World.'' I congratulate the Grand Lake Theater on 100 years of entertaining and dazzling the people of Oakland and the East Bay, and here is to another century of fun, community, and entertainment. ____________________