[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.

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