Berkeley's Beloved Shattuck Cinemas To Close: Reports

BERKELEY, CA — Shattuck Cinemas, a beloved 10-screen movie theater in downtown Berkeley, will close June 1, a spokesperson for Landmark Theatres confirmed to SFGate. The theater’s website does not list any showings past Tuesday.

That will leave Berkeley with just one movie theater downtown, when it used to have at least six. The California Theatre, also owned by Landmark, closed in October.

The grand Shattuck theater, which features a large marquee and an interior with hieroglyphics on the walls, opened in 1988 in what had been the site of Hink’s Department Store, according to SFGate. It became well-known for showing critically-acclaimed, independent and foreign films not available in many other theaters.

Margot Gerber, a spokesperson for Landmark Theatres, told SFGate and Berkeleyside that “our landlord is moving forward with the redevelopment of the property.” A proposed project for the property at 2065 Kittredge Street would demolish the theater to build an eight-story, 188-unit student housing development with 3,265 square feet of retail space, according to plans submitted to the city of Berkeley last month. That project is set to go before the Landmarks Preservation Commission in June, Berkeleyside reported.

A former plan wanted to build an 18-story high-rise at 2211 Harold Way, but was defeated after opponents forced them to build a new 10-screen theater within the development.