Franklin Theater - Oakland

1st Franklin Theater, 1916. CC BY 2.0 by CharmaineZoe's Marvelous Melange

There were three Franklin Theaters in Oakland over the years.

The first at 1428 Franklin Street, which was built in 1914 by architect Chester H. Miller. The first Franklin Theater was built for silent films and had a Kimball organ flanking the screen. This theater was demolished in 1928 when 15th Street was extended past Franklin Street.

The second Franklin Theater at 1518 Franklin Street opened in 1916 as the Bishop Theatre, became the Fulton Playhouse in 1918 and then became the Franklin Theater in 1935. In 1939 it became the Newsreel Theatre. After being demolished, the site was a parking lot. It is now the AC Transit headquarters.

The third Franklin Theater at 1906 Broadway at started as the Fox Theatre, and became the Telenews Theater in 1941, and the Franklin Theatre in 1943. The building was designed by architect Henry H. Meyers. In the 1950s, it was re-christened the Globe Theater. It was open until at least 1957.

1915 ¹1915 ¹1919? ²*

2* Note that the OHC entry online labels this as 1929, but that doesn't fit with building having been demolished in 1928 nor with the era of the cars in the photo. It is probably closer to 1919, when "A Man's Man" starring J. Warren Kerrigan (seen on the marquee) came out. Another movie called "A Man's' Man" came out in 1929, likely the source of the confusion.