Stories
The Henry J. Kaiser building is an integral part of Oakland’s rich history. Since it first opened as the Oakland Auditorium in 1915, the building has housed countless performances and cultural events, from Winter pageants, to Grateful Dead concerts, to speeches by figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The significance of these events is carried by the visitors who look back and tell their stories to future generations of Oakland creatives.
As The Henry J. Kaiser building reopens again as The Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, we know that this space is more than a venue – it’s a platform that connects people through space and time. Connect yourself to Oakland’s history through reading the Stories below.
Discover the Calvin Simmons Theatre
Inside the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts are 5 historic venues, none more glamorous than the Calvin Simmons Theatre. The proscenium theatre was originally designed in the Beaux Arts style of 1915 by architect Henry Hornbostel - a former student of École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Like other Beaux-Arts buildings – Oakland + San Francisco’s City Hall for example – the room features classical details and sculptural reliefs.
2023 Construction Recap
2023 marked the 3rd year of the building’s construction and the 9th year of the redevelopment process. In it, many significant milestones were achieved, from getting power to putting fresh paint on the walls to pouring the concrete deck of our iconic Lakeview Terrace. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of 2023’s major construction milestones
Calvin Simmons Story
Calvin Simmons story coming soon…
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