Paramount Theatre (Oakland)

The Paramount Theater in Oakland, California is a marvel of art deco architecture, calling to mind Fritz Lang's Metropolis as soon as you glance at the outside façade, the woman on the mosaic a dead lookalike to the classic film "Maria", beautiful yet possessing only an empty stare. Oakland is a crowded place, so it is advisable to book Paramount Theater parking ahead of time. Home to the Oakland East Bay Symphony, the Paramount opened its doors in 1931 during the height of the Great Depression. Designed by architect of the Castro Theatre, Timothy L. Pflueger constructed this Art Deco masterpiece with a budget of $3,000,000, designed for both displaying the best of Hollywood as well as live action presentations. These days, the Paramount hosts live music, guest speakers and shows classical Hollywood films. The Paramount Theater can comfortably seat 3,040 people, which inevitably results in the need for these people to find Paramount Theater parking, should a film sell out. Since Paramount Theatre parking may be hard to find, the smart thing to do would be to book your Paramount Theater parking spot ahead of time with ParkWhiz.

Due to the weak economy at the time, it closed in 1932, but came back a year later, albeit showing only films. Pflueger was greatly influenced by William Henry Hudson's jungle fantasy novel Green Mansions for the design of the Paramount, which can be demonstrated by a motif of exotic birds, vines and even the auditorium seating, which features a tan-on-green leaf pattern. The Paramount features not only a beautiful lobby filled with rare woods, marble and inlaid gold, but also a custom-built theatre organ designed by Wurlitzer, specifically for the Paramount in 1931.

While the lobby is impressive, the auditorium itself is nothing but splendor, with all the walls and the ceiling containing intricate carvings of both people, wild beasts and impressionistic patterns, at times calling to mind the walls of Mesoamerican temple ruins. At times, the lights are dim, but the effect is marvelous, seeming to make the entire room shimmer with gold. The Oakland East Bay Symphony calls this treasure-palace home, playing musical ambrosia such as Tchaikovsky's the Nutcracker, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess and even Schubert's Symphony No. 9. Several famous guests have performed at the Paramount in the past, including Maya Angelou, Isaac Hayes, George Carlin, Bill Cosby, Elvis Costello, Wilco and Jerry Seinfeld. If you don't want to miss guests like these, booking a Paramount Theater parking spot before the show is a great idea, and ParkWhiz is a great (and inexpensive) way to do so.

ParkWhiz makes it easy to find Paramount Theatre Oakland parking; select the performance that you need Paramount Oakland parking for, select what time you want to park at Paramount Theater on the event date, and enjoy Oakland's Paramount Theatre!

Photo by: Carol M. Highsmith [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons