A revitalized Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts aims to become a vibrant community gathering space.
Scott Hargis Photo
For over 90 years, the Oakland auditorium on the edge of Lake Merritt not only hosted top performers—Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, James Brown, and the Grateful Dead, among others—but also acted as a gathering ground for the Black Panther Party and hosted leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., the Dalai Lama, and former President Bill Clinton. In 2005, however, the venue shut its doors, reopening them two decades later as the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts to bring renewed recreational and artistic entertainment to the Lake Merritt area.
“The building was redeveloped into its original state and is being run by a nonprofit arts organization,” says CEO Terri Trotter. “It’s ended up being a community-based project as it moves forward into its life.”
The refreshed center has various performance spaces—including ballrooms, a proscenium theater, a lounge, and an arena measuring 25,000 square feet—which allow for many styles of programming. Singer Brian McKnight, actor/singer Mandy Patinkin, and former vice president Kamala Harris have all made appearances recently amid productions such as Tina—The Tina Turner Musical and the kids-centric Dog Man: The Musical. The venue also hosted an evening of line dancing and roller skating. Upcoming highlights include a special event with Chaka Khan, featuring an in-depth conversation about her life and work on May 20, and a concert by the metal band Apocalyptica on June 3.
Trotter wants each audience member to find something that interests them at the center and its surrounding attractions. “I hope it encourages people, if they have not been out recently in Oakland, to come and give it a try,” she says. “We want to contribute things that aren’t going on now that can add to the experience of living here and visiting here.” hjkarts.org.