Historical Oakland Theater Transforms Into STEM Focused School
CoStar News
A former Oakland theater built during the roaring 20s is slated to be redeveloped into a school dedicated to STEM subjects. The transformation of the once entertainment hub earned the project the 2024 CoStar Impact Award for redevelopment of the year for East Bay/Oakland, as judged by real estate professionals familiar with the market.
Oakland-based Bay Area Technology Charter School, a tuition-free college-preparatory public charter school that focuses on STEM education, will redevelop the three-story building into a school with academic, administrative, and athletic spaces.
The theater is in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood that’s historically been under-served and low-income, and “BayTech has always understood the importance of being in a community and serving the needs of the students where they live,” according to Dr. Seth Feldman, the school’s executive director.
, first built in 1923, was used for vaudeville performances before transitioning into a movie theater in 1931 as films became popular. It was converted into a church in 1952 and closed in 2013, with much of the original architecture intact.
About the Project:聽The academic institution is redeveloping the former Palace Theater into a three-story STEM-focused charter school. “This transaction was the result of the collaborative efforts of the mother-daughter team of Haley Klein of Maven Retail and Shawn Klein of Newmark,” the brokerage said.
What the Judges Said:聽“Converting the Palace Theater into a charter school preserves a historic building while bringing new life and energy to it. This redevelopment serves both the students and the community,” said Rachel Kram, partner of CP Partners.
They Made it Happen:聽Haley Klein, partner at Maven Retail; Shawn Klein, director at Newmark; and Dr. Seth Feldman, executive director at Bay Area Technology School.
