Pi.1415926535, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts
A 1914 Oakland landmark, reopened 2026 after 20 years dark — five venues under one dome.
Published
Reasons to check it out
- Located at 10 10th St by Lake Merritt, in the historic building formerly known as the Kaiser Convention Center / Oakland Civic Auditorium
- Reopened January 24, 2026 after roughly 20 years closed and a $100 million renovation
- Now holds five distinct spaces: a full arena, the 1,500-seat Calvin Simmons Theatre, a speakeasy-style lounge, and two ballrooms
- The building previously hosted the Grateful Dead, James Brown and Bruce Lee's 1964 karate demonstration before its early-2000s closure
- Reopening came alongside a reported labor dispute with IATSE Local 107 stagehands over the venue's staffing contract
“Twenty years dark is long enough that most cities would have torn it down instead of reopening it as five rooms.”
— plinio, Near
Facing Lake Merritt, the domed building at 10 10th St has worn several names across a century — Oakland Civic Auditorium, then Kaiser Convention Center — and hosted acts as varied as the Grateful Dead, James Brown, and Bruce Lee's 1964 karate demonstration before closing roughly 20 years ago.
Five venues in one reopened landmark
It reopened January 24, 2026 as the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, following a $100 million renovation. The building now holds five distinct performance and event spaces under its landmark dome: a full arena, the 1,500-seat Calvin Simmons Theatre, a speakeasy-style lounge, and two ballrooms — a scale of reopening rare for a building that sat dark for two decades.
The relaunch wasn't without friction. Oaklandside reported a labor dispute between the venue and IATSE Local 107, the stagehands' union, over the staffing contract governing the reopened building — worth knowing for anyone curious about how the venue is actually run day to day, not just what's programmed inside it.
For more of the Lake Merritt area's cultural spots, the venue sits within walking distance of the lake itself and Oakland's broader downtown arts corridor.
Sources: CBS News — Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts reopening, ABC7 News — Kaiser Center for the Arts grand reopening, Oaklandside — Kaiser Center for the Arts reopening coverage, Oaklandside — IATSE Local 107 stagehand contract dispute at the Kaiser Center for the Arts, Wikipedia — Kaiser Convention Center / Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, Visit Oakland — Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts listing
