Save the Lafayette Park Theater

10/11/2025

Check your mailbox for the newest issue of Lafayette Vistas with this feature on the Lafayette Park Theater. We are $2 million short of our fundraising goal and need your help to close the gap. Repost, tag a friend, and spread the word to help us bring the Park Theater back to life!

09/18/2025

🧩🍿❤️Park Theater now has its very own, limited edition 500-piece puzzle thanks to the Oakland Puzzle Co!!!

We were delighted that they chose to feature our iconic Park Theater in their historic cinemas collection - and just in time for the Layette Art & Wine Festival and holiday gift giving!

20% of all proceeds go to the Park renovation project, so please pick up your puzzle this weekend at the Art & Wine Festival (look for Oakland Puzzle at booth 616 near Safeway) or place your orders online. ( link in bio)

This is a collector’s item that will surely sell out!

08/01/2025

Board member Tracey Karsten Farrell interviewed by Jessica Aguirre on NBC Bay Area. Thank you for this feature on our mission to restore and reopen the Lafayette Park Theater. A must watch!

A transformation is underway in Contra Costa County. An historic theater in Lafayette that has been sitting empty for two decades is now getting a $12 million reboot.

08/01/2025

Board members Kathy Bowles and John McCormick answer all your questions about the Park Theater renovation and operation plans. Be sure to check out this great interview!

Kathy Bowles and John McCormick join Take 2 to share an update on the revamping of Lafayette's Park Theater.

07/23/2025

History uncovered!

During demolition, treasure was discovered in the walls of the Park Theater: a perfectly preserved, empty can of Acme Beer, circa 1941!

It is a tradition among construction crews to place an empty can of beer in the walls of a final project, likely for good luck and as a final toast to a job well done.

Our special can will be on display in the lobby when the Park reopens. In the meantime, we should all start thinking about which beer should take its place as a good luck timestamp in our beloved historic theater!

Plus, swipe to see more demolition photos by the talented

07/13/2025

Talk about good bones! Solid heart redwood beams and trusses from the 1940s. Our Park Theater truly is an architectural masterpiece.

HAZMAT abatement and interior demolition have been completed, thanks to

Next step is a building permit then on to construction with to begin in the fall.

We are targeting a grand opening by Holiday 2026 but we still need community support to reach our fundraising goal. Please share and spread the word!

05/22/2025

Thank you for this detailed feature on our efforts to reopen Lafayette’s beloved Park Theater! We are rising from the ashes, indeed, thanks to our generous community!

We still need to raise $2m to reach our goal. This one-time fundraising effort will allow us to refurbish this iconic, historic landmark and light up the Park Theater forever.

04/21/2025

If you’ve been downtown recently, you’ll have seen construction fencing at the front of the Park – yes! After all these years, the Park’s rebirth is really beginning to happen! 🍿✨🤩

✨First steps were to remove the vintage artifacts that will be reused in the “new” Park like the gorgeous Art Deco wall sconces, the teardrop lobby lights, and metal film cabinets.

✨Next, we had to find good homes for items that could not be reused. Thanks to Lafayette’s Sunrise Rotary, over 200-plus theater seats were dismantled, safely stacked, and tagged for myriad new destinations: over 100 went to Benicia’s Majestic Theater, another 100 were distributed to various folks in the community, and one chair is now at the Lafayette Historical Society!

✨✨Our target opening date remains the fourth quarter of 2026. It will be the 85th anniversary of the Park’s opening, and we cannot wait to celebrate with you all. ✨✨

➡️➡️Fundraising is ongoing – we only have $2 million to go! Please help spread the word so we can close this gap. LET’S GET THE PARK OPEN!!!! PLEASE DONATE TODAY!!! ⬅️⬅️

03/14/2025

YOUR CHANCE TO OWN A PIECE OF LAFAYETTE HISTORY🍿

➡️In our continued efforts to be as sustainable as possible, and to pay homage to the Park Theater’s wonderful past, TPTT is giving away the remaining 200+ plush rose velvet theater seats. One hundred of them were sold to a Hollywood prop shop late last year.

➡️These seats could be a very fun addition to a covered patio or sunroom, a home theater, or other special location. They are in terrific shape with individual cup holders and very comfy.

➡️NOTE: These are not the original seats from 1941 but seats that were installed in 2003, two years before the Park closed, so in fact they have been barely used.

➡️Chairs are available only in pairs or larger increments.

➡️Seat pick up will be from March 29 until April 5 at the Park (unless other arrangements need to be made); due to the start of demolition, the seats MUST be out of the theater by April 5 or they will end up in landfill.

➡️To take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, go to LINK IN BIO and claim your little piece of Lafayette history today! Thank you!

Dimensions:
• Overall Height: 30.5″ (from the top of the chair back to the floor)
• Seat Dimensions: 18″ wide x 15″ deep, with a fold-up design when not in use
• Width (Mid-Armrest to Mid-Armrest): 22.5″

02/19/2025

We are less than $2m away from reaching our fundraising goal! We have come so far, thanks to our wonderful, supportive and generous community and volunteers. A special thanks to the generous business partners who contributed in 2024.

Help us cross the finish line! This one-time fundraising effort will allow us to refurbish our beloved theater and reopen our doors. Donate at the link in our bio or message us for other ways to get involved.

02/19/2025

It’s all happening! We have almost reached our fundraising goal, construction fencing is up, and our dream is becoming a reality! We are so grateful for our community’s belief in our vision for a refurbished, revitalized and reopened Park Theater. We can’t wait to open our doors in 2026.

12/27/2024

Ready, set, GIVE! 💥🍿🎉

From NOW until TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, your generous cash donation or pledge can make a REAL difference for the Park Theater renovation thanks to a very generous Lafayette family who has pledged to match DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR every donation up to $25,000!!

Let’s ring out the old Park and bring in the new! Remember, all gifts are 100% tax-deductible AND cumulative toward recognition and fun perks once the Park opens. For more information, please visit parktheatertrust.org/how-to-help.