Downtown Oakland in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Uptown Saturday Night

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, November 10, 2020

1. Uptown Saturday Night Marker

Inscription. Live performance venues and movie theaters once lined the streets downtown, with at least a dozen as late as the 1950s. Many initially featured vaudeville acts and silent films. The Fox and the Paramount are the only two that remain as theaters today. A few other structures remain, but with different faces, some recognizable, some not. These include the Dufwin on 17th Street, the Pantages on 12th Street, and the Lux and the Hippodrome on Broadway.

Though Downtown never had the concentration of blues and jazz clubs once found on 7th Street in West Oakland, Sweet's Ballroom was "The East Bay Home of the Big Bands.” Performers included Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, Tito Puente, Perez Prado and Xavier Cugat.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment.

Location. 37° 48.337′ N, 122° 16.234′ W. Marker is in Oakland, California, in Alameda County. It is in Downtown Oakland. It is at the intersection of Telegraph Avenue and Broadway, on the left when traveling south

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on Telegraph Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Oakland CA 94612, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area

and on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: General Strike! (here, next to this marker); Crossroads (here, next to this marker); The Lathams (here, next to this marker); Latham Square (here, next to this marker); Latham Memorial Fountain Unveiled (a few steps from this marker); Breonna Taylor (within shouting distance of this marker); 1946 General Strike (within shouting distance of this marker); Oakland City Hall (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oakland.

Uptown Saturday Night Marker - wide view, looking north (with Cathedral Building in background) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, November 10, 2020

2. Uptown Saturday Night Marker - wide view, looking north (with Cathedral Building in background)

The marker is visible here in the lefthand row, furthest out.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 379 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 21, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.