Historic Berkeley movie theater site lands buyer from Beverly Hills

BERKELEY — The California Theatre in Berkeley, a historic movie house that has been closed for years, was purchased by a Los Angeles-area executive who wields an array of business interests in Southern California.

An affiliate headed up by Tien Lung Chen, of Beverly Hills, paid $5 million through an all-cash deal to buy the theater at 2115 Kittredge St., documents filed on April 20 with the Alameda County Recorder’s Office show.

The California Theatre closed its doors in 2021 and its future has been unknown ever since.

In 2022, Gilbane Development proposed the development of a housing tower on the site along with a transformation of the ground floor into a performing arts venue.

The proposal would have preserved the theater’s facade and potentially some of the interior sections.

In 2025, however, Gilbane Development pulled out of the project, an abrupt exit that effectively scuttled plans.

Chen, a key figure in the affiliate that bought the property, is linked to the ownership group for Exotic Dreams Resort, official state business records show.

Exotic Dreams Resort is a clothing-optional swingers hotel in Palm Springs, an upscale getaway destination in the Coachella Valley.

In September 2025, a Chen-led group paid $11 million for a Pasadena property described as a potential development site, documents on file in Los Angeles County show.

Alameda County and state government documents show that Chen receives correspondence, including property tax bills, at a Beverly Hills single-family home that is valued at $4.4 million. A Chen-led affiliate paid $4 million for that home in 2019.

It wasn’t immediately clear what plans Chen might have for the California Theatre.

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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 5:15 AM.