The Omni 4799 Shattuck Avenue (entrance on 48/Shattuck)
The BACH Unconference at Omni. Photo 2014-10-11 CC-BY-SA Mitch Altman.
The Omni at 4799 Shattuck Avenue in Temescal was a music venue, originally home to the Ligure Club, an Italian social club. In 1985, the building was acquired by John Nady and turned into a rock club called the Omni, but the club was shut down in late 1993 1 and was reacquired by the Ligure Club.
An individual named John Givens purchased the property in 1995 from the Ligure Club to serve as a live/work space in which he and his wife resided, as well as hosted community meetings, public dances, weddings and other events. Givens deed.pdf
In 2011, it was considered as a location for The New Parkway movie theater. In 2014 the Omni Commons rented the property from John Givens. In 2016 Omni Commons exercised their option to purchase the property.
An excellent history of the building is available on the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association website. Additional photos, history and floor plans can be found at Mr. Givens' website.
Here are some photos from an open house at the Omni on 9/28/13:
Main ballroom, event space, and performance area (by mk30)
Bar/cafe area right by the entrance (by mk30)
Workshop area (by mk30)
Bar area in the ballroom/event area (by mk30)
Basement (by mk30)
Fascinating Native American-style art by the front entrance. (by mk30)
Pages tagged “The Omni”
Links and References
- Video of bottle-throwing melee prompts nightclub closing Oakland Tribune July 15, 1993
