Varsity Theater

According to an article in the December 7, 1914 issue of the Berkeley Gazette talking about the opening of the T&D (later California) Theatre that week, the Varsity was an early acquisition of the Turner and Dahnken Circuit, having taken control of it in 1909.

This was the first of four movie houses they would operate in Berkeley, the audience response to their presentations was so positive that in August, 1911 they opened the much larger Berkeley Theatre four blocks further south on Shattuck. They kept the Varsity open for a short time afterwards, and used the name on their next local venue the following year.