Photos: A historic landmark, the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, welcomes the community as it reopens after two decades of being shuttered

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Children’s Fairyland puppets Karl the Elf and Quercus kicked off the opening festivities on Saturday with a  ribbon-cutting ceremony for the East Bay’s most iconic landmark, the newly reopened Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts. Two decades after the venue was shuttered, visitors were allowed to tour the 215,000-square-foot event space, which cost East Bay real estate firm Orton Development about $100 million to restore. The weekend celebration started on Friday with a roller skating party on the smooth arena floor followed by a full schedule on Saturday of performances by local artists, tours and refreshments. The day ended with theater performances and storytelling in the Calvin Simmons Theater.

The venue, which first opened in 1915, features a massive hardwood arena with stadium seating, a 1,350-seat theater, and several smaller gathering spaces, including a banquet room overlooking the lake.