Pre-1906 Theatre List

Pre-1906 Theatres: the alphabetical list

1894 Midwinter International Exposition
-- see the page on the Midwinter Fair

Academy of Music 330 Pine St.
-- opened May 1864 by Tom Maguire -- sold in 1867, became a furniture store
-- see the page about the Academy of Music

Academy of Music  Market St. at Powell

-- opened 1876 in the Baldwin Hotel Building -- later renamed Baldwin Theatre

-- destroyed by fire 1898 -- now site of Flood Building

-- see the page on the Baldwin Theatre

 

Academy of Sciences Hall  Market St. between 4th & 5th

-- advertising in 1905 

Adelphi
-- 1st - Clay between Kearney & Montgomery 1850 - 1851
-- 2nd - Dupont between Washington & Clay 1852 - 1858
-- 3rd - 607 California St. 1878- 1884
-- see the page on the Adelphi Theatre

Alcazar 116 O'Farrell St,  between Stockton & Powell
-- opened 1885 -- destroyed 1906
-- see the page on the Alcazar Theatre

Alhambra (1st) 325 Bush St.
-- opened 1868 as the Alhambra, also known as Maguire's New Theatre
-- see the page on the Bush St. Theatre

Alhambra (2nd) 240 Eddy St. at Jones, NE corner
-- opened 1898-- earlier there had been a National Theatre / Auditorium on the site
-- see the page on the Alhambra Theatre

Alta Theatre 112 Grove St. 

-- see the page about the Grove Street Theatre

American NE corner of Sansome and Halleck Sts.
-- opened October 20, 1851 -- demolished and rebuilt 1854 -- burned 1868
-- see the page on the American Theatre

Andrews and Stockwell's Opera House 

-- see Grand Opera House 712 Mission St.

 

Amphitheatre, Foley's -- see Foley's New Amphitheatre

 

Amphitheatre, Olympic -- see Olympic Amphitheatre

 

Amphitheatre, Palace  New Montgomery St. & Mission St. 

-- see the page about the Palace Amphitheatre

 

Armory Hall  corner of Washington St. and Sansome St. 

-- opened September 13, 1852 with "The Alleghanians" as the attraction  

-- noted in the March 17, 1901 S.F. Call article "Early Theatricals on the Pacific Coast"

Assembly Hall NW corner of Kearny and Post

-- opened 1855 -- "Madame Pique's New Assembly Hall"

-- see "Emperor Norton at Madame Pique's." 

 

Athenaeum  Commercial St. between Montgomery and Kearny

-- opened August 13, 1850 

-- noted in the March 17, 1901 S.F. Call article "Early Theatricals on the Pacific Coast"

Auditorium NE cor Eddy & Jones
-- see the Alhambra Theatre

Baldwin Theatre  Market St. at Powell

-- opened 1876 as the Academy of Music, Maguire as manager

-- destroyed by fire 1898 -- now site of Flood Building

-- see the page on the Baldwin Theatre

Baldwin Theatre 926 Market St.
-- running c.1905 -- just east of the Flood Building.
-- see the page on this later Baldwin Theatre

Bayview Opera House  4705 3rd St. / Newcomb Ave. at Mendell St.
-- opened 1888 as the South San Francisco Opera House
-- now a multi-purpose community arts center owned by the City.  
-- see the page on the Bayview Opera House

Bella Union Theatre 720 Washington St., 805 Kearny St. 
-- opened in 1849, rebuilt in 1850 after a fire and again after street widening in 1868
-- running as a film house until 1906, reopened as the Lyceum in 1909
-- see the page on the Bella Union / Lyceum 

Belvedere Music Hall   30 O'Farrell St.
-- see the page on the Belvedere Music Hall

Bert's New Idea Melodeon  727 Commercial St.

-- see the page about the Union Theatre/New Idea

 

Bert's Olympic  NE corner of Kearny and Clay

-- see the page on the Olympic Theatre

 

Bijou Theatre, Bijou Opera House 729 Market St.

-- opened in 1888, running until 1892

-- see the page on the Bijou Opera House

 

Bijou Theatre  O'Farrell near Mason

-- opened Saturday March 31, 1900 with "vaudeville and burlesque."

-- perhaps an erroneous mention of the theatre on Mason St.? 

 

Bijou Theatre 111 Mason St.

-- running in 1905

-- see the page about the Bijou Theatre

 

Bouvier Theatre 1281 Market St. (at 9th)

-- see the page on the Majestic Theatre

 

Brooks' and Platt's Music Hall  W. side of Kearny St. between Jackson and Pacific

-- in the 1868 city directory, from a list of buildings completed, or nearly so, that year: "Platt's and Brooks' Hall  — A large, brick structure, recently erected, stands on the northwest corner of Pacific and Kearny streets. It has an elevation of four stories, and a frontage of seventy feet on the former; and extends on the latter, one hundred and thirty-seven and a half feet. The upper portion of the building is designed for a hotel, the lower being subdivided into stores, while a very neat and commodious theater has been constructed in the rear. It is furnished with a parquet and dress-circle, and has a capacity to seat about one thousand persons. The entire outlay upon this improvement will reach nearly $100,000, the theater alone having cost $20,000. The lot is valued at $130,000."

-- same venue as the Pacific Theatre, also listed in the 1868 city directory?

-- in the 1869 city directory  

 

Buckley's New Variety Theatre NW corner of Kearny & Pine

-- running by 1874 -- later known as the Theatre Comique

-- see the page about Buckley's New Variety Theatre

Bush Street Theatre 325 Bush St.
-- opened 1868 as the Alhambra, also known as Maguire's New Theatre, Comedy, Deutsche Theatre
-- see the page on the Bush St. Theatre

California (1st) 414 Bush St. (N. side of the street)
-- opened January 18, 1869, demolished in 1888 for a grander building
-- see the page about the two Bush St. California Theatres

California (2nd) 414 Bush St., near Kearney
-- opened in 1889, destroyed in 1906
-- see the page about the two Bush St. California Theatres

California Menagerie, John "Grizzly" Adams  NE corner of Kearny and Clay

-- see the page about the Olympic Theatre

Central Theatre  1177 Market St.
-- opened 1900 on the south side of the street near 8th -- a rebuilt panorama building
-- destroyed in 1906 --  a wooden replacement built next door
-- see the page on the Central Theatre

Chinatown: 

Chinese Theatre, 727 Commercial St. -- see Union/New Idea Theatre  

Chinese Theatre, Globe  NW corner Dupont & Jackson -- see Globe Hotel Chinese

Chinese Theatre, Grand 814 Washington -- see Grand Chinese Theatre

Chinese Theatre, New  623 Jackson St. -- see New Chinese Theatre

Chinese Theatre, Old  626 Jackson -- see Old Chinese Theatre

Chinese Theatre, Royal 836 Washington -- see Royal Chinese Theatre

Chinese Theatre, Shanghai  Dupont near Union -- see Shanghai Theatre

Chinese Theatre, Son Son Fong  Dupont between Clay and Washington -- see Son Son Fong

Also see the timeline for pre-1906 Chinatown theatres down at the bottom of the page for the Grand Chinese.   

 

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Chutes Theatre  Haight St. at Cole

--running 1897 to 1902

-- see the page on the Chutes Theatre

Chutes Theatre Fulton St. at 10th Ave.
-- opened 1902
-- see the page on the Chutes/Orpheum Theatre

Cineograph 747 Market St. 
-- see the page on the Cineograph

 

Columbia Theatre  11 Powell St.
-- opened 1890 as the Powell St. Theatre, later Stockwell's Theatre -- 1,600 seats
-- see the page on the Columbia Theatre

Comedy Theatre 325 Bush St.
-- see the page on the Bush St. Theatre

Comique  N.W. corner of Kearny & Pine

-- see the page about Buckley's New Variety Theatre

 

Commercial St. Chinese Theatre

-- south side of Commercial between Kearny and Dupont

-- in the 1868 city directory

-- also listed in 1868: New Idea Theatre, formerly the Union -- same block -- same venue?

-- running in the 1870s 

Congress Hall  318 Bush St.
-- see the page on the Standard Theatre

Congress Melodeon  318 Bush St.
-- see the page on the Standard Theatre

Cremorne Variety Theatre 771 Market St.

-- opened c.1888

-- see the page on the Cremorne / Midway Theatre

Dangui Theatre 814 Washington see Grand Chinese Theatre

Dashaway Hall 139 Post St.

-- opened 1861 -- later called Irving Hall

-- see the page about Dashaway Hall

Deutsche Theatre 325 Bush St.
-- see the page on the Bush St. Theatre

Donn Quai Yuen Theatre 814 Washington see Grand Chinese Theatre

The Dramatic Museum   north side of California St. between Montgomery and Kearny

-- 1850 comedy house 400 seats - mentioned on p. 93 SF's Lost Landmarks

-- opened July 4, 1850 with "Seeing The Elephant"

-- run by a Dr. David Robinson -- the "Dr" because he had a drugstore

-- burned 1851 ? Robinson later worked as an actor for Maguire

-- a mention http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist/theatres.html 

-- noted in the March 17, 1901 S.F. Call article "Early Theatricals on the Pacific Coast"  

Egyptian Hall 22 Geary St.
-- David Belasco involved
-- mentioned: http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist/theatres.html

Elite Theatre  Grant Ave. at Geary St. 

-- discussed in April 4, 1892 San Francisco Call article about "Dens of Depravity"

Emerson's Opera House 318 Bush St.
-- see the page on the Standard Theatre

Empire Theatre 1133 Market St.

-- opened 1904 

-- see the page on the Empire Theatre

 

Eureka Theatre 318 Montgomery St.

-- opened 1862 -- running until about 1866

-- Henry Platt, owner; Tom Maguire as lessee in 1863 and 1864

-- see the page about the Eureka Theatre   

Eureka Music Hall  Kearny near Sacramento

-- discussed in April 4, 1892 San Francisco Call article about "Dens of Depravity"

Fischer's 122 O'Farrell St,
-- north side of the street, just west of the Alcazar
-- opened 1900
-- see the page about Fischer's Theatre

Foley's Olympic Circus -- see Olympic Amphitheatre

Foley's New Amphitheatre  West side of Portsmouth Square

-- opens December 14, 1850 for circus and dramatic entertainments

-- noted in the March 17, 1901 S.F. Call article "Early Theatricals on the Pacific Coast"

 

The Fountain  126 Kearny St.

-- in the basement of the Thurlow Building at Kearny & Sutter

-- run by Gustav Walter, later founder of the Orpheum circuit

--see the page about the Fountain Theatre

 

German Theatre 

-- c.1868-1869 -- see Platt's Hall

 

German Theatre N side of Bush bet Kearny & Dupont

-- in the 1871 city directory, 1882 theatre list 

 

Germania Gardens  Mission district

--  a 1914 pamphlet noted that Gustav Walter, before opening the Orpheum, was running this. 

Gettysburg Panorama 1331 Market St.

-- opened 1887 -- converted to a bicycle venue in 1893

-- see the page on the 10th & Market Panorama

 

Gilbert's Melodeon  NE corner of Kearny and Clay

-- opened 1859 -- in 1865 it became Worrell's Olympic, later just the Olympic Theatre

-- see the page on Gilbert's Melodeon/Olympic Theatre

 

Gilbert's Museum and Menagerie  Market St. east of Montgomery

-- opened late 1863 -- closed 1865 -- collection moved to The Willows

-- see the page about Gilbert's Museum

 

Gilbert, Ferdinand -- also see the page about The Willows

 

Globe Hotel Building Chinese Theatre NW corner of Dupont and Jackson

-- opened in June 1865

-- see the page about the Globe Hotel Chinese

 

Grand Chinese Theatre  814 Washington St. aka Donn Quai Yuen, Tan Kwai Yuen

-- see the page about the Grand Chinese Theatre

Golden Gate Hall 625 Sutter St.
-- see the page on the Golden Gate Hall

Grand Grotto Temple 305-307 Stockton St. 

-- see the page on the Winter Garden 

 

Grand Opera House  712 Mission St.

-- opened 1876 as Wade's Opera House 

-- later Andrews & Stockwell's Opera House, Morosco's Grand Opera House

-- see the page on the Grand Opera House

 

Grauman's Theatre / Lyceum 7th and Market

-- opened 1902

-- see the page on the Lyceum Theatre

Grauman's Unique 1132 Market St. (old numbering system)
-- opened c.1898
-- see the page on Grauman's Unique

Gray's Opera House 318 Bush St.

-- see the page on the Standard Theatre

 

Grove Street Theatre 112 Grove St. 

-- opened 1892 -- about 2,500 seats -- converted into a stable in 1902

-- see the page about the Grove Street Theatre

Hill's Theatre  Powell just north of Ellis
-- see the page on the Novelty Theatre

Horticultural Hall 305-307 Stockton St. 

-- see the page on the Winter Garden

 

Howard Street Theatre Howard St. between 3rd and 4th 

-- see Union Hall/Morosco's Theatre 

Hung Chien Guen see Old Chinese Theatre 626 Jackson St. 

 

Irving Hall 139 Post St.

-- see the page about Dashaway Hall

 

Italian Theatre  Jackson St. at Kearny, upstairs

-- opened September 12, 1850  by Professor Rossi, a magician

-- burned to the ground on the September 17, 1850

-- noted in the March 17, 1901 S.F. Call article "Early Theatricals on the Pacific Coast"  

 

Jenny Lind Theatre  Kearny St. near Washington, Portsmouth Square

-- 1st built by Tom Maguire above his Parker House Hotel and Saloon in 1850, burned 1851

-- 2nd opened in June 1851, burned 9 days later

-- 3rd opened in October 1851, sold in 1852 to the city to become City Hall

-- see the page on the Jenny Lind Theatre

Lyceum Hall 312 Montgomery St.
-- also known as Lyceum Music Hall, SF Lyceum, San Francisco Minstrel Hall, Polytechnic Hall
-- see the page on Lyceum Hall

Lyceum Theatre  Washington St. between Montgomery and Kearny

-- running in the 1870s, several doors below Maguire's Opera House

-- see comments about John Wilson's management at the bottom of the Palace Amphitheatre page 

Lyceum Theatre  SW corner 7th & Market
-- opened 1902 as Grauman's Theatre in the Odd Fellows Bldg
-- see the page on the Lyceum Theatre

Lyric Theatre / Lyric Hall 119 Eddy St. 

-- south side mid-block between Mason & Taylor

-- on a 1903 map -- less than 1/2 block from the 1906 Tivoli

-- running in 1905 as Lyric Hall

Maguire's Academy of Music 330 Pine St.

-- opened in 1864

-- closed in 1867, converted into a furniture store

-- see the page about the Academy of Music

 

Maguire's Academy of Music  Market St. at Powell
-- opened 1876 in the Baldwin Hotel Building -- later renamed Baldwin Theatre

-- destroyed by fire 1898 -- now site of Flood Building
-- see the page on the Baldwin Theatre

 

Maguire's Jenny Lind Theatre  Kearny St. near Washington, Portsmouth Square

-- 1st built by Tom Maguire above his Parker House Hotel and Saloon in 1850, burned 1851

-- 2nd opened in June 1851, burned 9 days later

-- 3rd opened in October 1851, sold in 1852 to the city to become City Hall

-- see the page on the Jenny Lind Theatre 

Maguire's New Theatre 325 Bush St.
-- opened 1868 as the Alhambra, later Maguire's,  Bush St., Comedy, Deutsche
-- see the page on the Bush St. Theatre

Maguire's Opera House 618 Washington, above Montgomery
-- built 1856 by Tom Maguire on the site of his San Francisco Hall
-- closed 1873 and demolished for construction of Montgomery Ave. (now Columbus Ave.)
-- see the page on Maguire's Opera House

Maguire's Opera House 318 Bush St.
-- previously Congress Hall, Gray's Opera House, etc.
-- see the page on the Standard Theatre

Maguire's San Francisco Theatre 618 Washington St.

-- also known as San Francisco Hall

-- see the page on Maguire's Opera House

 

Maguire: Also see the Eureka Theatre on Montgomery 

 

Majestic Theatre 1281 Market St. (at 9th)

-- see the page on the Majestic Theatre

 

Meiggs' Music Hall SE corner of Bush St. and Montgomery St. 

-- opened 1853 -- burned 1860

-- see the page on Meigg's Music Hall

 

Melodeon, Bert's New Idea  727 Commercial St.

-- see the page about the Union Theatre/New Idea

Melodeon, Congress  318 Bush St.
-- see the page on the Standard Theatre

Melodeon, Gilbert's  NE corner of Kearny and Clay

-- opened c.1856 -- by 1865 Worrell's Olympic, later just the Olympic Theatre

-- see the page on Gilbert's Melodeon/Olympic Theatre

 

Melodeon, Gilbert's New Idea 727 Commercial St.

-- see the page about the Union Theatre/New Idea

 

Melodeon, Pacific   NW cor Kearny & Pacific
-- in the 1871 city directory

Metropolitan Theatre  Montgomery St. between Washington and Jackson
-- 1st theatre opened in 185, burned in 1857
-- 2nd theatre on the site opened in 1861, demolished in 1873 for construction of Columbus Ave.
-- see the page on the Metropolitan Theatre

Midway Plaisance 771 Market St.
-- see the page on the Midway Theatre 

Midway Theatre 771 Market St.
-- see the page on the Midway Theatre 

Midwinter International Exposition of 1894
-- see the page on the Midwinter Fair

Mission Theatre 2605 Mission, at 22nd St.
-- opened 1905 -- required a rebuild after minor earthquake damage
-- reopened 1906 -- renamed Grand 1907, Real-Art 1919 -- closed 1925, then demolished
-- see the page on the Mission Theatre

Morosco's Theatre  S. side Howard St. between 3rd & 4th

-- opened 1863 as Union Hall, became Morosco's Amphitheatre c.1884, later Morosco's Theatre

-- after Morosco left in 1894 was known as Howard St. Theatre, Peoples Theatre -- burned 1898

-- see the page on Union Hall/Morosco's Theatre 

Morosco's Grand Opera House see Grand Opera House 712 Mission St. 

Mowry's Opera House  SW corner Grove and Laguna
-- opened 1879 -- survived the 1906 earthquake
-- see the page on Mowry's Opera House

Mozart Hall 108 Post St. 

-- in the 1868 city directory, from a list of buildings completed, or nearly so, that year:  "Mozart Hall — On Post street, between Kearny and Dupont, is a large and substantial brick building, three stories high, covering a lot fifty by one hundred feet. The lower floor is used for a livery stable, shops, stores, etc.; the second story, mainly for a concert hall and similar purposes; the upper story being subdivided into rooms occupied by various clubs, societies, etc."

 

Music Hall 216 Montgomery St. at Bush St.

-- see the page on Platt's Hall  

Music Hall / Musical Hall SE corner of Bush St. and Montgomery St. 

-- see the page on Meigg's Music Hall

 

National Theatre  Washington St. between Montgomery and Kearny 

-- opened February 1850

-- see the page on the National Theatre

 

National Theatre  NE cor Eddy & Jones

-- see the page on the Alhambra Theatre

 

New Chinese Theatre 623 Jackson St. 

-- aka Po Hing Theatre, Po Ring, Sing Ping Yuen, Chinese Theatre

-- opened 1874, closed c.1905 

-- access via stairs on Jackson or via "Fish Alley" / "Tuck Wo Guy" 

-- see the page about the New Chinese Theatre

 

New Idea Theatre 727 Commercial St.

-- see the page about the Union Theatre/New Idea

-- also see Commercial St. Chinese Theatre, on the same block 

 

New Park Theatre 112 Grove St. 

-- see the page about the Grove Street Theatre

 

New Variety Theatre NW corner of Kearny & Pine

-- see the page about Buckley's New Variety Theatre

 

Niblo's Garden  SW corner Grove and Laguna
-- running under this name in 1882 

-- see the page on Mowry's Opera House

North Beach 810 Pacific
-- in the 1902 Almanac Theatres list

Novelty Theatre  Powell St., east side just north of Ellis
-- see the page on the Novelty Theatre

Oberon Hall, The Oberon, Oberon Music Hall  38 O'Farrell St.
-- see the page on the Oberon Music Hall

Occidental Skating Rink 305-307 Stockton St.

-- see the page on the Winter Garden

 

Old Chinese Theatre, Royal Chinese 626 Jackson St.

-- opened 1868, closed by 1890

-- current site, more or less, of the Great Star Theatre 

-- see the page about the Old Chinese Theatre

Olympia Music Hall  SW corner Eddy & Mason
-- see the page on the 1903 version of the Tivoli Opera House

Olympic Amphitheatre  Kearny St. between California and Sacramento

-- 1200-1500 seats -- built by circus manager Joseph Andrew Rowe

-- circus + drama -- sold it to Foley, his clown -- renamed Foley's Olympic Circus

-- aka Rowe's Olympic Circus. Doing "Othello" in February 1850

-- in SF's Lost Landmarks 

-- burned June 14, 1850

 

Olympic Amphitheatre, Rowe's New   Montgomery St. between California and Sacramento

-- opened August 14, 1850

-- noted in the March 17, 1901 S.F. Call article "Early Theatricals on the Pacific Coast" 

Olympic Theatre 105 Grant Ave.

-- in the 1898 city directory 

-- at Morton St., now called Maiden Lane -- "under Dupont street's pavements"

-- discussed in April 4, 1892 San Francisco Call article about "Dens of Depravity"

-- raided in 1892 -- see Chronicle article  

 

Olympic Theatre  NE corner of Kearny and Clay

-- opened c.1856 -- by 1865 Worrell's Olympic, later just the Olympic Theatre

-- see the page about Gilbert's Melodeon / Olympic Theatre 

 

Olympic, Worrell's  NE corner of Kearny and Clay

-- see the page about Gilbert's Melodeon / Olympic Theatre

Opera House, Grand  712 Mission St.
-- see the page on the Grand Opera House

Opera House, Gray's 318 Bush St.
-- see the page on the Standard Theatre

Opera House, Emerson's 318 Bush St.
-- see the page on the Standard Theatre

Opera House, Maguire's  618 Washington St.
-- see the page on Maguire's Opera House

Opera House, Maguire's 318 Bush
-- see the page on the Standard Theatre

Opera House, Morosco's  712 Mission St.
-- see the page on the Grand Opera House

Opera House, Mowry's   Grove at Laguna
-- see the page on Mowry's Opera House

Opera House, Shiels' 318 Bush
-- see the page on the Standard Theatre

Orpheum 119 O' Farrell St.
-- opened June 30, 1887 -- 1st in the circuit
-- see the page on the Orpheum Theatre

Pacific Hall 414 Bush St. 

-- in the 1871 city directory, N side of Bush bet Kearny & Dupont

-- on the second floor of the California Theatre

Pacific Melodeon NW cor Kearny & Pacific
-- in the 1871 city directory

Pacific Museum  NE corner of Kearny and Clay

-- see the page about the Olympic Theatre

 

Pacific Museum 318 Montgomery St.

-- see the page about the Eureka Theatre

 

Pacific Theatre W side of Kearny between Jackson and Pacific

-- in the 1868 city directory 

-- same venue as Brooks' and Platt's Music Hall? 

Palace Amphitheatre  SW cor New Montgomery St. & Mission St. 

-- opened January 1874, a project of circus man John Wilson

-- see the page about the Palace Amphitheatre

 

Palace Variety Theatre SE cor Post & Dupont / Grant

-- running by 1881 -- still around in 1899 

-- see the page about the Palace Variety Theatre

 

Panorama   Market St. and City Hall Ave.

-- a tent exhibiting "The Battle of Gettysburg" by Carl Browne in 1886

-- see the page on the Tent Panorama

 

Panorama  1331 Market St. at 10th

-- opened 1887 with "The Storming of Missionary Ridge"

-- then showing a "Battle of Gettysburg" by John Francis Smith

-- see the page on the 10th & Market Panorama

 

Panorama  1177 Market St.
-- on the south side of the street near 8th 
-- exhibited the "Battle of Manila Bay" panorama -- rebuilt as the Central in 1900
-- see the page on the Central Theatre

 

Panorama SW cor Eddy & Mason

-- opened 1884 with the panorama "The Battle of Waterloo." 

-- see Tivoli Opera House

 

Panorama at the 1894 Midwinter Fair

-- the panorama "Kilauea Volcano" was exhibited

-- see the page on the 1894 Midwinter Fair  

Panorama  318 Montgomery St. 

-- "Paradise Lost" was exhibited in 1865 

-- a "cranky" -- meaning it was gradually unrolled rather than being in a rotunda

-- see the page on the Eureka Theatre

 

Park Theatre 112 Grove St. 

-- see the page about the Grove Street Theatre

 

Pavilion Skating Rink 305-307 Stockton St. 

-- see the page on the Winter Garden 

Peoples Palace Music Hall  SW cor Eddy & Mason
-- see Tivoli Opera House

Peoples Theatre  Howard St. between 3rd and 4th

-- see Union Hall/Morosco's Theatre   

 

Phoenix Exchange, Portsmouth Square

-- opened March 24, 1850 with tableaux vivants

-- noted in the March 17, 1901 S.F. Call article "Early Theatricals on the Pacific Coast"

Phoenix Theater Pacific St. near Kearny

-- opened March 23, 1850 with "Seeing the Elephant"

-- noted in the March 17, 1901 S.F. Call article "Early Theatricals on the Pacific Coast"

Platt's Hall 216 Montgomery St.
-- opened 1860 -- also known as Platt's Music Hall, New Music Hall
-- see the page on Platt's Hall

Platt's Music Hall

-- also see Brooks' and Platt's Music Hall Kearny St. between Jackson and Pacific 

Po Hing Theatre 623 Jackson St --  see New Chinese Theatre 

Po Ring Theatre 623 Jackson St. -- see New Chinese Theatre

Polytechnic Hall see Lyceum Hall

Powell Street Theatre 11 Powell St.
-- see the page about the Columbia Theatre

Quong Soon Tong / Son Son Fong Theatre, east side of Dupont between Clay and Washington

-- opened c.1867 -- It's in the 1871 city directory as "Chinese Theatre" 

-- see the page about the Son Son Fong + another Dupont St. theatre

 

Red Cassia Theatre 814 Washington see Grand Chinese Theatre

 

Royal Chinese Theatre 836 Washington St. 

-- just east of Church Ct., several buildings west of Stouts (now Ross Alley)

-- running in the 1870s and 1880s, probably closed by 1887

-- see the page on the Royal Chinese Theatre

 

Royal Chinese Theatre, also see Old Chinese Theatre 626 Jackson St.

San Francisco Theatre, aka San Francisco Hall  618 Washington St.
--opened Christmas Day 1852 by Tom Maguire
-- demolished by Maguire 1856 -- replaced with Maguire's Opera House
-- see the page on Maguire's Opera House 

San Francisco Lyceum  see Lyceum Hall

San Francisco Minstrel Hall see Lyceum Hall 

Shanghai Theatre, Dupont St. near Union

-- opened c.1853

-- see the page about the Shanghai + another Dupont St. theatre

Sherman Clay Hall 223 Sutter St.
-- see the page on the Sherman Clay Hall

Shiels' Opera House 318 Bush St.
-- see the page on the Standard Theatre

Sing Ping Yuen 623 Jackson St. 

--  see the page on the New Chinese Theatre 

 

Smith's Alhambra  325 Bush St.

-- see the page on the Bush St. Theatre

 

Son Son Fong / Quong Soon Tong Theatre, east side of Dupont between Clay and Washington

-- opened c.1867 -- It's in the 1871 city directory as "Chinese Theatre" 

-- see the page about the Son Son Fong + another Dupont St. theatre

South San Francisco Opera House  4705 3rd St. / Newcomb Ave. at Mendell St.
-- opened 1888, now now known as the Bayview Opera House.
-- now a multi-purpose community arts center owned by the City.  
-- see the page on the Bayview Opera House

Standard Theatre 318 Bush St.
-- north side of the street, between Montgomery and Kearny
-- opened 1865 as Congress Hall, later known as Temple of Music, Shiels' Opera House, Gray's, Maguire's, Emerson's
-- renamed the Standard in 1878, burned 1899
-- see the page on the Standard Theatre

Star Theatre  Grant near Sutter

-- basement venue

-- discussed in April 4, 1892 San Francisco Call article about "Dens of Depravity" 

Stockwell's Theatre 11 Powell St.
-- see the page about the Columbia Theatre

Tan Kwai Yuen Theatre 814 Washington see Grand Chinese Theatre

Temple of Music 318 Bush St. 

-- see the page on the Standard Theatre 

 

Theatre Comique N.W. corner of Kearny & Pine

-- running by 1874 as Buckley's New Variety Theatre 

-- by 1882 it was the Theatre Comique

-- see the page about Buckley's New Variety Theatre

 

Theatre of Arts  Jackson St. near Dupont

-- opened May 19, 1851 by Managers Bingham and Johns

-- noted in the March 17, 1901 S.F. Call article "Early Theatricals on the Pacific Coast"  

Tivoli Gardens NW cor Sutter and Stockton
-- beer garden with concerts run in the 1870s by Joseph Krelling
-- later known as Vienna Garden
-- see the page on the Vienna Garden

Tivoli Opera House 30 Eddy St.
-- opened July 1879 -- closed in 1903 as a "firetrap"
-- see the page on the Tivoli Opera House

Tivoli Opera House  SW corner Eddy and Mason
-- opened December 1903 in a rebuilt panorama building -- destroyed in 06
-- now site of Ambassador Hotel
-- see the page on this version of the Tivoli Opera House

Union Theatre  727 Commercial St.

-- running in the 1850s, later Gilbert's New Idea Melodeon, Bert's New Idea Melodeon, 

-- Chinese Theatre beginning in 1865

-- see the page about the Union Theatre/New Idea

 

Union Hall  Howard St. between 3rd and 4th 

-- opened 1863, burned 1898

-- see the page on Union Hall/Morosco's Theatre 

Unique 1132 Market -- N. side bet Mason & Taylor (renumbered '06)
-- opened c.1898
-- see the page on Grauman's Unique

Unnamed Theatre for C. H. Brown
-- on Montgomery Ave. near Stockton (1906, unbuilt)
-- see the page on Unbuilt Projects

Verein Hall 23-25 Turk St. 

-- in the 1905 city directory as location where the male Swedish Singing Society met every Thursday

-- see 1905 Sanborn map on the Unique page  

 

Variety Theatre NW corner of Kearny & Pine

-- see the page about Buckley's New Variety Theatre

Vienna Garden NW cor Stockton & Sutter
-- earlier called Tivoli Gardens
-- run by Gustav Walter, later founder of the Orpheum circuit
-- see the page on the Vienna Garden

Wade's Opera House see Grand Opera House

Washington Hall   Washington St. between Kearny and Dupont

-- opened January 16, 1850 with the play "The Wife" 

-- soon turned into Foley's Saloon, burned in May 1850

-- see the page on Washington Hall

 

Wheatleigh's Eureka Theatre 318 Montgomery St.

-- see the page about the Eureka Theatre  

 

Wheatleigh's Metropolitan Theatre  Montgomery St. between Washington and Jackson

-- see the page on the Metropolitan Theatre 

 

Wigwam  Stockton and Geary

-- building erected 1884 as a presidential campaign headquarters

-- became the Wigwam after the election

-- see the page on the Wigwam Theatre 

 

The Willows   Mission St. at 18th St. 

-- running in the 1860s, for a time operated by Ferdinand Gilbert 

-- see the page about The Willows

 

Wilson's Amphitheatre  SW corner New Montgomery St. & Mission St. 

-- see the page about the Palace Amphitheatre

 

Wilson's Circus

-- see the page about the Palace Amphitheatre 

-- see the page about the Winter Garden

 

Wilson & Cooke's Circus, Wilson's Circus NE corner of Stockton and Post

-- running c.1869 to 1871 when it burned

-- see the page about the Winter Garden

 

Winter Garden 305-307 Stockton St.

-- built 1871 to replace an earlier circus building on the site 

-- known as the Occidental Rink, the Pavilion Rink, Horticultural Hall, Grand Grotto Temple 

-- burned 1883

-- see the page on the Winter Garden

Woodward's Gardens  Mission/Duboce/Valencia/14th
-- opened 1866 - closed 1892
-- see the page on Woodward's Gardens

Worrell's Olympic  NE corner of Kearny and Clay

-- opened c.1856 -- by 1865 Worrell's Olympic, later just the Olympic Theatre

-- see the page on the Olympic

Pre-1906 Theatres:  the list by address

Also see the separate Chinatown listings in the alphabetical list above


Numbered streets

4705 3rd St.
South S.F. / Baview Opera House

18th St. at Mission St. 

The Willows

B

SE cor Bush St. and Montgomery St.

Meigg's Music Hall

NE cor Bush St. and Montgomery St.
Platt's Hall

318 Bush St.

opened as Congress Hall, later Shiels', Gray's, Maguire's, Emerson's  

Standard Theatre 

 

325 Bush St.

opened as the Alhambra, later Maguire's New Theatre, Bush St., Comedy, Deutsche  

Bush St. Theatre

414 Bush St.
California Theatre   

414 Bush St.

Pacific Hall -- see California Theatre

 

400 block of Bush St. 

German Theatre 

C

North side of California St. between Montgomery and Kearny

The Dramatic Museum

607 California St.
Adelphi Theatre

Clay St. between Kearny and Montgomery
Adelphi Theatre

NE corner of Clay and Kearny
Gilbert's Melodeon / Worrell's Olympic  

Commercial St. between Montgomery and Kearny

Athenaeum 

727 Commercial St. -- south side, just above Kearny
Union Theatre / Gilbert's New Idea / Bert's New Idea Melodeon / Chinese Theatren

D

Dupont St. -- see the Grant Ave. listings for theatres south of Bush St.  

Below Bush it was renamed Grant Ave. in 1885. North of Bush was renamed in 1908.  

Dupont St. east side between Clay and Washington

Son Son Fong / Quong Soon Tong Theatre

 

Dupont St. between Clay and Washington
Adelphi Theatre (2nd location)

 

Dupont St. at Jackson, NW corner   

Globe Hotel Chinese Theatre

 

Dupont St. near Union

Shanghai Theatre

 

E

30 Eddy St. -- north side between Cyril Magnin & Mason
Tivoli #2
Tivoli Opera House

SW cor Eddy & Mason
Panorama / Peoples Palace Music Hall / Olympia / Tivoli #3
Tivoli Opera House

119 Eddy St. - south side mid-block between Mason & Taylor

-- on 1903 map as the Lyric Theatre

-- advertising in 1905 as Lyric Hall

240 Eddy St., NE cor Eddy & Jones
-- National Theatre 1893-1894, Auditorium 1894-1898
-- Alhambra, a remodeled (?) building, opened 1898
-- see the page on the Alhambra Theatre

NE cor Ellis & Mason
YMCA 
-- later site of Casino/Downtown

F

Fulton St. at 10th Ave.
Chutes/Orpheum Theatre

G

Geary St. and Grant

Elite Theatre

Geary St. and Stockton
Wigwam Theatre

Golden Gate Park
1894 Midwinter Fair

Grant Ave. and Geary 

Elite Theatre

105 Grant Ave. at Morton St. (Maiden Lane)
Olympic Theatre

SE cor Grant Ave. and Post St. 

Palace Variety Theatre

 

Grant Ave. near Sutter St.

Star Theatre 

 

Grant Ave. above Bush St. -- see the Dupont St. listings. 

That part of the street wasn't renamed Grant Ave. until 1908. 

 

112 Grove St. 

Grove Street / Park / Alta Theatre

Grove at Laguna
Mowry's Opera House

H

Haight St. at Cole
Chutes Theatre

Halleck at Sansome St.
American Theatre 

J

Jackson St. at Kearny, 2nd floor 

Italian Theatre 

623 Jackson St.
New Chinese Theatre aka Po Hing Theatre,  Po Ring, Chinese Theatre

626 Jackson St. 
Old Chinese Theatre aka Chinese Theatre, Royal Chinese Theatre, Hung Chien Guen

Jackson St. near Dupont

Theatre of Arts 

Jackson at Dupont, NW corner   

Globe Hotel Chinese Theatre

NE cor Jones and Eddy
-- National Theatre 1903-1904, Alhambra opened 1908
Alhambra Theatre

K

NW corner of Kearny and Post

Assembly Hall  

126 Kearny St. 

Fountain Theatre

NW cor Kearny and Pine
Buckley's New Variety Theatre/Theatre Comique

Kearny between California and Sacramento

Olympic Amphitheatre  

 

Kearny near Sacramento

Eureka Music Hall

NE corner Kearny and Clay
Gilbert's Melodeon / Worrell's Olympic

Kearny between Merchant and Washington

Jenny Lind Theatre

805 Kearny St.
Bella Union

Kearny St. at Jackson, 2nd floor 

Italian Theatre 

 

W side of Kearny between Jackson and Pacific

Pacific Theatre 

 

W side of Kearny between Jackson and Pacific

Brooks' and Platt's Music Hall

L

Laguna at Grove
Mowry's Opera House

M

Note: the north side of Market got renumbered after 1906 so addresses don't correlate with modern numbers. The south side of the street retained its pre-1906 numbers.

Market St. just east of Montgomery
Gilbert's Museum and Menagerie

729 Market St.
Bijou Opera House

747 Market St.
Cineograph

771 Market St.
Cremorne / Midway Theatre

Academy of Sciences Hall  Market St. between 4th & 5th

-- running in 1905

926 Market St. - just east of the Flood Building
Baldwin Theatre (1905?-1906)

Market at Powell
Baldwin Theatre (1876-1898)

1132 Market St. -- n. side between Taylor & Mason
Grauman's Unique

7th & Market St. -- in the Odd Fellows Building
Lyceum Theatre

1133 Market St.
Empire Theatre

Market St. at City Hall Ave.   

Tent Panorama - 1886

1177 Market St. near 8th

Panorama / Central Theatre 

Central Theatre

1281 Market St. near 9th
Majestic Theatre

1331 Market St. at 10th  

Gettysburg Panorama

SW cor Mason and Eddy
Panorama / Peoples Palace Music Hall / Olympia / Tivoli #3
Tivoli Opera House

111 Mason St. 

Bijou Theatre

NE cor Mason and Ellis
YMCA -- later site of Casino/Downtown Theatre 

SW corner of Mission St. and New Montgomery St.

Palace Amphitheatre

712 Mission St., between 3rd and 4th
Grand Opera House

Mission St. between Duboce/13th and 14th
Woodward's Gardens

Mission St. at 18th St.

The Willows

2605 Mission St. at 22nd St.
Mission Theatre

Montgomery Ave. (later Columbus) near Stockton
see Unbuilt Projects   

SW corner New Montgomery St. at Mission St.

Palace Amphitheatre

SE cor Montgomery St. at Bush

Meigg's Music Hall

216 Montgomery St. at Bush
Platt's Hall

312 Montgomery St.
Lyceum Hall

318 Montgomery St.
Eureka Theatre

Montgomery between California and Sacramento

Olympic Amphitheatre, Rowe's New

Montgomery St. between Washington & Jackson
Metropolitan Theatre

N

SW cor New Montgomery St. & Mission

Palace Amphitheatre 

 

Newcomb Ave. at 3rd St. 

South S.F. / Bayview Opera House

O

30 O'Farrell St.
Belvedere Music Hall

38 O'Farrell St.
Oberon Music Hall

106-108 O'Farrell St.

Beer Concert Hall - on 1905 Sanborn map

116 O'Farrell St.
Alcazar Theatre

119 O' Farrell St.
Orpheum Theatre

122 O'Farrell St.
Fischer's Theatre

O'Farrell near Mason

Bijou Theatre - opened 1900 

-- possibly an erroneous mention of the Bijou at 111 Mason

P

Pacific St. near Kearny 

Phoenix Theater

810 Pacific St.
North Beach Theatre

330 Pine St.
Academy of Music

NW cor Pine and Kearny
Buckley's New Variety Theatre/Theatre Comique

Portsmouth Square 

Phoenix Exchange

Portsmouth Square, west side

Foley's New Amphitheatre

 

NW cor Post and Kearny

Assembly Hall 

 

108 Post St. 

Mozart Hall

 

139 Post St. 

Dashaway Hall

SE cor Post and Dupont / Grant
Palace Variety Theatre

NW cor Post and Stockton

Wilson & Cooke's Circus, Wilson's Circus -- see Winter Garden

Powell at Market
Baldwin Theatre

11 Powell St. 
Powell St. / Stockwell's / Columbia Theatre

Powell St. east side, just north of Ellis
Hill's / Novelty Theatre

S

Sansome St. and Halleck St.
American Theatre

Sansome St. and Washington St.

Armory Hall 

Stockton St. and Geary St.
Wigwam Theatre

NW corner Stockton and Post

Wilson's Circus -- see Winter Garden

 

305 - 307 Stockton St.

Winter Garden

 

NW cor Stockton St. and Sutter St.
Vienna Garden

 

SE cor Sutter and Kearny

Fountain Theatre 

223 Sutter St.
Sherman Clay Hall

NW cor Sutter St. and Stockton St.
Vienna Garden

625 Sutter St.
Golden Gate Hall 

T

23-25 Turk St. 

Verein Hall

W 

Washington St. and Sansome St.

Armory Hall 

 

Washington St. between Montgomery and Kearny

National Theatre

 

Washington St. between Montgomery and Kearny

Lyceum Theatre

 

618 Washington St. 
San Francisco Hall /Maguire's Opera House

 

720 Washington St. 

Bella Union

 

Washington St. between Kearny and Dupont

Washington Hall

814 Washington St.
Grand Chinese Theatre

836 Washington St. 

[New] Royal Chinese Theatre

More information: 

1850 - Kimball's San Francisco Directory - amusements

1856 - San Francisco Directory - theatres

1858 - Langley's S.F. Directory - places of amusement

1859 - Langley's S.F. Directory - places of amusement 

 

1869 - A list of halls from the Langley's city directory

1871 - Crocker Langley city directory - places of amusement

1874 - Crocker Langley - places of amusement

1875 -  Crocker Langley - places of amusement

1877 - Crocker Langley - places of amusement

1878 -  Crocker Langley - places of amusement

1882 - A theatre list. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding it for a post on the BAHT Facebook page. 

1887 - Langley's Directory - Amusement, Places of

1889 - The San Francisco Blue Book for 1889 has seating charts for seven theatres. It's on Internet Archive.

1894 - Langley's Directory - Amusement, Places of

1896 -  Crocker Langley - Theatres

1898 -  Crocker Langley - Theatres

1898 - A theatre list. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding it for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

1899 - 1900 - The "Julius Cahn - Gus Hill Theatrical Guide" is on Google Books. 

1901 - Crocker Langley - Places of Amusement 

 

 

1901 - An article in the March 17, 1901 issue of the San Francisco Call by Harry Gates titled "Early Theatricals on the Pacific Coast" details the city's theatre history in the 1850s. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating it via the California Digital Newspaper Collection website. He comments: "I think the intent was to cover the first two years of San Francisco theatrical history. He jumps around a bit in places, but I think I got this right. At the end, he says his source material was journal of an actor." This part of the illustration from the article shows D.C. Anderson, Matilda Meron, Frank Rea and J.B. Booth. 

 

Salient dates and comments extracted from the article:

June 22, 1949 - "First English performance of any note in San Francisco." Steve Massett, Jeems Pipes of Pipesville, at the old police office, on the southwest corner of Portsmouth Square.

October 22, 1849 - The Philadelphia Minstrels, the first company of its kind, appeared at Bella Union Hall, the entrance to which was on Washington St., west of Kearny, instead of on Kearny, where the old Bella Union Theatre still stands. The entrance had been moved around the corner due to a street widening project. 

January 16, 1850 - First regular dramatic performance, a performance of the play "The Wife" at Washington Hall, Washington between Kearny and Dupont. Art comments: "While the Bella Union may be considered as the first theatre, Washington Hall was the location of the first actual play. This was by a company that had been in Sacramento and was flooded out."

February 4, 1850 - Rowe's circus, renamed the Amphitheatre, first production of "Othello" ever given in San Francisco. The venue was also known as the Olympic Amphitheatre.

February 12, 1850 - The first Italian opera ever presented in San Francisco, at the Adelphi Theatre, by the Pellegrini Opera Company, "La Sonnambula."

February 19, 1850 - National Theatre, Washington between Montgomery and Kearny, French company.

March 23, 1850 - Phoenix Theatre opened with "Seeing the Elephant." The venue was on Pacific near Kearny.

March 24, 1850 - The Phoenix Exchange, on Portmouth Square, began its brief career exhibiting tableaux vivants.

May 4, 1850 - The great fire swept away the National Theatre, Washington Hall and Phoenix Exchange.

June 6, 1850 - Foley's Olympic Circus, formerly Rowe's Amphitheatre reopened by a Spanish Zarzuela company, but was destroyed by fire on June 14th.

July 4, 1850 - The Dramatic Museum, under the management of Robinson & Evrard, north side of California St., between Montgomery and Kearny, opens with a dramatic entertainment headed by Mrs.Burrill and Mme. Duprez.

August 13, 1850 - Athenaeum, located on Commercial St., between Montgomery and Kearny, opened.

August 14, 1850 - Rowe's new Olympic Amphitheater on Montgomery St., between Sacramento and California,

September 12 to 17, 1850 - The Italian Theatre, in the upper portion of the building on the corner of Jackson and Kearny streets, opened by Professor Rossi, a magician, opened September 12 and burned to the ground on the 17th.

October 30, 1850 - Thomas Maguire opens the Jenny Lind Theatre, the first thoroughly appointed and well-equipped playhouse in San Francisco. It was situated in the Parker House on Kearny St., facing Portsmouth Square, at the location where the Hall of Justice stood in 1901, the time of the article. The Hilton is on the site today. It opened with concert by Mme. von Gulpen and James Nesbitt, vocalists, and Herr Rossiter, magician. November 4th was first dramatic entertainment, by a company headed by James Stark and Mrs. J. H. Kirby. The bill for the initial performance was "Damon and Pythias" and "The Dumb Belle."

November 9, 1850 - The Adelphi Theatre opened on the south side of Clay St. between Montgomery and Kearny. It was under the management of D. F. Wilson and W. Barry, who appeared in a play called "The Secret."

December 14, 1850 - Foley's New Amphitheatre opens, on the west side of Portsmouth Square, for circus and dramatic entertainments.

May 4, 1851 - Another fire, the greatest San Francisco had experienced, totally destroyed the Dramatic Museum, the Jenny Lind Theatre, the Adelphi and the Olympic Circus (aka Foley's New Amphitheatre).

 

May 19, 1851 - The Theatre of Arts, on Jackson St. near Dupont, opened by Managers Bingham and Johns.

 

June 13, 1851 Maguire opens second Jenny Lind Theatre.

 

June 22, 1851 - The Theatre of Arts, along with the second Jenny Lind, went up in smoke and flames.

 

August 1, 1851. The new Adelphi Theatre, located on Dupont St. between Clay and Washington, was dedicated by a French company.

September 15, 1851 - The cornerstone of the New American Theatre was laid.

October 4, 1851 - The third Jenny Lind opens in same location as the secind version of the theatre.

 

October 20, 1851 - The grand opening of American Theater, under the direction of James Stark, lessee, who presented "The Peer and the Peasant."

 

September 13, 1852 - Armory Hall, at the corner of Washington and Sansome streets, opened with "The Alleghanians" as the attraction.

September 15, 1852 - The Jenny Lind building is sold to the city.

"It would require a lot of valuable space to enumerate the circuses and amphitheatres which were being continually switched around and renamed during the period already covered, or to mention all the music halls and so-called lyric theatres that opened in the early fifties." 

Thanks, Art!

1902 - A list of "Theaters" from the 1902 American Almanac. It's on Google Books. 

1903 - SF Examiner ad - Andra Young on Facebook

 

1903 - A detail from a map showing many theatre locations.  Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding this for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

1904 - Crocker Langley - Theatres

1904 - Crocker Langley - Market St, numbering

1905 -  Crocker Langley - Theatres

1906 - "San Francisco Theatres after the Fire April - '06 - compliments Joseph A. Muller." This
fine collage is on Calisphere from the California Historical Society.

More Information: Gary Kamiya discusses several early theatres in his 2014 Chronicle article "S.F's early stages: how theater tradition got its start."

"Famous Playhouses of San Francisco" discusses all the important early theatres at great length. Thanks to Art Siegel for finding it on Internet Archive. The 1940 publication, in the collection of the San Francisco Public Library, was a project of the Federal Writer's Program of the WPA. Much of this material was later used in a book by Edmond McAdoo Gagey.

"Fifty Years in Theatrical Management," a 1912 book by M.B. Leavitt, is on Google Books. 

San Francisco Public Library: A list of San Francisco City Directories available online. 

"San Francisco Theatre Research" has monographs on Tom Maguire, Dr. David G. Robinson and M.B. Leavitt. It's on Internet Archive. 

"San Francisco's Lost Landmarks" by James R. Smith discusses many early theatres. It's on Google Books.

"San Francisco's Theatrical Rehabilitation," an article in The Theatre Magazine, discusses recovery after the quake. It's on Google Books.

"San Francisco Theatrical Memories," a 1925 article by James Madison, discusses many pre-1906 theatres. It's on a page from the Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco.

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