Opened: The Little Fox opened in 1963 in what had been the Barbary Coast Club and the Circus Room.
In 1906 the premises at 535 Pacific had been the Criterion Saloon. The Dragon was a saloon at 533 beginning in 1913 if not earlier. In 1915 both the Dragon and the Headlight were listed as being at 533, and both in trouble for liquor ordinance violations. The La Conga opened a couple doors down at 523 in 1939.
The Kingston Trio were the drivers of the project, which used artifacts from the demolished Fox on Market St. Among shows with long runs were "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" in 1967, Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "The Fantasticks." Francis Ford Coppola once owned the complex but was forced to sell amid financial difficulties in 1980.
Status: The two buildings that were the Little Fox plus an adjacent building to the east were rebuilt in 1982-83 as a single office building complex. Conservation Tech has a page on the rebuild project which includes several photos and a facade rendering.
A 1913 view east on Pacific toward the buildings that much later would become the Little Fox. The taller of the buildings looks like a nickelodeon. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the photo from his collection. The San Francisco Public Library has a cropped version of the photo.
In the foreground is the entrance at 555 Pacific to the Red Mill, running films of the Jimmy Britt - Battling Nelson fight. Jack notes that this Lightweight Boxing Champion of the World bout had been held September 9, 1905 in Colma and was a local sensation. The building would later be called the Hippodrome and the Diana. The Hippodrome also was in a building on the other side of the street at 560 Pacific during several periods.
On the right the Bella Union at 559 Pacific is running, among other titles, the two-reeler "The Mosaic Law," a January 1913 release. The Bella Union was at other times a dance hall. In the 1913 city directory it gets a listing under motion picture theatres.
A 1929 view looking east toward the Little Fox buildings. Note the Rainier sign above the stairs going down to what had been the Bella Union dance hall. The brewery survived prohibition by making various non-alcoholic beverages. The San Francisco Public Library photo appears on a Found SF page about the Barbary Coast.
A pre-WWII postcard photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. He notes that it "shows the Little Fox site as The
Hurricane, with a 'Tropical Hurricane Every Half Hour,' (just the thing
for my aching San Francisco Sinus), and The Barn where Goman's Gay 90s
would later open." Note that the Hurricane building has had its top several floors chopped off.
A c.1944 look in from Montgomery St. At the Conga: the Hollywood Girl Revue. Thanks to Marcus for sharing this photo he acquired. He calls our attention to the 7-Up signs and dates the photo from close to 1944. The signs also seem to be there in a March 21, 1944 photo he has as well as definitely appearing in another shot that, while undated, likely was taken by the same photographer on the same day as the March shot.
A later 40s view west on Pacific from Montgomery into the "International Settlement." The Hurricane building has become the Barbary Coast with a giant illuminated leg. The photo is from the San Francisco Public Library collection. Note that the 7-Up signs are no more.
An early 50s look east from Kearny St. The Barbary Coast is way down the block on the right. The building housing the first and third versions of the Hippodrome is down the block on the left (here seen as Lucca) at 560 Pacific. The 2nd location of the Hip is on the right at 555. The photo appeared on a PBase Chinatown Photo Gallery page but seems to have gone missing from that site.
A 50s view of the Barbary Coast and its neighbors. Thanks to Phil Davies for the photo, appearing on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered.
The leg sign at night in the 1950s. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding the photo.
A closer 50s look at the buildings that would become the Little Fox in
1963. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the photo. It can also be seen on Cinema Tour as well as on the San Francisco Public Library website.
Down the block, on the east end of the building that housed the Hippodrome at 555 Pacific, are the House of Blue Lights and Gorman's Gay 90s. Jack notes that Gorman's, after leaving Pacific Ave., moved to 345 Broadway.
A 50s view from the west. Thanks to Marcus for sharing this snapshot he acquired.
The leg sign as seen in a shot from George Sidney's 1957 Columbia film "Pal Joey" starring Rita Hayworth and Frank Sinatra. Thanks to Al Barna and Randall Ann Homan of the organization San Francisco Neon for the screenshot. It was used during a 2021 San Francisco Public Library presentation about neon in the movies they did with Jim Van Buskirk. Van Buskirk and Will Shank wrote the 2006 book "Celluloid San Francisco: The Film Lovers Guide to Bay Area Movie Locations." It's available on Amazon.
See the Chez Paree page for the later adventures of the leg sign on Mason St.
A 1964 look at the Little Fox during the run of "The Fantasticks." The Alan J. Canterbury photo is in the San Francisco Public Library collection. William David French, Jr. comments: "This shot shows the boxoffice, a poster box, and a light fixture from the original Fox. This theatre had numerous items from the former Fox."
It's a 1967 Jack Tillmany collection photo appearing on Cinema Tour. The show at the time of the photo was "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." That building on the right with the peaked roof was originally 4 floors -- its facade has now been restored to the look before it got cut down.
Looking west on Pacific. It's a May 1967 photo by Jack Tillmany.
A May 1967 photo taken by Jack Tillmany. The boxoffice is from the Fox Theatre on Market St. Gary Parks comments:
"And
look what else from the Fox is in the picture, other than the box
office: That large hanging lamp out over the sidewalk once graced the
Fox's entrance vestibule. And just below it is one of the two bronze-framed
poster cases which once flanked the
Market St. entrance. And that long dark strip of cast metal at the top
of the entrance overhang? Salvaged from above the Fox's storefronts
along Market St."
Another May 1967 boxoffice view. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing this photo he took.
Conservation Tech has a page on the 80s project to convert the buildings to office space. It includes this photo along with several others plus a facade rendering.
The Little Fox Theatre Building entrance in 2015. Photo: Bill Counter
A c.2020 view of the building from the website of the managers, Clint Reilly Landmark Properties.
A detail from the photo above. Thanks to Peter Angeles for posting photos from the Clint Reilly site on the BAHT Facebook page. He notes that the brass doors seen here are from the Fox.
Another facade view from the Clint Reilly site.
More information: See the Fox Salvage page for a discussion about many items from the theatre that have turned up in other locations or been offered for sale.
The Little Fox gets a photo and mention on page 63 of Jack Tillmany's "Theatres of San Francisco." It's on the Google Books preview of the book.
The theatre gets discussed in "The Beat Generation in San Francisco." It's on Google Books.
Later adventures of the leg sign:
The
sign was later re-purposed for the Chez Paree at 150 Mason St. Later it
was moved to 115 Mason, where this photo by DHL65 on Flickr was taken. Later yet it went to 139 Mason. See more of the story on the page about the Chez Paree.
Later adventures of the leg sign:
I had the basement and 3rd floor for 6 years in the 80s-90s. Purchased by politico Clint Reilly a year before my lease ended. I wanted more space but couldn't get it. So I moved out. For clients who came from out of town or internationally the location rocked. Ernie's (served abalone) was on the same block. A 5 minute walk to Chinatown and Italian North Beach. Dream location with modern office digs.
ReplyDeleteThe Little Fox was owned by a group from The On Broadway theater. They opened with An Evening of British Rubbish. Did very poorly. Beautiful theater. They sold it to the Kingston Trio.
ReplyDelete