2550 Mission St. | map |
Also see: New Mission Theatre - history + exterior views
Lobby areas:
A 1943 photo by Ted Newman that's now in the Jack Tillmany collection.
The lobby got a photo in the October 21, 1963 issue of boxoffice with the caption "Seemingly three-dimensional carpeting is a striking feature of the lobby and stairs of the redecorated New Mission Theatre, San Francisco, a Nasser Bros. house." Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the photo, a post of his on the BAHT Facebook page.
A 2012 look into the lobby. It's a photo from an
album of 21 interior views on the Alamo Facebook page that they shared on February 16.
Clearing out junk and bringing in scaffolding in 2012. Photo: Alamo Facebook page
On the landing. Photo: Alamo Facebook page - 2012
Stairs continuing up to the balcony. Photo: Alamo Facebook page - 2012
A
view early in the restoration process. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for
adding it as a comment to a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
A construction view that appeared with a December 11, 2015 Chronicle
story "New Mission dusts off marquee, opens with 'Star Wars.'" A nice
photo but a slight understatement about the amount of work involved in
the $10+ million project.
A post-renovation view. Thanks to Carlo Chaney for adding this one as a comment to a post about the Alameda Theatre on the Theatre Architecture Facebook page.
A lobby molding detail. Thanks to Joanna Budenz Gallegos for including this in a 2024 post of photos she took for the San Francisco Remembered Facebook group.
Looking down from the top of the stairs. Photo: Joanna Budenz Gallegos - San Francisco Remembered Facebook group - 2024. Also see a similar shot taken several years earlier that Graeme McBain included as a comment on a 2022 thread about the theatre on the Theatre Architecture private Facebook group.
The mirror on the landing. Photo: Joanna Budenz Gallegos - San Francisco Remembered Facebook group - 2024
A fine view down the stairs from Dan Ondrasek, included in a 2022 post on the Reclaiming Our Downtown Facebook page. Also see a 2024 wide angle view by Joanna Budenz Gallegos.
What used to be the inner lobby behind the foyer at the back of the main floor is now a bar area. The bar itself seen through those openings is in the former projection booth -- a new one has been built farther forward. The photo by David Wakely is from a portfolio from Architectural Resources Group.
The auditorium:
We get an auditorium view in this Fotoplayer ad from a September 1916 issue of the trade magazine Motion Picture World. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating it.
A closer look at the image from the Fotoplayer ad. Thanks, Jack.
This slightly wider version of the 1916 photo appeared with an article in the September 23, 1916 issue of Moving Picture World. It's on Internet Archive and also reproduced on the New Mission history + exterior views page.
Up in the booth in this 1917 Westinghouse trade magazine ad. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating the ad. At the time of their photo the booth was upstairs. A new one would be constructed downstairs later in 1917 so the balcony could be enlarged. See images from the plans for that job at the bottom of the New Mission History page.
A description of the original upstairs booth that appeared in a July 1917 issue of Motion Picture World. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating it.
A view from the balcony that appeared in the January
1921 issue of Architect and Engineer. Their article "Theatre Equipments
on the Pacific Coast" also pictures the Lyceum and the Coliseum. It's on
Internet Archive.
A look to the rear of the house in 1923 from an unidentified trade magazine that was located by Jack Tillmany. Note the booth, a move downstairs in 1917. The photo appeared with this caption: "Interior View New Mission Theatre, San Francisco - Showing how the projection room has been placed between level of main floor seats and those of the balcony."
A 1943 photo by Ted Newman that's now in the Jack Tillmany collection.
A look to the rear in 2001. This
booth was abandoned during the Alamo renovations although the front wall with its ports can be seen
in what is now an inner lobby at the back of house #1. A new booth was
constructed farther forward. This photo
appears on an
"updates" page, with several other New Mission views, from the San Francisco Neighborhood Theatre Foundation.
A look back to the new booth and the nice new faux-balcony front in the
main house as the continued work on the seats. The shot was part of Mike Keegan's
November 19, 2015 Alamo website news post introducing the team members "Meet the team
behind the scenes..."
A post-renovation look across the main floor theatre -- the largest in what is now a 5 screen complex. The photo by David Wakely is in a portfolio from Architectural Resources Group.
The
house left organ grille. We've got a nice mashup of original 1916 Reid
Brothers decor, a bit of deco ornament atop courtesy of Timothy
Pflueger's 30s remodel -- and the 2015 Alamo paint job to finish
it off. The photo by David Wakely is from a lovely portfolio from
Architectural Resources Group.
The booth in house #1:
Film: 2 Century JJ 35/70 projectors. These were a later addition. When the renovated complex reopened in 2015 it was a pair of Simplex XLs. It's always reel to reel when they run film. Their head technician/projectionist Jim Cassedy notes:
"The New Mission has 70mm change-over projection using a pair of Century JJ's, and is also one of the few 70mm theaters that can still play 'classic' 70mm films using any of the older/obsolete 'magnetic sound' formats. The NuMish played several mag sound titles in the summer of 2023 in the weeks leading up to their 'Oppenheimer' engagement. Until the Castro re-opens, I'm pretty sure that this is the only theater in SF that has a working 35 and 70mm magnetic sound system."
Digital: Sony 515DS dual-4K projectors
"Projector
in Theater #1 turns on. That's a good sign." It's an October 30, 2015
shot that appeared on the Alamo Facebook page. Alamo had noted elsewhere that "The New
Mission is the first theater in North America equipped with Sony’s
revolutionary 515DS dual-4K projectors." The big house also got
35/70 capability -- but not in time for the opening. "The other four auditoriums feature state-of-the-art
Sony 4K digital projection and Dolby digital surround sound."
A look back after the seats were finished. The square openings above are part of the HVAC system. Photo: Bill Counter - December 13, 2015
A closer peek in the ports. In the center it's the stacked Sony 4K digital
projectors. On either side at the time of the photo were Simplex XLs with Simplex optical and
Dolby Digital soundheads on Strong consoles. The 35s were temporary --
the plan was (after the "Hateful Eight" 70mm excitement died down) was to
snap up a pair of Century JJ 35/70 machines and install them instead.
Which they did. Photo: Bill Counter - December 13, 2015
In
the main floor booth -- the only one of the five houses that's film
equipped. The control area is down a few steps, at lobby level, at the far
end. In the foreground are the two stacked Sony 4K projectors. Film
projectors are on either side of it. Photo: Bill Counter - December 13, 2015
A look out from the center port area of the main floor booth. Photo: Bill Counter - December 13, 2015
Upstairs:
Ready
for beer and pizza? This is one of the three smaller houses below the balcony crossaisle. Thanks to Dan Ondrasek for the 2022 photo, one included in a post on the Reclaiming Our Downtown Facebook page. On the screen: "Clockwork Orange."
The house at the top of the balcony -- the largest of the four upstairs theatres. The photo by David Wakely is in a portfolio from Architectural Resources Group.
A look at the restored ceiling above the rear of the balcony. This is from the 1917 Reid Brothers addition that expanded the balcony. This area is now 2nd largest house in the complex -- 3 smaller ones are nestled into the front of the balcony. The photo by David Wakely is from an elegant portfolio from Architectural Resources Group.
More photos: See the New Mission Theatre album on the BAHT Facebook page for over 200 photos.
Pages on the New Mission: back to top - interior views | history + exterior views
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