Opened: June 22, 1912 by Aaron Goldberg, the first in a circuit that later included many small houses on Market St. It was also known as the 3rd St. Peerless. It was on the west side of the street between Mission and Howard. The photo is a view from the Jack Tillmany collection looking north from Howard toward Market. It shows the theatre running "Ridin' the Wind," a western with Fred Thomson and Silver King the Horse that was released in August 1925. The street just beyond the theatre to the left is Minna St., no longer existing in that direction.
Architect: It's unknown who did the original building. Albert W. Burgren did the design for a c.1924 remodel. Plans for that project are in the Gary Parks collection. Burgren had also designed the Ferry Theatre on the Embarcadero in 1922 for the same owner.
That's Jade, executive assistant to Mr. Parks, perusing one of the drawings. She's expressing, through body language, her awareness that the facade alterations here shown were not to be. See a cat-free version of this drawing, as well as nine additional images, down at the bottom of the page.
Seating: 494
The Peerless was mentioned in "After the Quake and Fire," an article on page 401 of the July 15, 1916 issue of Moving Picture World. They noted that "Fully ninety-nine percent of the patrons are men and smoking is allowed on one side of the house. The house has a seating capacity of 307 and was opened about five years ago. Triangle and open market pictures are shown at five cents on week days and ten cents on Sunday."
Jack adds: "Although South of Market was an established residential community
at the time of the April 1906 earthquake and fire, after the
devastation, it developed more along industrial lines, and what little
neighborhood remained or was rebuilt deteriorated into what was commonly
referred to at the time as 'skid row' now more affectionately and
familiarly identified as the 'tenderloin.' The Peerless, which had been
built as a 'prestige' house failed to click from the beginning, and so
was soon downgraded to a ten cent venue catering to the residents of
nearby fleabag hotels. The photo vividly tells the story,
with the Peerless on the West side of the street and an equally prominent SF
pawn shop on the East side."
A December 1, 1929 ad for Goldberg Theatres. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating it.
By the late 50s the theatre was running soft core porn. A February 2, 1958 Chronicle ad is for Tempest Storm ("first time on the screen") in "Bring On the Dames." There's an ad in the March 7, 1958 Chronicle for the 3rd Street Peerless running "Sinful Love." An April 4, 1958 Chronicle ad has the theatre running "Bad Girls of Harlem," supposedly the "most daring colored show ever." The engagement even merited a personal appearance by Miss Harlem, "the sepia sensation." The pages for all these ads can be viewed on Newsbank.
"Culture is a Real Grind," a great column by Art Hoppe in the December 4, 1961 Chronicle extols the virtues of the Peerless. Hoppe was concerned that demolition of the theatre, then home to the live show "Ding Dong Dollies," was imminent. He called upon the city fathers to preserve this cultural treasure and tried to rally the troops for a "Save the Peerless" campaign. Hoppe gives 1908 as the year of the theatre's opening. The column can be viewed on Newsbank.
Somehow the theatre survived for almost another decade. There's an ad for the film "Acid Trip," in the September 6, 1968 Chronicle. A January 8, 1969 Chronicle ad was a "Statement of Policy." The films that week were efforts of Lloyd Downton, a gentleman who also ran the Uptown Theatre at the end of its life. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for all the research.
Closing: It was about October 1970.
Status: It was demolished in 1970. Its site is now part of Yerba Buena Center.
A 1929 photo from the Bancroft Library that appears, with many other vintage views from the Bancroft, on a Skyscraper page forum called San Francisco of the Past. A smaller version is also on the San Francisco Public Library website. Here they're running "The Little Yellow House," an April 1928 release.
Another 1929 view taken the same day as the photo above. It's in the San Francisco Public Library collection. Jack Tillmany comments: "I believe those mysterious tracks were some kind of police chalk marking where an accident or something had just previously occurred, and hence the reason for the photos. Good thing whatever it is happened, or we would never have gotten the photos. If some poor soul gave up his/her life, it was indeed for a worthy cause."
Aaron Goldberg, the operator of the Peerless Theatre, was feted in 1932 on the 20th anniversary of the opening. This article in the July 2, 1932 Motion Picture Herald also mentions the other theatres operated by Goldberg, all Market St. grindhouses.
The Silver Palace, at 757 Market (opposite Grant Ave.) opened in 1908 and in 1951 got renamed the Hub Theatre. The Unique, at 747 Market was in that same block between 3rd & 4th as the Hub, Portola/Paris and California. The Circle, at 980 Market, opened in 1909 as the Lesser Nickelodeon. It was best known (later) as the Crest -- just east of the Warfield. The Pompeii Theatre, at 1046 Market (just a couple doors east of the Granada/Paramount), opened in 1925 and was later known as the Regal. The Egyptian was later taken over by Bob Lippert and morphed into the Studio and the Guild. It ended its days as the Pussycat. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the article and posting it on the BAHT Facebook page.
A 1932 photo of Goldberg showing off the award presented by his fellow exhibitors. Thanks to Shawn Paton for finding the photo for a post on the BAHT Facebook page. Also see a second post from Shawn with two additional photos and four congratulatory telegrams.
Looking north up 3rd from Howard in 1938 with the Peerless up a block on the left. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating the photo in the Open SF History Project collection.
A detail from the 1938 photo, giving us our first good look at the new vertical sign. Thanks, Art!
A May 1939 photo by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration that appears on the site Photogrammar. The title: "Salvation Army, San Francisco, California. Returning to headquarters; no recruits to audience from street." Thanks to David Gallagher for spotting this one and sharing it as a post on the BAHT Facebook page. He notes that larger versions of it can be downloaded from the Library of Congress website.
A detail from the 1939 Dorothea Lange photo. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for working on this one. They were running "The Storm" along with Tex Ritter in "Rollin' Westward."
A detail of the vertical taken from the Salvation Army photo.
Another May 1939 look at the theatre by Dorothea Lange with the same two titles on display. "In the neighborhood where the Salvation Army operates. Breakfast for his pal, bummed from a restaurant." Thanks to David Gallagher for locating this one on Photogrammar. It can also be seen on the Library of Congress site as part of a 95 photo set by Ms. Lange.
A 40s view from the Jack Tillmany collection. He comments: "Twenty years later, not much had changed, although a newer vertical and marquee had been added, and Bingo was now included on the program. Their last newspaper ad in the SF Chronicle as a conventional movie house appeared in November 1950."
The April-May 1949 calendar for the "Little Downtown Theatres" -- the Silver Palace (later renamed the Hub), the Newsreel (later called the Crest), the Regal and the Peerless. It's from the Jack Tillmany collection. The calendar notes that June that year was the 37th anniversary of the 1912 opening of the Peerless, the theatre that began the chain.
The August-September 1949 calendar for the Silver Palace/Hub, the Newsreel/Crest, the Regal and the Peerless. It's from the Jack Tillmany collection.
A 1961 photo by John Harder from the Open SF History Project showing the theatre running "Ding Dong Dollies," a live show running from the end of 1958 to the end of 1961. Thanks to David Gallagher for the link.
Thanks to Art Siegel for this lightened detail from the 1961 photo allowing a better peek into the ticket lobby.
Yet another detail taken from the 1961 photo. Thanks again, Art!
An early 60s photo taken by Jack Tillmany. Thanks to Matt Spero for his fine color correction job. Jack comments: "As times changed, the Peerless went with the tide and pushed the
envelope to the limit, offering a combination of live shows and 'offbeat' films under the cover of 'Nude-O-Rama'; police raids were
frequent. By the late 1960s, all lids were off & they openly
advertised their wares in SF Chronicle.
"By the end of the decade, they were the first SF site to publicly offer same sex encounters, both female and male, both on screen and on stage. Police raids were so frequent patrons joked that maybe they were part of the show! For better or for worse, redevelopment changed all that, and the Peerless closed its doors circa October 1970. There's no record of there ever having been a 'Save the Peerless' campaign. Sniff!"
Jack covers the Peerless on page 46 of his Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres of San Francisco." The page, which includes a black and white version of the photo above, is part of the preview on Google Books. We are shocked, shocked, to learn that Mr. Tillmany was never inside the Peerless.
Another early 60s view from the Nude-O-Rama era. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing it from his collection.
Images for the c.1924 remodel plans in the Gary Parks collection:
An elevation of the 3rd St. facade -- with a lot of ornament that was never executed. Gary comments:
"If you've looked at the drawings on the the Ferry Theatre page prepare for a bit of deja vu. Same architect -- a mirror image, in a lot of ways. I counted the little decorative Gothic arches along the top of the facade, just over the entrances of both this remodel and the Ferry facade. Same number—14. Unlike its sister facade design at the Ferry, this concept has no arch in the entry. This facade remodel, which would have been an improvement, was never done. "
The side facade on Minna St. with, on the right, a new storefront at the back end of the lengthened building.
A section through the ticket lobby (at the left) and rear of the auditorium. Note the standee rail a bit right of center. The boxoffice is out of the frame, farther off to the left.
A floorplan for the upstairs area including the office, the booth and addition of a toilet for the projectionist.
A floorplan of the front of the building. That's the octagonal boxoffice in the upper left. It's a store space in the lower left. Gary comments:
"Here we see the theatre entrance as it was originally, and as it remained—for the most part, aesthetically. An additional storefront, plus an exit from the auditorium was to have been added. Looking at an early 1960s photo, it doesn’t look like the facade was ever widened to the right like we see on the plan."
Sorry, you can't see this one without a password. Gary comments: "Jade has decided that, since it is foolish to pay so much attention to drawings of something which was not ever executed—at least on the exterior--these drawings should be converted to Cat Mat use." Thanks Gary and Jade!
More information: Jack Tillmany's Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres of San Francisco" can be previewed on Google Books. It's available from Amazon or your local bookseller. Jack comments:
"For the record: No, I had no desire to venture into the Peerless. 3rd & Howard was the heart of Skid Row as it was called in less sensitive times, before it was 'redeveloped' and the citizens who gave it its name were relocated to 'The Tenderloin' and upgraded to 'Homeless.' In the Peerless era, they slept in the theatre, clutching a paper bag with a bottle of cheap wine inside.
"You saw a more polite version of such a venue when you watched 'I Wake Up Screaming' (1941). By the 1950s it was always testing the X-rated limits of the moment, often raided, and had the sort of reputation that you didn't even want to walk by. By comparison, the Crazy Horse and Century would seem like going to church."
See Cinema Treasures page on the Peerless. But there's not much there.
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Images for the c.1924 remodel plans in the Gary Parks collection:
A title block from one of the sheets. Gary comments: "Note the handy-dandy key as to what walls existed at the time, what was to go away, and what was to be added."
An elevation of the 3rd St. facade -- with a lot of ornament that was never executed. Gary comments:
"If you've looked at the drawings on the the Ferry Theatre page prepare for a bit of deja vu. Same architect -- a mirror image, in a lot of ways. I counted the little decorative Gothic arches along the top of the facade, just over the entrances of both this remodel and the Ferry facade. Same number—14. Unlike its sister facade design at the Ferry, this concept has no arch in the entry. This facade remodel, which would have been an improvement, was never done. "
The side facade on Minna St. with, on the right, a new storefront at the back end of the lengthened building.
A section through the ticket lobby (at the left) and rear of the auditorium. Note the standee rail a bit right of center. The boxoffice is out of the frame, farther off to the left.
A detail of the wall treatment in the ticket lobby.
A section through the rear of the auditorium. We're looking toward the house left wall. Gary comments: "It's unknown whether the interior alterations were ever done."
A floorplan for the upstairs area including the office, the booth and addition of a toilet for the projectionist.
A floorplan of the front of the building. That's the octagonal boxoffice in the upper left. It's a store space in the lower left. Gary comments:
"Here we see the theatre entrance as it was originally, and as it remained—for the most part, aesthetically. An additional storefront, plus an exit from the auditorium was to have been added. Looking at an early 1960s photo, it doesn’t look like the facade was ever widened to the right like we see on the plan."
The floorplan for the screen end of the building.
A detail of the plan for the proposed addition at the back of the building. Gary comments: "Quite a lot of seating was, or was to
have been, added. Note the dotted line where the old screen wall was. Once again—in the
new work, no stage beyond the line of the screen."
Sorry, you can't see this one without a password. Gary comments: "Jade has decided that, since it is foolish to pay so much attention to drawings of something which was not ever executed—at least on the exterior--these drawings should be converted to Cat Mat use." Thanks Gary and Jade!
More information: Jack Tillmany's Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres of San Francisco" can be previewed on Google Books. It's available from Amazon or your local bookseller. Jack comments:
"For the record: No, I had no desire to venture into the Peerless. 3rd & Howard was the heart of Skid Row as it was called in less sensitive times, before it was 'redeveloped' and the citizens who gave it its name were relocated to 'The Tenderloin' and upgraded to 'Homeless.' In the Peerless era, they slept in the theatre, clutching a paper bag with a bottle of cheap wine inside.
"You saw a more polite version of such a venue when you watched 'I Wake Up Screaming' (1941). By the 1950s it was always testing the X-rated limits of the moment, often raided, and had the sort of reputation that you didn't even want to walk by. By comparison, the Crazy Horse and Century would seem like going to church."
See Cinema Treasures page on the Peerless. But there's not much there.
| back to top | San Francisco Theatres: by address and neighborhood | alphabetical list | list by architect | pre-1906 theatre list | home |
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