The Unique Theatre

757 Market St. | map |

Opened: 1909. The Unique Theatre was on the south side of the street between 3rd and 4th, opposite Grant Ave. It was a busy block for theatres with others there including the Silver Palace (later called the Hub), V-Odeon, Wonderland (more of a dime museum), Portola and Pastime. The latter was demolished in 1916 to make way for the California Theatre.

The 1909 photo is from the Jack Tillmany collection. A smaller version is on the San Francisco Public Library website. Jack notes that the first telephone directory listing for the Unique was February 1909 and the first city directory listing was September 1909.  

Seating: 299
 


 
A detail from the 1909 photo. This one appears on page 45 of Jack Tillmany's Arcadia publishing epic "Theatres of San Francisco." The page is included in the preview on Google Books
 

 
Some of the ads in a May 1, 1909 S.F. Bulletin three-page salute to "San Francisco's High-Class Moving-Picture Theatres," part of their Pacific Progress Issue. The Unique was one of 30 theatres advertising in the section, which also included the long-winded articles "Education on Wheels - The Nickelodeon a Factor in Modern Civilization," "The Nickelodeon a Permanent Factor in Public Amusement" and "The 5-Cent Theater Opens Wide the Door of Pleasure to the Scanty Purse." Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this.
 

We get some added signage within the arch in this 1910 trade magazine photo. They went to a ten cent policy around 1915. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for locating it for a post on Cinema Treasures

 

 
 
The Unique was listed as being among theatres that were participating in a May 11, 1911 benefit for Children's Hospital in this article from the May 27 issue of The Film Index. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating this list via Internet Archive. 
 
 

The V-Odeon is indicated in blue (reinforced concrete!) as "Moving Pictures" at 747 in this detail from page 145 in volume 2 of the 1913 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. The Unique is at 757, below the Spreckels Market Building. In the lower right in blue that's a bit of the auditorium of the Portola Theatre. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating the map as image 39 in a set on the Library of Congress website. 

What a busy block! Here's an annotated view of the south side of the block with the five theatres that were on the map in 1913:   

 
See the pages for the Silver Palace / Hub at 727, the Odeon at 747, the Portola Theatre at 779 and the Pastime at 787. In 1917 the California would come along and usurp the location of the Pastime's building. Also see a view of the full block as it appeared on the 1949 Sanborn Map.
 


A summer 1916 photo looking east from the Jack Tillmany collection. The Odeon, at the far left, was running "The Moment Before" an April release with Pauline Frederick. The Unique is two doors this side of the Odeon, the building with the light colored arch. The big "Owl Cigars" sign on top had replaced the earlier Southern Pacific signage. Just this side of the Unique is the Wonderland at 763 Market. The Portola at the far right was at 779 Market. 



A detail of the Unique Theatre and Wonderland from the 1916 photo. 


 
At the center of this 1916 photo is Wonderland at 763 Market St. advertising its "Congress of Wonders - Curious People - Strange Things." Thanks to Glenn Koch for sharing this parade photo from his collection. The Unique, at the left, was running Chaplin's "The Vagabond," a July 1916 release.  

The July 15, 1916 issue of The Moving Picture World mentions the Unique:

"Probably the second house to be opened on Market street [after the fire] was the Gold Palace of I. H. Lichtenstein, about opposite Sixth street. This, however, did not prove to be a success. Then came the Unique theater on Market opposite Grant avenue. This house occupied the entire building in which it was located and was the first one that was not merely a converted store. It is still conducted by the same company that originally built it, in conjunction with the Odeon theater a few doors below, under the direct management of Joe Huff. 
 
"Both of these places have been kept thoroughly abreast of the times in the matter of equipment and furnishings and a little over a year ago changed from a five-cent to a ten-cent policy. Paramount pictures are now being shown, together with Chaplins, of which a feature are made. These houses have a combined seating capacity of about 700."

The Moving Picture World article notes that Joe Huff was managing but doesn't give us clarity as to whether he was the owner or a partner in the company that owned the operation. 
 
In "H. Wobber - Film Pioneer," a June 13, 1965 Examiner obituary of Herman Wobber, they assert that he opened the Unique in 1907 and it was the first nickelodeon on Market after the 1906 earthquake and fire. The obituary notes that he was also involved in the operation of the Imperial Theatre after the Graumans sold and moved to Los Angeles. The article, which suffers from a lack of fact checking, can be seen at the bottom of the page.
 
Although the Examiner's article makes no mention of a brother in the business, an entity referred to as "Wobber Brothers" is mentioned in a February 13, 1926 article in Exhibitors Herald about Jack Partington. It's on Internet Archive. That article notes that the Wobbers had been running the California Theatre and later added the Imperial to their portfolio. Both of those houses were later acquired by Herbert Rothchild, who built the Granada in 1921. 


 
Nope, can't go on the weekends, but we have a pass from Max L. Shirpser that's otherwise good for a show. The date? Who knows? Thanks to Kevin Walsh for the post on the BAHT Facebook page
 

 
A December 1, 1929 ad for Goldberg Theatres, then running the Unique. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating it. 
 
Closing: The theatre closed around 1934. It's in that directory with Ruban Jacobs listed as manager. There's no listing in the 1935 directory. The site is now part of the Four Seasons Hotel.
 
 
An interior view?


A photo of the Unique from the Jack Tillmany collection. Or maybe not. It's unverified and Jack notes that it's just as likely we're looking at the Unique Theatre at 1217 Market St. in Philadelphia.
 
Not so Unique: This Unique Theatre shouldn't be confused with the pre-earthquake Grauman's Unique on the north side of the street between Mason and Taylor. And there was another Unique at 2117 Market St. It was on a 1909 list of 25 unsafe nickelodeons that fire Chief Shaugnessey wanted either closed or remodeled. 
 
 
The June 13, 1965 S.F. Examiner obituary for Herman Wobber:

Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating the article. It's unknown how accurate the statements are about the Unique. One noticeable error is the assertion that Herman helped build the Curran in 1927. The year it opened was actually 1922. 

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.

See the Cinema Treasures page on the Unique, which also has comments on the pre-1906 Unique.

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