Opened: November 5, 1926. The photo by Gabriel Moulin from the collection of Steve Levin. This and five other Moulin photos also made an appearance in a 1927 issue of Pacific Coast Architect. The Alhambra is on the east side of the street between Green and Union.
Architect: Timothy Pflueger of the firm Miller and Pflueger. Gary Parks notes: "Original decorative color scheme by famed San Francisco muralist, painter, and decorator, Arthur Matthews." The Faggioni Co. Studios were also involved as decorators.
Seating: 1,625
Pipe Organ: It was a 2 manual 6
rank (plus percussion) Wurlitzer, opus 1364. It was removed from the
theatre in January 1961 and installed in a private residence. Thanks to
TJ Fisher for the data.
The cover of the opening night's program. It's from the Jack Tillmany collection. The program featured photos of other theatres operated by the Nasser Bros. as well as those affiliated houses of Consolidated Theatres and T&D Jr. Enterprises. More pages from the program:
The decorator for the theatre was Faggioni Co. Studios. In addition to their work on the
Alhambra, they also decorated the Castro, the Irving, the Golden Gate and the O'Farrell St. Orpheum.
An April 1927 "Programette." Thanks to Robert Muller for sharing this in a post on the BAHT Facebook page. He notes: "Printed on card stock, this was folded in half: 'FOR YOUR PURSE OR POCKET.'"
A June 1930 schedule for the Alhambra and the Royal. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing the item from his collection.
Thanks to TJ Fisher for locating this May 13, 1970 Examiner ad for "Let It Be," also playing the Empire. It was part of a post on the BAHT Facebook page where he cites "And in the End," an August 2020 Rolling Stone article by Rob Sheffield. The article mentions John Lennon and Yoko Ono catching "Let It Be" unnoticed in a nearly empty theatre in San Francisco, possibly the Alhambra:
"John
and Yoko finally saw it in an empty movie theater in San Francisco in
June 1970, along with Rolling Stone founder Jann S. Wenner and his wife,
Jane. The four of them bought their tickets at the door and sat
unnoticed in the afternoon matinee. 'Just bought tickets and went in,'
Wenner recalled years later. 'I don’t think anybody even really knew we
were there. It was empty, afternoon, and during a weekday. So the four
of us are sitting together in the middle of the theater, watching this
thing about the breakup of the Beatles.' John couldn’t hide his tears.
'I just remember walking out of the theater and all of us in a foursome
huddle, hugging, and the sadness of the occasion.'"
TJ adds: "'Let It Be' left San Francisco proper after May 26th and did not return until July 1st, so it seems John and Yoko cannot have seen it there in June. Maybe they saw it out of town in June, or maybe they saw it in the city in May or July." See his post for details about various area bookings of the film.
The theatre was twinned in 1973 with a wall down the middle. Each of the
narrow theatres got half the balcony. It reopened December 22. When Blumenfeld Theatres and Disney
un-twinned the theatre in 1988 they installed 70mm equipment, restored
the proscenium, and put a smallish screen inside the arch.
Many thanks to Eric Schaefer for locating this June 22, 1988 Examiner article.
Closed: 1998
Status: This Russian Hill neighborhood house is now a Crunch Fitness gym. Nearly all the decor is intact.
The lobby:
A look along the standee rail toward the house right side of the lobby The rail was later walled in to form a separate lobby. Photo: Gabriel Moulin / Steve Levin Collection - 1926
The house right stairs. Photo: Gabriel Moulin / Steve Levin Collection - 1926
The mezzanine. Photo: Gabriel Moulin / Steve Levin Collection - 1926
A mezzanine lounge area. That door on the right goes to the manager's office. Photo: Gabriel Moulin / Steve Levin Collection - 1926
A 1943 lobby view by Ted Newman. It's a Jack Tillmany collection photo on the San Francisco Public Library website.
A 90s look at the lobby from Scott Neff on Cinema Tour. The photo is one of a set of 55 by Scott on the page.
The house right stairs. It's a 1997 photo by Ken Roe on Flickr, taken the year before the theatre closed.
A look down the length of the mezzanine level of the lobby in 1997. In the center of the photo note the the menu boards above the snackbar. It's a Ken Roe photo on Flickr.
The house right stairs. It's a 1997 photo by Ken Roe on Flickr, taken the year before the theatre closed.
A look down the length of the mezzanine level of the lobby in 1997. In the center of the photo note the the menu boards above the snackbar. It's a Ken Roe photo on Flickr.
A view from the house left stairs across the opened-up main floor lobby space as a Crunch gym. Photo: Mike Hume - 2022
Looking around from the stairs to the peacock above what had been an exit from the house left end of the lobby. Photo: Mike Hume - 2022. He wonders about that exit fixture below the bird. Is it a knight's helmet? Or a PAR can?
A closer look at the bird. It's a detail from Mike's photo above.
Half way up the house left stairs. Photo: Mike Hume - 2022. He notes: "That's the last piece of stair to the left and the ramp is beyond heading left-to-right into the balcony."
A closer look at the urn on the house left landing. Photo: Bob Ristelhueber - BAHT Facebook page - 2013. Thanks, Bob!
A look across the lobby at mezzanine level. Photo: Mike Hume - 2022. Thanks to Mike for his many photos appearing here. Visit his Historic Theatre Photography site for historical data and thousands of terrific photos of the theatres he's explored in California and elsewhere.
The auditorium:
The rear of the main floor. Photo: Gabriel Moulin / Steve Levin Collection - 1926
A proscenium view. It's a 1926 Gabriel Moulin photo appearing in several collections. Thanks to John Bosko for spotting this version on eBay.
A proscenium plaster detail from the previous photo.
A house right wall detail taken from the Moulin proscenium view.
A look from the centerline. Thanks to Maria Iclea Kava for posting the photo on the Facebook page Bagdad By The Bay. A smaller and somewhat darker version of the photo is in the San Francisco Public Library collection.
The great dome. The organ spoke through the ceiling. Photo: Gabriel Moulin / Steve Levin Collection - 1926
The rear of the auditorium from onstage. Photo: Gabriel Moulin / Steve Levin Collection - 1926
Up in the balcony. Photo: Gabriel Moulin / Steve Levin Collection - 1926
A 1943 look at the dome. It's a Ted Newman photo from the Jack Tillmany collection on the San Francisco Public Library website.
A 1943 look at the rear of the auditorium. It's a Ted Newman photo from the Jack Tillmany collection on the San Francisco Public Library website.
This 1974 view across the auditorium by Clem Albers for the Chronicle was taken before the theatre got twinned. Note the curtain way out in front of the proscenium for the CinemaScope screen installation. The photo appeared with a Peter Hartlaub SF Gate story out September 12, 2015 called "Time Machine: 10 historic screenings we'd like to visit."
Jack Tillmany notes that the house had a great 'Scope installation that, of course, included 4 channel mag sound. When the theatre was untwinned it got 70mm equipment but a small screen. They opted to put it within the proscenium instead of out in front.
A 1991 dome view by Gary Parks. He comments: "Yes, that Gary Parks guy laid on his back between rows of seats, with his Minolta camera resting steadily against his eyes, using 400 speed film--100% hand-held. I can't remember if I did a 1/2 second time exposure, or a 1 second time exposure, but it sure turned out great, and I wanted for years to see it published somewhere, and was elated when Therese Poletti had it occupy all of Page 50 in her book on Pflueger. She even considered it for the cover, but decided that the color pastel rendering from Pflueger's office of the El Rey should go on the cover, and I agreed (it's in the Mark Santa Maria Collection, having been acquired from Jack Naify). However, the silly editors insisted on putting the interior shot of the Castro on the cover......though the title is Art Deco San Francisco. Therese was not happy about that."
Thanks to Ken Roe for this photo taken in 1997, the year before closing. It's on Flickr.
A 1997 balcony view from Ken Roe on Flickr.
The vista across the main floor as a Crunch gym. Photo: Mike Hume - 2022
A closer look at the house left side. Photo: Mike Hume - 2022
An original exit fixture re-mounted above a new one at the front exit house left. The area that once said "Exit" on the vintage fixture has been covered by a piece of sheet metal. These fixtures also functioned as downlights giving a pool of light just in front of the door. Photo: Mike Hume - 2022
A terrific ceiling view. Photo: Mike Hume - 2022
A closer look at the dome. Photo: Mike Hume - 2022
The view toward rear of the house. The photo by Rebecca A. McBride is from the book by Ms. McBride and Julie Lindow "Left in the Dark, Portraits of San Francisco Movie Theatres." This photo also appears on a 2010 Trouvaillesdujour blog post with nine other fine San Francisco theatre interior views by Ms. McBride.
A look out from the house right side of the balcony. Photo: Mike Hume - 2022
Working hard up in the balcony. It's a photo by Lacy Atkins for the Chronicle from a 2011 Peter Hartlaub article, "New Life For Old Theatres," about the theatre's survival as a Crunch Fitness branch.
A view from along the house left wall. Photo: Mike Hume - 2022
The vista toward house right. Photo: Mike Hume - 2022
A closer look at the house right wall. Photo: Bob Ristelhueber - BAHT Facebook page - 2013
In the balcony looking out beyond the machines. The photo by Rebecca A. McBride from "Left in the Dark, Portraits
of San Francisco Movie Theatres" appears on a 2010 Trouvaillesdujour blog post with nine other fine San Francisco theatre interior views by Ms. McBride. There's more about the book on the "Left in the Dark" website.
A last vista from back in the corner. Photo: Mike Hume - 2022. Thanks, Mike!
In the booth:
A look at the booth after the equipment was removed following the 1998 closing. The amp rack was staying as the gym people wanted it. The photo is one of many by Norm Brown and Aaron Sisemore on a page about the theatre on the site Film-Tech.
More exterior views:
Thanks to the Open SF History Project for this 1926 pre-opening view. The photo is from the Emiliano Echeverria/Randolph Brandt Collection. There's a smaller version from Jack Tillmany that appears on the San Francisco Public Library website.
A 1926 marquee detail taken by Gabriel Moulin. Thanks to Maria Iclea Kava for posting this and three other Alhambra photos on the Facebook page Bagdad By The Bay.
Thanks to the Open SF History Project for this 1926 pre-opening view. The photo is from the Emiliano Echeverria/Randolph Brandt Collection. There's a smaller version from Jack Tillmany that appears on the San Francisco Public Library website.
A 1926 marquee detail taken by Gabriel Moulin. Thanks to Maria Iclea Kava for posting this and three other Alhambra photos on the Facebook page Bagdad By The Bay.
The boxoffice. Photo: Gabriel Moulin / Steve Levin Collection - 1926
Looking south across the entrance. Photo: Gabriel Moulin / Steve Levin Collection - 1926
A view north on Polk. Photo: Gabriel Moulin / Steve Levin Collection - 1926
A 1926 view south on Polk. Photo: Gabriel Moulin - Pacific Coast Architect - 1927. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the set of photos from the magazine
and posting them on the BAHT Facebook page.
A a bit of a disturbance in 1930. Labor troubles? Playing that week: "The Dawn Patrol." The newspaper photo is in the San Francisco Public Library collection. The Library also has a photo of "Bomb used in attempt to destroy Alhambra Theater."
A 2009 photo by Thomas Hawk appearing with "Neon Dreams: 16 old theater marquees around the Bay Area," a February 2018 article on Curbed SF.
A fine minaret detail from Jubilation Photography. Also see a marquee detail, a vertical sign view, and a lovely street view looking south.
A look north on Polk from a 2011 Peter Hartlaub SF Gate article, "New Life For Old Theatres." It's a Lucy Atkins photo.
A a bit of a disturbance in 1930. Labor troubles? Playing that week: "The Dawn Patrol." The newspaper photo is in the San Francisco Public Library collection. The Library also has a photo of "Bomb used in attempt to destroy Alhambra Theater."
A 40s view north on Polk St. from the San Francisco Public Library collection.
A 1966 Joe Rosenthal photo for the Chronicle. It appeared with a March 2016 article by Bob Bragman on SF Gate: "A 100 year look at San Francisco marquees and theaters."
Looking north toward the theatre in 1968 during the run of "Camelot." This was a second-run engagement after the film had won its 3 Academy Awards. The initial roadshow engagement had been at the Coronet. Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing this photo from his collection.
Thanks to Jack Tillmany for this shot he took in 1971 when the house was still running as a single screen operation. They were running "Five Easy Pieces" and "I Never Sang For My Father."
A February 1968 photo by Tom Gray that's in the Jack Tillmany collection.
Thanks to Jack Tillmany for this shot he took in 1971 when the house was still running as a single screen operation. They were running "Five Easy Pieces" and "I Never Sang For My Father."
A 1973 Chronicle photo of the closed theatre by Clem Albers. It appeared with the 2011 Peter Hartlaub SF Gate article "San Francisco Movie Theaters Then and Now."
A reopening date on the marquee during the 1973 shutdown for the twinning project. Thanks to Dave Hunter for sharing this photo he took.
A February 1980 look at the theatre running as a twin. It's a Tom Gray photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.
Thanks to Jay Peterson for his 1991 photo. It was a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
"Wag The Dog" playing in February 1998. Thanks to Dave Long for sharing this photo he took. It's on the Facebook group San Francisco Remembered along with a shot the same year of the Royal.
A 2009 photo by Thomas Hawk appearing with "Neon Dreams: 16 old theater marquees around the Bay Area," a February 2018 article on Curbed SF.
A fine minaret detail from Jubilation Photography. Also see a marquee detail, a vertical sign view, and a lovely street view looking south.
A look north on Polk from a 2011 Peter Hartlaub SF Gate article, "New Life For Old Theatres." It's a Lucy Atkins photo.
A signage detail. Photo: Bob Ristelhueber - BAHT Facebook page - 2013
A bit of the facade. Photo: Bob Ristelhueber - BAHT Facebook page - 2013
The south minaret. Photo: Bob Ristelhueber - BAHT Facebook page - 2013
Thanks to TJ Fisher for this 2021 view with the lanterns atop the minarets lit. This and the view below were shared on the BAHT Facebook page.
A night look through the front doors. Photo: TJ Fisher - 2021. He comments: "I found something poetic about a late movie playing to no one after the gym’s closing time as the lamps atop the minarets glowed faintly."
A 2022 photo by Mike Hume. Visit his Historic Theatre Photography site for historical data and thousands of terrific photos of the theatres he's explored in California and elsewhere.
Other Alhambra theatres: An Alhambra theatre at 325 Bush St. had opened in the early 1870s. It was later called Maguire's New Theatre and the Bush St. Theatre. The Alhambra Theatre at Eddy & Jones was an 1898 vintage legit house. What ended up as the Esquire Theatre at 934 Market St. had been called the Alhambra in 1917 and 1918.
More information: The Cinema Treasures page on the Alhambra has 30 photos of the theatre. See the Cinema Tour page for 55 photos including many interior views taken shortly before closing. Also see the Alhambra photos on the San Francisco Public Library website.
The Alhambra is one theatre that was covered in Peter Hartlaub's 2011 SF Gate article "New Life For Old Theaters." A 2015 SF Gate piece discussed the twinning of the theatre in 1974. A video is included that has shots of the auditorium with the screen out in front of the proscenium as it looked before the twinning. Thanks to William David French Jr. for spotting this one.
The Alhambra is one theatre that was covered in Peter Hartlaub's 2011 SF Gate article "New Life For Old Theaters." A 2015 SF Gate piece discussed the twinning of the theatre in 1974. A video is included that has shots of the auditorium with the screen out in front of the proscenium as it looked before the twinning. Thanks to William David French Jr. for spotting this one.
See a post of eleven 2013 photos, including interior views, from Bob Ristelhueber on the BAHT Facebook page.
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.
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