The Alcazar Theatre

 650 Geary St. | map |

Opened: This Alcazar Theatre, the fourth venue to use the name in San Francisco, opened in 1976. It's on the north side of the street two blocks west of the Geary and Curran theatres. Photo: Blatteis Realty - 2019

It closed in 1984 and then reopened in 1992 after the building underwent some sort of rehab. It still sees occasional use as a theatre. Joe Mader of the musical theatre company 42nd St. Moon commented in 2016: 

"I can attest that it is still available for rent as a theatre. It has undergone extensive interior renovations that make it problematic for theatrical purposes, but it is still available."

The building dates from 1918, when it opened as a Shriners lodge, the Islam Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Peter M. Field, author of the 2018 book "The Tenderloin District of San Francisco Through Time," notes that it's first listed in city directories beginning in 1919. The Shriners left in 1970. The building was designated San Francisco City Landmark #195 on October 18, 1989.

The original opening: Peter Field researched the events leading to the 1918 opening. His report: 

"The Islam Temple organization bought the lot in 1908. This item appeared in the 'Real Estate Transactions' column of the November 29, 1908 SF Call:

'Anton Koenig and wife to Islam Temple, Shrine association, lot in N line of Geary street. 137:6 E of Leavenworth, E 100 by X 137:6.'

"The new home of Islam Temple at 650 Geary St. was opened Saturday night May 11, 1918 with a smoker and entertainment according to 'Auto Party Success; Shriners Plan Others,' an article in the May 13, 1918 SF Call and Post. In 'Shriners To Open New S. F. Home,' an article in the September 25, 1918 SF Call and Post, we got this news:

'This will be a notable week in the history of Islam Temple of the Mystic Shrine, for Friday night [9/27] the new home of the order, in Geary street near Jones, will be dedicated, and Saturday night 1000 nobles will march in the Liberty Loan parade. Imperial Potentate Elias J. Jacoby of Indianapolis will arrive in San Francisco Thursday evening, making the trip especially for the dedication ceremonies, in which he will be assisted by James S. McCandless of Honolulu, imperial high priest and prophet of the Shriners of North America. Illustrious Potentate John D. McGilvray will preside at the ceremonies Friday night, after which there will be a vaudeville entertainment. The Shrine participation in Saturday night's [9/28] parade will include the famous Arab Patrol and the "million dollar" band.' 

"From the article 'Shriners Now Occupy New Geary St. Temple' in the September 28 SF Call and Post:

'The members of the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, are occupying their new temple on Geary street, rear Jones, today following its dedication last evening in which more than one thousand Nobles of Islam participated. Imperial Potentate Elias J. Jacoby of Indianapolis war the guest of honor at the dedication ceremonies, which were under direction of Illustriate Potentate John D. McGllvray. A feature of the program was a hula-hula dance done in Hawaiian costume by members of the Arabic patrol in honor of James S. McCandles of Honolulu, Imperial high priest and prophet of the Shiners.'

"From 'Shrine to Entertain In New Islam Temple,' an article in the October 17, 1918 SF Call and Post:

'There will be a housewarming and formal opening of the new Islam Temple in Geary street near Jones tonight, when their women friends will he guests of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. After an address of welcome by Potentate John D. McGilvray, dancing to the music of a big jazz orchestra will begin. The evening will be in charge of the Shrine entertainment committee, of which J. A. Ulrich is chairman, the other members being Ernest Hueter, Howard Nauman. T. Patterson Ross, A. F. Sleicher and J. Claude Perry.'"

Thanks, Peter. This Shrine organization had been around at various other locations since 1905. See Peter's research about those other locations at the bottom of the page.

Architect: Thomas Paterson Ross, born in Scotland. The cost of the structure was $150,000. In addition to the lodge rooms, the building included a garage.

There's a page on him on the Pacific Coast Architecture Database. A now-vanished article from the website SF City Guides discussed Ross:  

"Although the tale may be apocryphal, one source said that several years after the building’s completion, it was found that Ross had left his signature. The Shriners had denied his request to put his name on the cornerstone, but someone discovered that the Arabic letters over the entryway read 'Great is Allah and Great is Ross the Architect.'

"Ross created plans for over 250 buildings in San Francisco. One was the Baldwin Hotel... Ross was also responsible for the 'Chinese' or 'Pagoda' style of architecture of the rebuilt Chinatown after the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. He designed two buildings at the corner of Grant and California—the Sing Fat and Sing Chong buildings. In 1922, Ross was partially paralyzed in a construction accident when bricks fell on his head. He was unable to speak or work again. He died in 1957 at the age of 84."

Peter Field also researched the stories about the facade's inscriptions:

 

"As for the story about T. Paterson Ross, I'm happy to report it's not apocryphal. Read on. According to a couple of San Francisco newspapers, T. Patterson Ross, the architect and Islam Temple member who designed and built the 650 Geary Street structure, asked to have his name inscribed in the cornerstone, but was refused. Instead, without telling anyone, opposite from where it says 'Great is Allah,' he had his and his assistant’s names inscribed in Arabic as part of the writing around the entrance. In 'Architect’s Arabic Name On S. F. Temple,' an article in the March 4, 1919 San Francisco Examiner they noted that the frieze

 

 '... freely translated seem to parody the well known Mohammedan phrase to read Great is Allah, and great is Ross the architect... Dr. William Popper, head of the Department of Semitic languages at the University of California, was shocked when he examined the frieze around the entrance. He said the Arabic writing on the left was a perfect example of period calligraphy, but that on the opposite side of the door was very poorly done. "I can make out, however, the words ‘Ross, architect,’ and ‘Brown, assistant,’ I believe... In the frieze above the door I can make out, rather poorly done, the phrase: 'Peace to all who enter'"... Ross, it is said, had the secret safely locked away in his own breast until recently a lecturer from the East appeared before the Commonwealth Club. Having visited the shrines of the East he was taken by a friend to view the new temple here. His practiced eye caught the significance of the characters above the door and he began to laugh heartily. The story was too good to keep and was passed on to a few in the inner circles.'

 

"The SF Call and Post reported on the story with 'Architect Kept Busy Dodging S. F. Shriners,' appearing March 5:

 

'T. Patterson Ross, architect, is having a busy time of it dodging Shriners who would question him as to the joke he perpetrated by having his name done in the original Arabic language in the doorway of the new Islam Temple in Geary street. Ross, who designed the building, wanted permission to inscribe his name on the building. It was denied. So Ross hired an Oriental rug dealer to translate his name into the Arabic and work it into the frieze. Most of the Shriners take the matter as a good joke.”

 

"The investigation deepened, with even the threat of reparations. The SF Call and Post had 'Shriners Will Have Inscription Translated' in their March 6, 1919 issue: 

 

 'Francis V. Keesling. attorney for the San Francisco Shrine of Masons, has been instructed to employ experts in the interpretation of Arabic to determine just what T. Paterson Ross, architect, has caused to be inscribed above the doorway of Islam Temple, new Shriners’ home in Geary street. If Ross’ inscription was, as suggested by preliminary investigation, "Great is Allah and the architect, Ross," a suit for reparation may result. Ross is standing pat, and many of his friends declare his name done in Arabic is an embellishment, and not an eyesore.'

 

"If there's any follow up on the Masons' investigation, I haven't come across it, but nor have I looked very hard--it may be out there in a biography, Shriner or Mason records, or somebody's diary."

A 1922 poster for the building designed by Harold von Schmidt. It was on sale in 2020 by the Annex Galleries in Santa Rosa. Thanks to Gary Parks for sending along the listing, one spotted by his cousin Carolyn Lord and her husband, retired architect Rob Anglin.

Seating: 516

Status: The building went on the market in mid-2019. See the listing on Loopnet. There's also pdf on the offering from Blatteis Realty. The listing on the Blatteis website offers a virtual tour.


Interior views: 

The lobby. Photo: Blatteis Realty - 2019

A view to the stage. Photo: Blatteis Realty - 2019

The rear of the house. Photo: Blatteis Realty - 2019

More exterior views: 

A drawing of the new building by the architect that appeared with a short article in the September 1917 issue of Architect and Engineer. It's on Internet Archive.

 

A postcard of the building as the Islam Temple from the Jack Tillmany collection. 

 "San Francisco's Leading Garage" -- It's a card from the Jack Tillmany collection.  A version from the Marilyn Blaisdell collection appears on the website of the Open SF History Project. 

 

 

Looking west from Jones St. in 1951. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this view by an unknown photographer in the Open SF History Project collection. 

An undated shot from the Jack Tillmany collection that appears on page 62 of his great Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres of San Francisco." The page with the photo is included in the preview of the book on Google Books. The photo is also on the San Francisco Public Library website. 

 

 

A c.1978 photo by Tom Gray that's in the Jack Tillmany collection.  

A 1982 Michael Maloney photo for the Chronicle that appeared with the March 2016 article by Bob Bragman on SF Gate "A 100 year look at San Francisco marquees and theaters." 

 

 

A 1982 photo taken by Judith Calson for the S.F. Examiner. It appeared June 16, 1982 with the caption "On preservationists' endangered list: Alcazar Theater on Geary." Thanks to Art Siegel for spotting the shot when it came up on eBay.  

A photo by Eric Bennion that had appeared on a vanished SF City Guides page titled "Who Knows about 650 Geary?" 

An entrance detail. Photo: SF City Guides  

Another entrance detail. Photo: SF City Guides  

This lovely 2003 entrance view is from a Noe Hill in San Francisco page, a series on SF landmarks.

 

 

Earlier locations of the Islam Temple Shriners group:

The group had several homes beginning in 1905. Peter Field, author of "The Tenderloin District of San Francisco Through Time," has the report:

"A meeting of the Islam Temple of the A. A. O. N. M. S. was advertised at its headquarters at 6 Union Square Ave., between Kearny and Grant, in the 'Meeting Notices' column of the March 8, 1905 SF Chronicle. Union Square Avenue was the pre-earthquake and fire name of the former Morton St., one of the city's most notorious brothel alleys between 1869 and 1894. For a full history see my 'Maiden Lane and the Pot-holes of History' on the FoundSF website. Islam Temple is listed in the 1905 San Francisco city directory for that year only at this address. 

"It's next listed at 648 Fillmore St. in the 1906 and 1907 directories, at 1799 Steiner St. in the 1908 and 1909 directories.

"The August 13, 1908 issue of the SF Call, in an article titled 'Islam Temple Plans New $100,000 Home' reported that 'Members of Islam temple of the Mystic Shrine, meeting in their temporary hall in rooms above the Alcazar theater' in the Fillmore Street shopping district 'last night, voted to expend $100,000 in building a temple in the near future, designed to become one of the finest Masonic structures west of the Mississippi river. It was also voted to purchase property 100 by 137½ feet on the north side of Geary street between Jones and Leavenworth as a site for the temple. This lot will cost $65,000. Islam temple was burned out in the fire but immediately after held its meetings in flats in Fillmore street near Oak, moving later to the present temporary location.'

"It's listed at 43 Powell St. between Eddy and Ellis (above the Edison Theater #2) in the 1910 through 1918 directories. Up to at least March 1910 they were meeting at the Golden Gate Commandery, 2135 Sutter St. 

"The earliest mention I found of the 43 Powell location is in this ad from the 'Meeting Notices' column of the May 12, 1910 SF Chronicle: 'ISLAM temple. A. A. O. N. M. S. will convene in regular stated session at their new headquarters, 43 Powell st., this evening at 7:30 o'clock. By order of the potentate. John Bennett, Recorder.'

"They were listed at 650 Geary St., between Jones and Leavenworth, in the 1919 through 1982 directories, after which they stopped being published." 

Thanks, Peter.

More information: See the page on the 1st Alcazar Theatre, opened in 1885 at 116 O'Farrell. The 2nd Alcazar theatre in the Fillmore ended up as the Uptown Theatre. The 3rd Alcazar Theatre at 260 O'Farrell St. was demolished in 1962. 

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. 

For a fine history of the neighborhood see Peter M. Field's 2018 America Through Time/Sutton Publishing book "The Tenderloin District of San Francisco Through Time." It's available through your local bookseller or Amazon.  

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