Opening: c.1914. The location was mid-block on the south side of the street between 3rd and 4th. It was more of an arcade and exhibit hall than a theatre. It's not listed under motion picture theatres in either the 1916 or 1920 city directories.
"Congress of Wonders - Curious People - Strange Things." Thanks to Glenn Koch for sharing this 1916 parade photo from his collection. Wonderland was just west of the Unique Theatre at 757. In the photo the Unique, at the left, was running Chaplin's "The Vagabond," a July 1916 release.
A February 18, 1916 Chronicle ad.
A March 10, 1916 Chronicle ad.
A March 13, 1916 article in the Chronicle. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding these items.
Closing: Unknown. There's no listing for Wonderland in the alphabetical section of the 1925 city directory. The site is now part of the Four Seasons Hotel.
There was a later Wonderland up near the Crystal Palace Market between 7th and 8th. It wasn't there long.
A detail from a 1909 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. That's the Wonderland space on the right. But here we're too early -- the space is still used for retail.
A summer 1916 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. The Wonderland has arrived. It's there in the center just to the right of the Unique.
The photo shows four of the six theatres that were on the block. The Silver Palace/Hub (727 Market) is out of the frame to the left. The one with the bulky marquee running a Pauline Frederick picture is the Odeon (747 Market), then the Unique (757 Market), the Wonderland (763 Market) and the Portola (779 Market.) Farther off to the right is the Pastime (789 Market,) a house demolished for construction of the California Theatre.
A detail from the 1916 photo showing the Unique and Wonderland.
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.
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