Opened: March 5, 1927 as the Riviera Theatre. It was on the north side of the street between Fillmore and Steiner, constructed on the site of the Star Theatre. The January 13, 1942 Ted Newman photo is from the Jack Tillmany collection. This small version appears on the San Francisco Public Library website.
Architects: Reid Brothers designed the house in a French/Italian Renaissance mode. It got a moderne makeover by Alecander A. Cantin in 1939. Six detail images from the sheet of plans for the facade remodel from the Gary Parks collection are near the bottom of the page.
Seating: 1,385
An April 10, 1926 item in the Motion Picture News about the demolition of the Star and plans for the new theatre. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the article for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
An opening day illustration of the new theatre that appeared in the March 5, 1927 issue of the Examiner. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding it.
An April 8, 1927 Motion Picture News story about the theatre's opening.
The lineup for June 3-9, 1929. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing the flyer from his collection.
The big March 4, 5 and 6 programs in 1929 to celebrate the second anniversary. It's a flyer from the Jack Tilllmany collection.
March 23, 1929. One night only!
An exciting program for May 9 and 10, 1929.
The lineup for June 3-9, 1929. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing the flyer from his collection.
A June 9 to 29, 1929 calendar from the Jack Tillmany collection.
A 1933 calendar. Thanks to Gary Meyer for sharing this one on the BAHT Facebook page.
It was renamed the Midtown Theatre in 1935 with a reopening under that name on April 29. Presumably it got a new marquee as part of the changeover. The assumption is that the new vertical was added as part of the 1939 facade remodel. Gary Parks notes that the interior work in the 30s consisted mostly of new seats, new carpet, paint, etc. He comments:
"The interior decorations may have been changed out in '35, or in '39. The Moderne style was an IN Thing at both those times. Interestingly, the seats—on the main floor at least—were never changed, bearing the “R” monogram on their cast iron aisle standards for the life of the building, as both a theatre and a church. I saw them all there in 1998. I can’t comment on seats upstairs, as the balcony was completely shorn of seats when I saw it."
Closing: An early morning fire on January 25, 1952 was the end of it as a theatre. Gary Parks comments about his visit in 1998: "In fact, trace of the fire that had occurred there decades before were still visible up in the balcony, including a fireman’s axe that had never been retrieved."
Status: It later became a church. The building was gutted in 1998 to become loft apartments.
Lobby areas:
A peek into the lobby on January 13, 1942. The theatre had received a moderne redo in 1935. The Ted Newman photo from the Jack Tillmany collection appears on the San Francisco Public Library website.
The balcony lobby. It's a 1942 Ted Newman photo from the Jack Tillmany collection appearing on the San Francisco Public Library website.
Another 1942 Ted Newman balcony lobby view from the Jack Tillmany collection. It's on the San Francisco Public Library website.
The auditorium:
We get a look to the back of the auditorium as it originally appeared in a Heywood-Wakefield seating ad from the April 29, 1927 issue of Motion Picture News. Bob Ristelhueber found it for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
A closer look at the theatre photo in the 1927 ad.
The rear of the house after its modern remodel. It's a 1942 Ted Newman photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. It's on the San Francisco Public Library website.
A balcony view appearing in the January 26, 1952 Chronicle. Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Arto for posting it on the site's Midtown page.
The Chronicle's story: "$25,000 S.F. Theater Fire -- Fire before dawn gutted the balcony of the Midtown Theater at 562 Haight street yesterday, and caused $25,000 in damage. Fire Marshall Frank Kelly said a smouldering cigarette in a loge seat started the conflagration. He was investigating a report that the theater's janitor discovered the seat burning at 4:30 a.m., dumped a bucket of water on it, and left at 5 a.m. without reporting the incident. The three-alarm fire broke out in earnest at 6 a.m. Two firemen were injured by smoke before the blaze was controlled."
A balcony view appearing in the January 26, 1952 Chronicle. Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Arto for posting it on the site's Midtown page.
The Chronicle's story: "$25,000 S.F. Theater Fire -- Fire before dawn gutted the balcony of the Midtown Theater at 562 Haight street yesterday, and caused $25,000 in damage. Fire Marshall Frank Kelly said a smouldering cigarette in a loge seat started the conflagration. He was investigating a report that the theater's janitor discovered the seat burning at 4:30 a.m., dumped a bucket of water on it, and left at 5 a.m. without reporting the incident. The three-alarm fire broke out in earnest at 6 a.m. Two firemen were injured by smoke before the blaze was controlled."
A 1942 proscenium view by Ted Newman showing some 1927 original ornamentation but with a new moderne paint job. The photo from the Jack Tillmany collection appears on the San Francisco Public Library website.
A sketch of the auditorium by Gary Parks. He comments: "Drawing I produced in 1998 after I was involved in salvaging light fixtures, staircase railings, and a bit of ornamental plaster from the theatre prior to its complete gutting. In this drawing, the intricate paintwork around the proscenium is a good representation of what was there, but the orange sidewall color is conjecture, based on other theatres of the time. The faux sky and the blue glowing covelight in the sidewall arches is also conjecture, based on other theatres. The church that occupied the theatre for many years had carefully converted the side arched coves into functioning windows, so I do not know what was there originally."
More exterior views:
A billboard for the theatre's March 1927 opening. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.
A June 1941 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.
A 1948 view by an unknown photographer looking northwest from Haight and Fillmore. Thanks to Art Siegel for spotting the image when it was posted on the San Francisco Remembered Facebook page by Cyril Martin. It's also in a post on his blog San Francisco Pictures where he credits it to Michel REPS on Flickr. It also appears on the Open SF History Project website as being from the Jack Tillmany collection.
Another 1948 shot from the Jack Tillmany collection. Thanks to Art Siegel for spotting it on the Open SF History Project website.
A January 25, 1952 fire photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.
A 1952 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.
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.
A 1952 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.
A 1970 photo looking west from Fillmore. At the time the building was being used as a church. It's a photo by an unknown photographer appearing on the open SF History Project website.
A 1998 look at the facade as the building was being converted into apartments. Parts of the moderne version are stripped off, revealing some of the 1927 elements underneath. Thanks to Ken Roe for his, a contribution to the Midtown page on Cinema Treasures.
The Midtown salvage operation:
Gary Parks has the story: "We removed a lot of light fixtures from the 1930s remodeling. The etched glass in them was badly smashed by vandals, but there was enough left of the pattern for me to create exact replica glass. We also salvaged the original 1926 stair and mezzanine railings, and some gargoyle-adorned plasterwork.
"Some of the wall sconces ended up in a home in Daly City, others were sold at the Deco Show at the Concourse Exhibition Center, much of the railing elements were reused in a custom home (don't recall where). I don't know where the plaster ended up, I just know it was sold. My only regret is that we had no way to salvage more plaster, there were literally tons of it--from the Twenties, throughout the theatre, but time was of the essence. Also, we had to leave the seats--which were from the twenties, inscribed with a Roman "R" on the aisle standards."
A Gary Parks photo of a railing salvaged from the theatre. This photo and those of other items items salvaged from the theatre originally appeared on Cinema Treasures.
Gary comments: "This is a small section of mezzanine railing from the Midtown Theatre in my collection.... This was one of several short sections which were located between paired pillars on the mezzanine. There were also much longer sections of the same railing surrounding the 'well' that was over the twin staircases leading from the lobby to the mezzanine and balcony. The same railing went up the stairs as well. I understand that at least some of the salvaged railing elements were sold with the idea that they would be reused in a custom home. This railing dates from the theatre’s construction as the Riviera, unlike the light fixtures, which date from its late 1930s redecoration and renaming as the Midtown."
A Gary Parks photo. He comments: "This is the central chandelier of three identical fixtures which hung on the mezzanine of the Midtown. It was removed from the theatre along with numerous other fixtures and decorative features a week before the gutting in 1998. It is shown here after restoration. I produced new etched glass for it, following precisely the original patterns on fragments of glass which remained. It received all new wiring and new paint. The brass ball at the bottom is new, as the original was missing."
A Midtown wall sconce. Gary Parks comments on his photo: "One of a series of identical fixtures which lined the walls of the Midtown’s auditorium, downstairs. When we were in the theater doing salvage prior to its Spring, 1998 gutting, we found that only three of the fixtures of this design were salvageable. Most had been hopelessly smashed by falling decorative plaster that had come loose due to water damage and fallen down onto the floor, taking the fixtures with it. We restored the three of these we saved, and I produced new etched glass for them, duplicating the patterns exactly from the fragments that remained."
A wall sconce. Gary comments: "This sconce is one of four that hung on the walls in the upper balcony. The photo was taken in 1998 when this and other items were for sale in Mark Santa Maria’s booth at the San Francisco Art Deco Antiques Show and Sale—back when there was such a thing. I did the etched glass on the fixture, replicated from fragments of the original glass."
A photo of an exit sign posted on Cinema Treasures by Dan Raymon. Gary Parks commented: "Having been on the salvage team at the Midtown before its gutting, I can confirm that this was the exact design of the 1920s exit signs there. By the time we were in there, all of them but one were badly damaged, except two. One of these was obstructed by what appeared to be a gas line, and the other was unobstructed, and we removed it. Light glowed through the letters, and up onto the wall from the 'bowl' of the plaster fixture."
Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for this 2016 photo, a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
Gary Parks comments: "I was part of the architectural salvage team
that did an eleventh hour 'stripping' of this theatre less than a week
before the wrecking claw tore out the whole interior. What you see today
is a sort of Post-Mod simplification of the very damaged 1920s facade
that was found beneath the 1930s one. It was divided and ornamented like
what you see here, but the inset panels had foliate scrollwork in them,
and were fronted by little shallow false balconies which had wrought
iron railings. The only thing retained from the
Moderne facade is the narrow bay at the far end, with the horizontal
scribed lines in the stucco over the doorway to the alley. This was not
touched at all--only repainted."
Details from the plans for the 1939 moderne remodel from the Gary Parks collection:
He comments: "These details are from the ONE sheet of plans that was necessary to remodel the front of the Midtown. The rest of the theatre was handled without an architect—being just repaint, re-carpet, new light fixtures, some minor plasterwork modification…and that’s it. I know of which I speak because my personal observations of the place in 1998 confirm this."
A facade elevation with a dotted line across about 2/3 of the way up showing the height of the previous facade. The existing doors got chrome kick plates and birch panels installed where there had been multi-pane windows.
Gary comments: "It's interesting to note that the theatre was ALREADY called the Midtown by the time this renovation was planned. You can see how it says that the existing marquee is to remain. The stucco of the remodeled facade zig-zagged right up to the profile of the new vertical sign. In later days, when the vertical was gone, this gave the central spine of the facade a curious, almost saw-blade-like, look."
A title block from the sheet.
A facade elevation with a dotted line across about 2/3 of the way up showing the height of the previous facade. The existing doors got chrome kick plates and birch panels installed where there had been multi-pane windows.
Gary comments: "It's interesting to note that the theatre was ALREADY called the Midtown by the time this renovation was planned. You can see how it says that the existing marquee is to remain. The stucco of the remodeled facade zig-zagged right up to the profile of the new vertical sign. In later days, when the vertical was gone, this gave the central spine of the facade a curious, almost saw-blade-like, look."
A section through the new tower and notes about the new vertical sign.
A plan of the ticket lobby and entrance vestibule. Work included adding a PA speaker.
The existing boxoffice was retained and rebuilt. Gary comments: "How I would have loved to have had the opportunity to interpret the draftsman’s sketch as to the etched glass patterns for the box office! I love the little arch pattern, floating in the middle of the front panel. I have not seen that anywhere else."
More boxoffice details.
Thanks, Gary!
The Midtown salvage operation:
Gary Parks has the story: "We removed a lot of light fixtures from the 1930s remodeling. The etched glass in them was badly smashed by vandals, but there was enough left of the pattern for me to create exact replica glass. We also salvaged the original 1926 stair and mezzanine railings, and some gargoyle-adorned plasterwork.
"Some of the wall sconces ended up in a home in Daly City, others were sold at the Deco Show at the Concourse Exhibition Center, much of the railing elements were reused in a custom home (don't recall where). I don't know where the plaster ended up, I just know it was sold. My only regret is that we had no way to salvage more plaster, there were literally tons of it--from the Twenties, throughout the theatre, but time was of the essence. Also, we had to leave the seats--which were from the twenties, inscribed with a Roman "R" on the aisle standards."
A Gary Parks photo of a railing salvaged from the theatre. This photo and those of other items items salvaged from the theatre originally appeared on Cinema Treasures.
Gary comments: "This is a small section of mezzanine railing from the Midtown Theatre in my collection.... This was one of several short sections which were located between paired pillars on the mezzanine. There were also much longer sections of the same railing surrounding the 'well' that was over the twin staircases leading from the lobby to the mezzanine and balcony. The same railing went up the stairs as well. I understand that at least some of the salvaged railing elements were sold with the idea that they would be reused in a custom home. This railing dates from the theatre’s construction as the Riviera, unlike the light fixtures, which date from its late 1930s redecoration and renaming as the Midtown."
A Gary Parks photo. He comments: "This is the central chandelier of three identical fixtures which hung on the mezzanine of the Midtown. It was removed from the theatre along with numerous other fixtures and decorative features a week before the gutting in 1998. It is shown here after restoration. I produced new etched glass for it, following precisely the original patterns on fragments of glass which remained. It received all new wiring and new paint. The brass ball at the bottom is new, as the original was missing."
A Midtown wall sconce. Gary Parks comments on his photo: "One of a series of identical fixtures which lined the walls of the Midtown’s auditorium, downstairs. When we were in the theater doing salvage prior to its Spring, 1998 gutting, we found that only three of the fixtures of this design were salvageable. Most had been hopelessly smashed by falling decorative plaster that had come loose due to water damage and fallen down onto the floor, taking the fixtures with it. We restored the three of these we saved, and I produced new etched glass for them, duplicating the patterns exactly from the fragments that remained."
A wall sconce. Gary comments: "This sconce is one of four that hung on the walls in the upper balcony. The photo was taken in 1998 when this and other items were for sale in Mark Santa Maria’s booth at the San Francisco Art Deco Antiques Show and Sale—back when there was such a thing. I did the etched glass on the fixture, replicated from fragments of the original glass."
A photo of an exit sign posted on Cinema Treasures by Dan Raymon. Gary Parks commented: "Having been on the salvage team at the Midtown before its gutting, I can confirm that this was the exact design of the 1920s exit signs there. By the time we were in there, all of them but one were badly damaged, except two. One of these was obstructed by what appeared to be a gas line, and the other was unobstructed, and we removed it. Light glowed through the letters, and up onto the wall from the 'bowl' of the plaster fixture."
Cinema Treasures and Cinema Tour both have pages on the Midtown.
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