Opening: The building was originally a firehouse according to Gary Meyer. When it was divided, half of it was a bookstore and then a food store. The other half, previously a lunch counter style restaurant, was converted into a performance space called the Light Sound Dimension, opening December 8, 1967 as what a newspaper account called "the world's first light-sound theater." The building is on the north side of the street just east of Polk.
It was renamed the Firehouse Theater when the Firehouse Theater Company, billed as an "experimental theatre company," took over the theatre portion of the premises in January 1971 and opened April 30, 1971 with a production of "Woyzeck." Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing the photo from his collection taken by Tom Gray.
Jack reports that landlord greed nearly doubled the theatre's rent, and as a result they departed circa September 1974. Later in 1974, Mel Novikoff's Surf Theatres took over the site, remodeled it at an announced cost of $100,000 and renamed it the Lumiere.
The theatre opened Friday January 24, 1975 with "Lenny Bruce Performance Film" along with the shorts "Pull My Daisy" and "Scorpio Rising." Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating this opening day ad.
In 1983 when the second side became available Novikoff grabbed it. Gary Meyer comments that Mel, with an architect friend, did what they could to add a second screen. That second space next door had been New Era Discount Books & Records and later had transitioned into the short-lived French Pantry restaurant. The Lumiere reopened as a twin on December 16, 1983.
After Novikoff's death in 1987 the complex, along with the Surf, Clay and Castro theatres, were operated by the Blumenfeld circuit. The March 29, 1988 issue of the Examiner reported the transfer. Landmark Theatres took over in 1991. The complex got a renovation in 2003 and it ended up as a triplex.
Gary Meyer notes that in the original house they "always battled sound problems. When Landmark was running it they Donald Johanson and team trying everything to improve the sound, a tough challenge with that brick wall." Donald adds: "I only remember it as a triplex. We did a lot of work for Landmark to try and make the sound as good as possible. We put front/back stereo in the 2 small houses and put sound baffles in all 3 screens to cut down on the reverb. Sound was acceptable, but not great! We had to put the speakers in front of the main screen because of the seismic repairs that were required. That house sounded much better."
David Kaye comments: "I saw "Jules Et Jim" (great) and "Last Year At Marienbad" (a truly horrible film) and lots of others there. I loved going next door to the Cordon Bleu Vietnamese restaurant. Absolutely loved their food."
Gary Meyer asks: ""Anybody remember the house cat? A necessity because customers would see the silhouettes of rats walking along the tops of seats during the show. I too had loved Cordon Bleu, a unique cuisine in SF in those days--- until the morning when I arrived early at the theater and looked through the restaurant's front window to see rats wandering across the stove. It seems that when they closed at night there was no clean-up. That was saved for the next day, letting the vermin have a feast. But when the workers arrived the rats scurried next door to the Lumiere in hopes of some popcorn dropping onto the floor. Weekday matinee business was slow so they weren't bothered."
Seating: As a twin it was perhaps 450 + 120. As a triplex it was 294 + 118 + 120.
Closing: September 23, 2012 was the last day of operation with "The Intouchables" as the final film. Landmark was unable to come to terms with the owner on a new lease. Sam Whiting did a September 20 article for SF Gate. The space is now used for retail.
Interior views:
A lobby view. Photo: Kevin Y. on Yelp - 2012
The inner lobby. Photo: T.L. on Yelp - 2012
In the booth c.1975, when the Lumiere was a single screen venue. Photo: Surf Theatres Archives.
A c.1975 look back toward the booth taken shortly after the venue opened as a single screen theatre. It's a photo from the Surf Theatres Archives.
A c.1975 screen view from the Surf Theatres Archives.
Auditorium #1. Thanks to Rebecca A. McBride for the 2007 photo. See more of her great work in "Left in the Dark: Portraits of San Francisco Movie Theatres," the book she wrote with Julie Lindow. There's more about the book on a 2010 post on the blog Trouvaillesdujour. It's also featured in a post on the blog MUBI.
Auditorium #2, what used to be the house right side of the main theatre. Photo: Rebecca A. McBride - 2007
Auditorium #2 after a paint job. Photo: T.L. on Yelp - 2012
More exterior views:
The newly opened Lumiere. It's a June 1975 photo by Tom Gray from the Jack Tillmany collection.
A 1975 photo from the Surf Theatres Archives. The poster is for "The Story of Adele H."
Another 1975 photo from the Surf Theatres Archives.
A March 1980 photo by Tom Gray from the Jack Tillmany collection.
A September 1984 photo by Tom Gray from the Jack Tillmany collection.
Looking east on California in September 1984. It's a photo by Tom Gray from the Jack Tillmany collection.
The look in July 1994. Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Milou for the photo, a post on the site's page about the Lumiere.
The theatre with its new awning. Photo: Kevin Y. on Yelp - 2011
A night view before closing. Photo: Kevin Y. on Yelp - 2012
A 2015 marquee view as retail space. Thanks to Martin Paul for the photo, a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
A headless cashier. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for his 2016 photo, a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
Looking west toward Polk St. Photo: Bob Ristelhueber - BAHT Facebook page - 2016
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.
The site Cinema Treasures has a page about the Lumiere. Cinema Tour also has a page on the Lumiere.
Will Baker's blog 100 Movies, 100 Theaters has a post about a 2010 visit to the Lumiere. The Lumiere is one of many theatres listed on a Friends of 1800 page about theatre closings in San Francisco.
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OMG that brick wall! (shudders) I saw plenty of films here in high school, that I immediately remember: The Coca-Cola Kid and The Wicker Man (Abraxas rerelease). Think I went back for a second viewing of The Wicker Man, which Cinefantastique magazine had called "the Citizen Kane of horror films."
ReplyDeleteSound was terrible but what could you do ... you wanted to see the films playing there, "try to cope."