Shell Theatre

1761 Fillmore St. | map |

Opening: It was running by March 1909. The theatre was on the west side of the street just south of Sutter St.  

The Shell is listed with the 1761 address in a March 31, 1909 article about theatres meeting certain city regulations that appeared in the Italian language paper Italia. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating it via the California Digital Newspaper Collection. 

 

 

A May 1906 view north on Fillmore toward Sutter -- after the earthquake but before the arrival of the Shell. On the far left it's King Solomon's Hall, 1745 Fillmore, built in late 1905. It would later be the home of the Class A / Temple Theatre. The Art Nouveau facade next door was, at the time, the home of the Haussler Photo Studio. Later it would be the Haussler Theatre on the 1st floor and the photo studio above. The three story building on the corner beyond Haussler's studio would later house the Shell Theatre in its south storefront.

Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this image in the Open SF History Project collection. It's by Underwood & Underwood and comes from the Martin Behrman Negative Collection of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. 

 

The Shell was noted as already running under new management. This column of ads appeared in the May 1, 1909 issue of the San Francisco Bulletin. The Shell was one of 30 theatres advertising in the paper's three-page salute to "San Francisco's High-Class Moving-Picture Theatres," part of their Pacific Progress Issue. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating the section. 

 

 

 

A September 11, 1909 view north from the Jack Tillmany collection. On the far left it's the facade of the Haussler photo studio, not yet a theatre. Just beyond at 1761 is the clamshell-style entrance of the Shell Theatre. The photo, taken by John Henry Mentz for United Railroads, makes an appearance on the Open SF History Project website. It can also be seen on the SFMTA website.

Thanks to Jack Tillmany for this detail from the 1909 photo. The Shell's entrance is directly above the driver's head. 

The Shell and its neighbor Haussler's Theatre both appear on a list of nickelodeons in a May 4, 1911 Chronicle story that was located by Art Siegel.

Closing: Sometime around 1911.

 

 

The Shell was long gone from 1761 by the time the 1913 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map was compiled. Thanks to Art Siegel for this detail from the map that's in the Library of Congress collection. Fillmore is up the right side of the image, Post St. runs along the bottom. 

The theatrical neighbors to the south are the Haussler Theatre at 1757 Fillmore and the Temple Theatre at 1745 Fillmore, in the King Solomon's Temple. 

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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