San Francisco Theatres

Greetings!

Welcome to our exploration of San Francisco Theatres. You'll find pages on venues large and small, vintage and recent.

Are you on a phone or tablet and missing the list on the right? Scroll down to the bottom of this or any other post and click on "view web version" to see the right column list of theatres.

If you can't find what you're looking for in the right hand column, perhaps head to the listings of theatres by address or check out the alternate name list.

Thanks for visiting!

- Bill

Opening: Sometime around 1907. It's listed in the 1907-1908 edition of "Henry's Official Theatrical Guide" as at 24th and York. Henry's is on Google Books. They listed the managers as Bauer & Adamson.

Seating: 300 was the number given in the Henry's listing. 235 showed up on a later list.

The York was listed among the theatres that were participating in a Children's Hospital benefit in this article from the May 27, 1911 issue of The Film Index:

Thanks to Jack for locating this list via Internet Archive.

The theatre didn't get a listing in the 1911, 1912 or 1913 city directories.

The south side of 24th St. between Florida St. and York St. as seen page 617 of the 1914 Sanborn Map. The York Theatre is on the left, three buildings east of Florida, the street on the left side of the image. The Photoplay Theatre is toward the right, three buildings east of Bryant, the street running up the center of the image. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this via the Library of Congress collection.

A closer look at the York Theatre block with Florida St. on the left and Bryant on the tight. The theatre is shown as "Moving Pictures" at 2885 24th.

Free movies at the York, Garrick and the Panama in 1913 as part of a land sales deal. Somehow they thought the York was at 24th and Howard:

Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this ad in the August 20, 1913 SF Call. The issue is on the website of the California Digital Newspaper Collection. They list the Garrick as Fillmore St. when it was actually on Ellis. The Panama they have as being on 24th St. We had two running under that name at the time, neither on 24th. One was at 1025 Market, the other was at 4621 Mission.

The York isn't listed in the 1914 city directory but is listed again in 1915.

Final closing: Evidently around 1925. Art notes that it's in the city directory that year, still with the 2885 address. It's not in the 1926 edition.

Status: It's been demolished. Art notes that it appears to be a different building appearing on the 1950 Sanborn map.

More information: There isn't any.

Nearby: Brava Theatre, 2781 24th -- also called the York for a spell | Photoplay Theatre, 2833 24th |

The Photoplay Theatre

2833 24th St. | map |

Opening: Sometime around 1914. It's on the 1914 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map as "Moving Pictures."

The south side of 24th St. between Florida St. and York St. as seen on page 617 of the 1914 Sanborn Map. The Photoplay is toward the right, three buildings east of Bryant, the street running up the center of the image. The York Theatre is on the left, three buildings east of Florida, the street on the left side of the image. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this via the Library of Congress collection.

A closer look at the Photoplay block with Bryant on the left and York on the right. The theatre is shown as "Moving Pictures" at 2831 24th.

It's in the 1915 city directory it's listed as the Photo Play Theater with a 2833 24th address. It's not in the 1914 or earlier directories. In the 1916 city directory it's listed as the Photo-Play Theater, 2833 24th.

Look under "Mondays" for the theatre's listing in this February 28, 1916 SF Call ad for the Pathé serial "The Red Circle." Thanks to Art Siegel for locating it via the California Digital Newspaper collection.

The Photoplay was listed in a September 4, 1921 Paramount ad in the Chronicle as being at 24th and Bryant. The page is on Newsbank. It's also listed in a 1922 "Paramount Week" ad.

It's not in 1917 and 1918 directories. Art Siegel found it in the 1919 directory as "Photoplay Theatre Gus Geick mgr 2825-2835 24th." The 1920 through 1924 directories lists the Photoplay at 2825 24th.

Closing: Evidently the end was sometime around 1924. Art notes that it's not in the 1925 directory.

Status: It's been demolished. Art notes that the 1950 Sanborn shows a different building on the site.

More information: There isn't any

Nearby: Brava Theatre, 2781 24th | York Theatre, 2885 24th St. |

The Nickelodium

237-241 Church St. | map |

Opening: It was running by 1909. Sol Lesser was operating something called The Nickelodium Co. (no, not a typo) at this location in 1909. They were listed in the city directory that year with a 237 Church address.

The theatre appears with a 241 Church St. address in this detail from a page of the 1914 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this in the Library of Congress collection. Note the second theatre, the Electric, two doors north. The angled street at the top is Market. The horizontal one in the upper right is 14th.

The Lessers are mentioned in "The Lessers Arrive," a section of an article on page 400 of the July 15, 1916 issue of Moving Picture World. It's on Google Books. Later, as the Golden Gate Film Exchange, they had offices at 964 Market, then at 44 Golden Gate Ave. and then moving to 166 Golden Gate Ave.

Closing: Sometime prior to 1919.

Both this theatre at 237-241 (#33a) and the Electric at 227 (#34) were vacant when this Sanborn Fire Insurance Map was annotated in 1919. Thanks to Art Sirgel for locating a PDF of this on some Amazon server.

Some of the 1919 notes for the annotated map page.

The theatre had been in a single-story building. The three-story structure in the center of this 1946 image was its replacement on the site. The Municipal Market to the left is the former Electric Theatre with its nickelodeon-style entrance arch filled in.

It's a detail from a shot taken by Municipal Railway photographer George Fanning that's in the SFMTA Photo Archive, their #D5139. We're looking south from Market St. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this.

More information: See the page for the Electric Theatre, 227 Church St.

The Castro Theatre: 2024-2025 interior restoration

429 Castro St. | map |

More Castro Theatre pages: history + exterior views | earlier interior views |

March/April 2024:

Looking in from the back of the main floor as restoration work began. They're anticipating a mid-2025 reopening. It's a shot from "Restoration work at SF Castro Theatre starts..," a March 8, 2024 KTVU story and video from Amber Lee. The restoration work is being headed by Jeff Greene of EverGreene Architectural Arts.

Steven Bracco has a fine shot looking in from the back of the main floor that he included in a April 6, 2024 Facebook post of thirteen photos. Also see "The century old Castro Theatre in SF undergoes a $15 million renovation," a March 25 story and video from ABC 7.

A look to house right. Image: KTVU - March 2024

The murals house right. Image: KTVU - March 2024

A mural detail after cleaning. Thanks to Jeff Greene, the head of EverGreene Architectural Arts, for sharing this photo, as well as six others that appear on the page, in a March 8, 2024 Facebook post.

A sidewall mural detail. These panels were executed using a technique called sgraffito, a process whereby scratching through a top layer of stucco or plaster reveals a contrasting color layer underneath. Photo: Jeff Greene - March 2024

Another mural feature. Photo: Jeff Greene - March 2024

A drapery detail. Image: KTVU - March 2024

The front exit house right. Image: KTVU - March 2024

A nice look at the ante-proscenium area. Thanks to Steven Bracco for sharing his photo. It's one of 13 he included in an April 6 Facebook post.

A vista from the balcony. Image: KTVU - March 2024

Looking back toward the booth. Thanks to Steven Bracco for sharing his photo. It's one of 13 he included in an April 6 Facebook post.

A fine shot taken in the balcony by Astrid Kane for her misleadingly-titled April 4, 2024 story for the San Francisco Standard: "Castro Theatre reveal: $15 million renovation finds 100-year-old arch no one knew existed." The arch in question was the original proscenium, hardly a secret. The Standard also has a short video taken during their visit that's on Facebook.

A view up just a bit higher taken by John Ferrannini that appears with his April 5, 2024 Bay Area Reporter story "Public will be able to purchase much-debated SF Castro Theatre seats." The proceeds from sale of the old main floor seats will be donated to Oasis Arts and the Castro Organ Devotees Association.

Up on the "dance floor" as cleaning was beginning. Mary Conde, project manager for Another Planet Entertainment is with Amber Lee of KTVU and Jeff Greene, head of Evergreene Architectural Arts. Image: KTVU - March 2024

A wider ceiling view. Image: KTVU - March 2024

The panoramic shot toward the proscenium. Photo: Jeff Greene - March 2024

Jeff inspecting an area at the back edge of the "tented" ceiling. Image: KTVU - March 2024

Finding Asian motifs, including dragons, on the ceiling. Image: KTVU - March 2024

A worker from EverGreene cleaning part of the ceiling. Photo: Jeff Greene - March 2024

A look at another section of the ceiling. Photo: Jeff Greene - March 2024

One of many areas needing restoration. This shot, as well as the two below, are from a short March 4, 2024 video from APE appearing on the Castro Theatre Facebook page.

A typical area of painted ceiling detail requiring repair. Image: Castro Theatre Facebook page video - March 4, 2024

A lady in distress. Image: Castro Theatre Facebook page video - March 4, 2024

A ceiling detail by John Ferrannini appearing with his April 5, 2024 Bay Area Reporter story "Public will be able to purchase much-debated SF Castro Theatre seats." The article comments on the ceiling work:

"Atop the scaffolding, Conde [Mary Conde, the APE senior VP in charge of the project] pointed to the work that architect Timothy Pflueger had painted on the ceiling, featuring figures drawn from various Asian cultures. He may have been making a political statement, she said. While Orientalism gripped American popular culture, it was also a time of heavy restrictions on immigration, including a complete ban on Chinese immigration via the Chinese Exclusion Act. 'In 1922, the movie theaters were trying to create a place to escape,' Conde said. 'They wanted to create a fantasy land. We're not 100% sure; he may have been trying to make a political statement that these were beautiful cultures.'

"A previous effort to save the art, however, has helped facilitate its demise. 'When things shifted after the [Loma Prieta] earthquake in 1989, they were trying to help it stay in place,' Conde said, leading to polyurethane being added to the ceiling. The paintings — as well as fixtures such as gold leaf-flaked cherubs suspended on the wall — had already long been caked with soot from cigarette smoke and run-of-the-mill dust. That polyurethane is visibly peeling. 'It was too heavy,' Conde said, then pointing to the ceiling, 'It was the wrong product — so that's the plaster falling apart.'

"To restore the paintings, 'they are going to have to do tracings of the detail and replicate the parts that have been damaged,' Conde said. 'All of this artwork is hand painted. They [the restorers] are going with a microscope and really analyzing what the colors in the 1920s were.' The restoration work is being done by EverGreene Architectural Arts, Conde said, which has worked in 48 of America's 50 state capitol buildings."

Another strange creature on the ceiling. Thanks to Astrid Kane for the photo, one appearing with her April 4, 2024 story for the San Francisco Standard.

Along the house right wall. The gladiator panel has the look of something done during a "moderne" renovation project. Image: KTVU - March 2024

Jeff talking with KTVU's Amber Lee about all the dirt and stains on some of the plasterwork. Image: KTVU - March 2024

Another angle on the ornament adjacent to one of the gladiator panels above the organ grille area. Photo: Jeff Greene - March 2024. Thanks, Jeff!

The center of the ceiling, with chandelier removed. Image: KTVU - March 2024

The proscenium plasterwork, on the left, protected with plywood. Image: KTVU - March 2024

A lovely look down onto the original proscenium. The hole in the back wall was created to accommodate the speaker systems when the theatre went to talkies c.1928. Note the chains at the front of the ante-proscenium that had supported the larger screen that had been installed farther forward. Thanks to Astrid Kane for the photo, one appearing with her April 4, 2024 story for the San Francisco Standard. Also see a short video taken during the Standard's visit that's on Facebook.

A centerline view to the stage taken by Steven Bracco. That floor pattern is original. See Steven's April 6, 2024 Facebook post for a dozen more photos he took during his visit.

August 2024:

Trenching in the lobby for the new bar. Thanks to Mark Almanza-Soldryk for this late August photo as well as the many others appearing on this page. He shared them in a series of posts on the BAHT Facebook page: post 1 | post 2 | post 3 | post 4 | post 5 |

The back of the main floor. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - August 2024

Along the house right wall toward the stage. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - August 2024

Up on the 'dance floor" looking at the restored ceiling. That dark void is the area beyond the main ceiling above the back of the balcony. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - August 2024

A view toward one of the side walls. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - August 2024

The restored section of the ceiling along the top of the ante-proscenium. We're looking toward house left. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - August 2024

One of the Oriental-themed portraits. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - August 2024

Another area after restoration. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - August 2024

Another Oriental figure. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - August 2024

House left, above the organ grille area. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - August 2024

A corner detail. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - August 2024

Column capitals on the house left side of the proscenium. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - August 2024

Decorative work in the ante-proscenium area. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - August 2024

Toward the area above the house right organ grille. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - August 2024

Restored elements above the house right organ grille. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - August 2024

September 2024:

A look at the center of the restored ceiling by Josh Withers Photography. It was part of a September 12 "before and after" post on the Castro Theatre Facebook page.

A collage of some of the restored portraits on the main ceiling. Photo: Josh Withers - Castro Theatre Facebook page - September 12

October 2024:

The scaffolding down at last. Thanks to Mark Almanza-Soldryk for sharing this shot as well as the two below in an October 7 post on the BAHT Facebook page.

The house left organ grille. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - October 2024

The sgraffito mural house right. Photo: Mark Almanza-Soldryk - October 2024

The Castro Theatre pages: back to top - interior restoration | earlier interior views | history + exterior views |