Opened: November 26, 1923 as a neighborhood second run house. The theatre is at Geary and 18th. It was operated by San Francisco Theatres, Inc.
This
nice pre-opening photo of the theatre appeared in the March 22, 1924 issue of
Exhibitors Trade Review. As it says on the marquee: "Opens Mon. Eve Nov.
26." Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the photo
and its accompanying article and posting them on the BAHT Facebook page. A version of the photo is also in the San Francisco Public Library collection.
Architects: Reid Brothers
No photos or drawings of the original interior are known to exist. Thanks to Gary Parks for executing this illustration of what it could have looked like. He shared it on the BAHT Facebook page in 2024. He comments:
"This
is the rendering that I made as one of the centerpieces to the
Alexandria Exhibit at the Western Neighborhoods Project Museum. I know major parts are accurate, or
nearly so. Others are doubtlessly what was there, in general, but there
are significant bits of imagination involved. But, nothing depicted is
outside the realm of things that would be in a large neighborhood
theatre of the day."
A detail of the proscenium from Gary's drawing. He comments:
"The description in the newspaper specifically mentions images of sacred Egyptian cats, adorning the proscenium. The exact number is unspecified. So, I chose their most popular depiction--sitting regally. The shape of the proscenium and the massive pillars are taken from the Alexandria sheet music cover. The heads of the goddess of music, Hathor, atop the columns are purely speculative. The curtain is said to have been silvery, and bathed in pink lights, and the organ console is actually THE one from this theatre. It now is private hands, playing the pipes of the Appleton/T&D Theatre, from Watsonville."
An organ grille detail. Gary comments:
"The exterior walls have pylon gate features like this, with cavetto cornices, and the newspaper accounts of the theatre's opening say that the winged sun and cobra motif is repeated throughout the auditorium. That design was almost always placed on the cornices over gateways, thus, it is shown here. The details within the organ grille itself are my pipe dream, though appropriate for the style and period.
"The cartouche is that which Alexander the Great received when crowned Pharaoh by the priesthood of Amun, in gratitude for his throwing off the yoke of the Persian Empire. As with the treatment of all names foreign to Egyptians, the glyph spells the name out phonetically, "Alexandros." The bird/lion/human hybrid creature at the bottom is a Rekhyt, symbolizing the Populace. Its hands are raised in adoration toward the screen, effectively communicating, 'The People love the movies.'"
A sidewall detail. Gary comments:
"The pilasters, with their pharaonic heads and urns in niches, are specifically described in the newspaper account from 1924. I used the pilaster design from the Geary St. frontage, which has little orbs atop the pilasters, where the heads are described for the interior. In the article, they are described as, '...conventional Ramses heads.' This begs the question--what, exactly, are UNconventional Ramses heads? But--heads like this (though sans crowns) first appear on a pair in the courtyard of Grauman's Egyptian in Hollywood, and from there, many other Egyptian style theatres, here and abroad, made use of them: sometimes kings, sometimes queens, gods, or goddesses.
"So, I modeled these on some of the others which survive elsewhere. They can still be seen at the Vista (architect: Lewis A. Smith), in Hollywood, although there, they are female. The mural of Alexandria Harbor is my idea, based on the fact that several Reid-designed theatres had sidewall murals, with a faux stone block wall below, such as Oakland's Grand Lake, and the Sequoia, Mill Valley. In the distance is the famous Lighthouse, and on the left, a pair of obelisks taken by the Ptolemaic Dynasty from Heliopolis, near Cairo. They remained in Alexandria well into the 19th Century. A very early photo shows one lying on its side, not far from the water, and the other still standing. Today, one of them stands on the Thames Embankment, London, and the other, a stone's throw from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park, NYC.
"It should be noted that the corbels, bracketing the ceiling beams, and the little floral decorative band between them, are taken from the corner portion of the facade--directly. Rectangular imprints still exist on the extant ceiling beams, showing that corbels of some kind once existed there, so I chose the obvious solution."
Seating: Nearly 2,000 originally, 1,500 later.
December 1922 press clippings about the project. They're from the collection of Jack Tillmany.
A 1923 item from the trade magazine Motion Picture News about the Alexandria project -- at this point still unnamed. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the story and posting it on the BAHT Facebook page.
The song "Alexandria" by Ben Black and Neil Moret was inspired by the new theatre. This cover to the sheet music is from the collection of Jack Tillmany.
The back cover of this "Souvenir Edition" of the sheet music for the song "Alexandria." The music is down at the bottom of the page.
Here's what the fashionably dressed usherettes at the Alexandria were wearing for headgear. Or at least this was the attire for Miss Evelyn Powers, an assistant manager. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the clipping from his collection.
The new theatre was covered in a December 15, 1923 article in Moving Picture World. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the article. He added it as a comment to a 2017 post on the BAHT Facebook page.
Motion Picture News featured the theatre in their January 5, 1924 issue. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing the article from his collection.
The new theatre was discussed in this March 22, 1924 article in Exhibitors Trade Review.
The lobby:
The
theatre changes hands in 1928. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the item
in the January 28, 1928 issue of Motion Picture News. It appeared as a post of Bob's on the BAHT Facebook page.
It got a moderne remodel in 1942 that resulted in its original Egyptian
decor being hidden. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating this June 19 reopening ad. Jack comments:
"Honestly, I don't remember their having air conditioning. Really didn't need it. But I DO remember some friends of ours commenting as to how they could not turn on the lights on the tower because of the 1942 WWII blackout regulations."
Gary Parks adds:
"Reminds me of when the United Artists in Detroit was remodeled. 'Everything new but the four walls.' That was the slogan. Fortunately for lovers of the old UA, that meant that the plasterwork was left alone inside—but painted over."
The moderne remodel got a mention in in the July 11, 1942 issue of Motion Picture Herald. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the article. He added it as a comment to a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
"The last word in comfort - Rocking chair loge seats. For your greater enjoyment of the screen's big hits!" Care for a smoke while you're at the theatre? Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding some Alexandria matches.
"The last word in comfort - Rocking chair loge seats. For your greater enjoyment of the screen's big hits!" Care for a smoke while you're at the theatre? Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding some Alexandria matches.
The theatre was equipped for 70mm in 1958. The
reopening attraction was the third film in the TODD-AO process, "South
Pacific." It opened July 1 for a 44 week reserved seat run. United
Artists triplexed it in 1976 with a reopening November 24.
Status: The theatre closed February 5, 2004 and has been in redevelopment limbo ever since. The parking lot north of the theatre has been redeveloped as a housing complex with 37 condos by an entity called The Timespace Group.
Status: The theatre closed February 5, 2004 and has been in redevelopment limbo ever since. The parking lot north of the theatre has been redeveloped as a housing complex with 37 condos by an entity called The Timespace Group.
A condition imposed by the city on their development plans was that they would maintain the theatre building in some form. One proposal put forth by the developer and later abandoned was for it to become a
swim center. Hoodline had a September 28, 2022 story by Joe Kukura: "The Richmond's vacant and unused Alexandria Theater could become housing complex."
In 2024 the idea was to gut the theatre and turn it into housing. KRON discussed the plan in Hamza Fahmy's March 7 story "Historic SF theatre to turn into afforaable housing site." It's on the MSN website. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for sharing the news in a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
The lobby:
The snackbar and the front entrance doors in a post-remodel 1942 photo by Ted Newman
from the Jack Tillmany collection. A smaller version can be seen on the San Francisco Public Library website. Jack comments: "The 1942 snack bar seems to be in approximately the same
location as the original Smoke Shop which provided the same necessities
of theatrical life from the 18th Avenue exterior."
Looking out to the entrance doors on Geary. Thanks to Adam Martin for the photo, one of over a hundred he has in a 2004 photo set on the Cinema Tour page about the theatre. His set was taken shortly before the February 2004 closing.
A June 1960 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. Management and staff await the crowds coming for "Can-Can." The film was not a big hit -- they only got nineteen weeks out of it. The photo also appears on the Open SF History Project website.
Left to right: Dorothy Poole, Donna Aker, Fred Levin, Adele Goldblatt, Carole Cross, Arlaine Pleetle, Marlee Meharry, Laura Li Stipes, Jill Hosmes, Pat Leoni, John Masson, Larry Levin, Albert Levin. Jack notes that the names are hand written on the back of the photo, so they may not be spelled 100% correctly.
The lobby stairs. It's a May 2004 photo by Dr. David West Reynolds of the Phaeton Group. The photo appears in a Western Neighborhoods Project album with this comment: "The grand staircase in the Alexandria rises around the lobby, passing several metallic Art Deco reliefs. Unlike mundane modern multiplexes, classic movie palaces transported the visitor into a beautiful environment that blended fantasy and reality just as movies themselves do. Phaeton Group endeavored to capture the Alexandria lobby's artistic luxury in its photos."
A moderne panel on the stairs. It's a May 2004 Anderson Gin/Phaeton Group photo appearing in a Western Neighborhoods Project photo album. Their comment: "The Alexandria's grand staircase and landing leading to the former balcony [sic] are decorated with Art Deco reliefs. Their metallic finishes catch the light in different ways as the viewer moves past them, making it impossible to capture their interactive nature in a single photograph. This relief shows a pair of classical Greek warriors. Greek themes were often associated in Art Deco with fine arts, and the Alexandria's decor celebrated cinematography as a modern art form whose finest exemplars could stand alongside the great works of the classical tradition."
"The finest Art Deco relief in the Alexandria is this elaborate work which uses applied black strips to define illustrations on a golden-copper metallic background whose highlights shift as you walk past it. The imagery expresses the theme that cinematography is the modern descendant of classical theater. The composition appears to show a cameraman filming while being inspired in his art by the beauty of a classical muse. The Alexandria's new owners hope to preserve this relief in their remodeling." It's a May 2004 David West Reynolds/Phaeton Group photo appearing in a Western Neighborhoods Project photo album.
The upper level of the lobby. The Alexandria never had a balcony -- it was stadium style. But it did get a two level lobby. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
The auditorium:
Looking out to the entrance doors on Geary. Thanks to Adam Martin for the photo, one of over a hundred he has in a 2004 photo set on the Cinema Tour page about the theatre. His set was taken shortly before the February 2004 closing.
A June 1960 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. Management and staff await the crowds coming for "Can-Can." The film was not a big hit -- they only got nineteen weeks out of it. The photo also appears on the Open SF History Project website.
Left to right: Dorothy Poole, Donna Aker, Fred Levin, Adele Goldblatt, Carole Cross, Arlaine Pleetle, Marlee Meharry, Laura Li Stipes, Jill Hosmes, Pat Leoni, John Masson, Larry Levin, Albert Levin. Jack notes that the names are hand written on the back of the photo, so they may not be spelled 100% correctly.
The lobby stairs. It's a May 2004 photo by Dr. David West Reynolds of the Phaeton Group. The photo appears in a Western Neighborhoods Project album with this comment: "The grand staircase in the Alexandria rises around the lobby, passing several metallic Art Deco reliefs. Unlike mundane modern multiplexes, classic movie palaces transported the visitor into a beautiful environment that blended fantasy and reality just as movies themselves do. Phaeton Group endeavored to capture the Alexandria lobby's artistic luxury in its photos."
A moderne panel on the stairs. It's a May 2004 Anderson Gin/Phaeton Group photo appearing in a Western Neighborhoods Project photo album. Their comment: "The Alexandria's grand staircase and landing leading to the former balcony [sic] are decorated with Art Deco reliefs. Their metallic finishes catch the light in different ways as the viewer moves past them, making it impossible to capture their interactive nature in a single photograph. This relief shows a pair of classical Greek warriors. Greek themes were often associated in Art Deco with fine arts, and the Alexandria's decor celebrated cinematography as a modern art form whose finest exemplars could stand alongside the great works of the classical tradition."
"The finest Art Deco relief in the Alexandria is this elaborate work which uses applied black strips to define illustrations on a golden-copper metallic background whose highlights shift as you walk past it. The imagery expresses the theme that cinematography is the modern descendant of classical theater. The composition appears to show a cameraman filming while being inspired in his art by the beauty of a classical muse. The Alexandria's new owners hope to preserve this relief in their remodeling." It's a May 2004 David West Reynolds/Phaeton Group photo appearing in a Western Neighborhoods Project photo album.
The upper level of the lobby. The Alexandria never had a balcony -- it was stadium style. But it did get a two level lobby. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
The auditorium:
A
September 1942 look at the moderne interior from the Jack
Tillmany collection. It's on the San Francisco Public Library website.The photo also appears on an SF Heritage page discussing the redevelopment prospects for the theatre. No photos have yet surfaced of the original eqyptian style interior.
The
Egyptian interior is all gone (or maybe just covered up) as we look toward the rear of the house
after the 1942 moderne remodel. The photo is in the Jack Tillmany
collection via the San Francisco Public Library.
A screen view taken shortly before the theatre closed. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
The house right mural. We're obviously in the main house and, until one looked toward the rear, it appeared relatively intact. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
Gary Parks comments: "I got to walk around in the attic above the Alexandria's auditorium. Up there, you can see that the ceiling is original, and it is evident where the organ chambers were jackhammered out, and replaced with the curved walls which bear the murals shown in the above photo."
The house left mural. It's a May 2004 photo by Anderson Gin and David West Anderson of the Phaeton Group appearing in a Western Neighborhoods Project photo album with the comment: "Within the heart of the Alexandria towers this giant Art Deco mural depicting nymphs and sea sprites of classical mythology cavorting amid stylized ocean waves and abstracted flower blossoms. Like much of the best Art Deco, this original painting blends inspiration from the greatest traditions of world art with the uniquely 20th century aesthetic that was Art Deco. Clean, sweeping lines, patterns, and geometric stylization expressed the era's look forward to a streamlined utopia liberated by technology, freed from the chains of the past yet enriched by classic treasures. The confidence and optimism that produced Art Deco faded completely by the end of the 1960s, replaced by the harsh concrete forms and utilitarian structures common today, which express bottom-line profit preservation."
A look toward the rear of the auditorium showing the triplex configuration. The original booth still served the front house via that strange tunnel. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
Gary Parks comments: "Very similar to the triplexing UA did in 1975 to the State (Golden State) in Monterey. BTW, the Alexandria's domed and beamed ceiling is original from the 20s. The dome was cove-lit. There are lots and lots of metal hatches giving access to a multitude of lightbulbs all around its perimeter. The winch for the chandelier is accessed by a catwalk that climbs up the structure of the dome."
Rick Green adds: " This also reminds me of the way UA tri-plexed the Del Oro Theater in Grass Valley, also in 1975. I was an operator there before and after the conversion."
The main chandelier. It's a May 2004 photo by Anderson Gin and David West Anderson of the Phaeton Group appearing in a Western Neighborhoods Project photo album with the comment: "High above the Alexandria's main auditorium floats this grand chandelier, a survivor of the theater's original 1928 interior decor. The chandelier, in the stylized shape of the sun that was so important in Egyptian cosmology, hangs from a great plaster dome painted as if a skylight open to a blue sky."
A look at the rear of the upper theatre house left, #2. This was the smallest of the three. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
Theatre #2 from the top. The seriously angled wall at the right is forming the tunnel for the image from the booth to reach the front theatre. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
Theatre #3 - upstairs house right. The wall decor dates from the house's 30s moderne redecoration. This was the larger of the two upper theatres in the triplex. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
A view down the length of the booth. The original booth, with some expansion sideways, served all 3 screens after triplexing. It was 35mm Centurys with Christie consoles and platters on the ends. A surviving Norelco DP70 (from 1958) was in the middle for the downstairs house. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
Thanks to Eric Hooper for this look at the booth before closing in 2004. In the distance there's a Century machine with a Christie console and platter for screen #2, the upstairs house left screen. In the foreground one of the Norelcos installed for "South Pacific" in 1958. The photo is in Eric's set of 177 photos on the Cinema Tour page about the Alexandria.
A closer look at the Norelco machine for the lower theatre, screen #1. Note the added Dolby Digital head atop the machine. Photo: Eric Hooper - Cinema Tour - 2004
The back side of the Norelco for house #1 (downstairs) in 2004. Note the 2 motors -- it could run 70mm at either 24 or 30 fps. Of course in 1958 it was a two machine installation. Here we see its companion machine had been replaced by a platter. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004. Thanks, Adam!
More exterior views:
A lovely 1925 view of the theatre as we look east on Geary. On the marquee: "Forty Winks," A February release. It's from the collection of Emiliano Echeverria and appears on the Western Neighborhoods Project Facebook page.
A wider version of the 1925 photo in the collection of Emiliano Echeverria. It appears on a Western Neighborhoods Project page.
A screen view taken shortly before the theatre closed. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
The house right mural. We're obviously in the main house and, until one looked toward the rear, it appeared relatively intact. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
Gary Parks comments: "I got to walk around in the attic above the Alexandria's auditorium. Up there, you can see that the ceiling is original, and it is evident where the organ chambers were jackhammered out, and replaced with the curved walls which bear the murals shown in the above photo."
The house left mural. It's a May 2004 photo by Anderson Gin and David West Anderson of the Phaeton Group appearing in a Western Neighborhoods Project photo album with the comment: "Within the heart of the Alexandria towers this giant Art Deco mural depicting nymphs and sea sprites of classical mythology cavorting amid stylized ocean waves and abstracted flower blossoms. Like much of the best Art Deco, this original painting blends inspiration from the greatest traditions of world art with the uniquely 20th century aesthetic that was Art Deco. Clean, sweeping lines, patterns, and geometric stylization expressed the era's look forward to a streamlined utopia liberated by technology, freed from the chains of the past yet enriched by classic treasures. The confidence and optimism that produced Art Deco faded completely by the end of the 1960s, replaced by the harsh concrete forms and utilitarian structures common today, which express bottom-line profit preservation."
A look toward the rear of the auditorium showing the triplex configuration. The original booth still served the front house via that strange tunnel. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
Gary Parks comments: "Very similar to the triplexing UA did in 1975 to the State (Golden State) in Monterey. BTW, the Alexandria's domed and beamed ceiling is original from the 20s. The dome was cove-lit. There are lots and lots of metal hatches giving access to a multitude of lightbulbs all around its perimeter. The winch for the chandelier is accessed by a catwalk that climbs up the structure of the dome."
Rick Green adds: " This also reminds me of the way UA tri-plexed the Del Oro Theater in Grass Valley, also in 1975. I was an operator there before and after the conversion."
The main chandelier. It's a May 2004 photo by Anderson Gin and David West Anderson of the Phaeton Group appearing in a Western Neighborhoods Project photo album with the comment: "High above the Alexandria's main auditorium floats this grand chandelier, a survivor of the theater's original 1928 interior decor. The chandelier, in the stylized shape of the sun that was so important in Egyptian cosmology, hangs from a great plaster dome painted as if a skylight open to a blue sky."
A look at the rear of the upper theatre house left, #2. This was the smallest of the three. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
Theatre #2 from the top. The seriously angled wall at the right is forming the tunnel for the image from the booth to reach the front theatre. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
Theatre #3 - upstairs house right. The wall decor dates from the house's 30s moderne redecoration. This was the larger of the two upper theatres in the triplex. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
The rear of theatre #3. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
In the booth:
A view down the length of the booth. The original booth, with some expansion sideways, served all 3 screens after triplexing. It was 35mm Centurys with Christie consoles and platters on the ends. A surviving Norelco DP70 (from 1958) was in the middle for the downstairs house. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004
Thanks to Eric Hooper for this look at the booth before closing in 2004. In the distance there's a Century machine with a Christie console and platter for screen #2, the upstairs house left screen. In the foreground one of the Norelcos installed for "South Pacific" in 1958. The photo is in Eric's set of 177 photos on the Cinema Tour page about the Alexandria.
A closer look at the Norelco machine for the lower theatre, screen #1. Note the added Dolby Digital head atop the machine. Photo: Eric Hooper - Cinema Tour - 2004
The back side of the Norelco for house #1 (downstairs) in 2004. Note the 2 motors -- it could run 70mm at either 24 or 30 fps. Of course in 1958 it was a two machine installation. Here we see its companion machine had been replaced by a platter. Photo: Adam Martin - Cinema Tour - 2004. Thanks, Adam!
More exterior views:
A lovely 1925 view of the theatre as we look east on Geary. On the marquee: "Forty Winks," A February release. It's from the collection of Emiliano Echeverria and appears on the Western Neighborhoods Project Facebook page.
A wider version of the 1925 photo in the collection of Emiliano Echeverria. It appears on a Western Neighborhoods Project page.
A
December 1927 shot with a great view of that pyramid (and a big "A")
atop the building -- now gone. It's a photo in the San Francisco Public Library collection. The photo also appears on a Western Neighborhoods page discussing the history of the theatre.
A 1929 look at the theatre. Thanks to Roger Rubin for the photo, a post of his on the San Francisco History Facebook page.
A September 1929 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. He comments: "'The Exalted Flapper' was the feature. It was a Fox Movietone Ruritanian romance. Sue Carol was a Fox Flapper who retired from acting, became an agent, married Alan Ladd, and managed his march to fame and fortune at Paramount a decade later."
An August 1931 trade magazine shot from the Jack Tillmany collection. He notes: "It shows the dual readerboard under the marquee, which never photographed very well. Note the 'Smoke Shop' next door, better seen in a 1941 photo below. It also provides a good earlier look at that huge vertical, and the sphinxi clutching the flagpole."
A 1929 look at the theatre. Thanks to Roger Rubin for the photo, a post of his on the San Francisco History Facebook page.
A September 1929 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. He comments: "'The Exalted Flapper' was the feature. It was a Fox Movietone Ruritanian romance. Sue Carol was a Fox Flapper who retired from acting, became an agent, married Alan Ladd, and managed his march to fame and fortune at Paramount a decade later."
An August 1931 trade magazine shot from the Jack Tillmany collection. He notes: "It shows the dual readerboard under the marquee, which never photographed very well. Note the 'Smoke Shop' next door, better seen in a 1941 photo below. It also provides a good earlier look at that huge vertical, and the sphinxi clutching the flagpole."
A 1940 photo on Calisphere from the Museum of Performance and Design Performing Arts Library. On the big screen: "Held Over!" -- Preston Sturges' "The Great McGinty" with "The Ramparts We Watch."
A
1940 look at the building. The photo appears on Calisphere from the
Museum of Performance and Design Performing Arts Library. Jack Tillmany comments: "Did you ever notice that the Sphinxi that were at the base of the A on
the roof were still there in 1940 at the base of the flagpole on the
roof? Before they redid the tower."
A 1940 (pre-moderne remodel) entrance detail on Calisphere from the Museum of Performance and Design Performing Arts Library.
Gary Parks comments: "Look
at the dark, blocky protrusions just on either side of the entrance
doors. They are the pedestals and paws of the sphinxes mentioned in the
opening day article! I have never noticed these in any other photo of
the entrance! Doubtlessly the paws were hacked off when the entrance
was redone Moderne, but I wonder if the heads of the sphinxes still lurk
behind the present walls?"
A 1940 entrance view. Check out the detailing in the dome in just in front of the uniquely shaped entrance doors. The photo is on Calisphere from the Museum of Performance and Design Performing Arts Library.
Jack Tillmany comments: "This is one of several photos that were all taken at the same time, a most interesting moment in the Alexandria's architectural history. The moderne marquee we are all so familiar with is already in place, but the [ugly] original vertical still towers above it. And, as Gary has pointed out, a lot of the original decor which was obliterated in the 1942 remodeling still remains. Popcorn was still being sold outside the theatre by a street vendor; the snack bar inside the lobby was part of the 1942 redo."
A June 1941 photo from Jack Tillmany. His comments: "The new marquee is in place, but that old vertical just won't quit! Smoke Shop next door and popcorn vendor outside; still no snack bar inside. This is from the Alfred Cook Collection in the B'Hend and Kaufmann Archives. Note the exact title of the picture includes the ? at the end. Since it's Deanna Durbin, we already know there was no need for it. She was always a Nice Girl."
A 1940 entrance view. Check out the detailing in the dome in just in front of the uniquely shaped entrance doors. The photo is on Calisphere from the Museum of Performance and Design Performing Arts Library.
Jack Tillmany comments: "This is one of several photos that were all taken at the same time, a most interesting moment in the Alexandria's architectural history. The moderne marquee we are all so familiar with is already in place, but the [ugly] original vertical still towers above it. And, as Gary has pointed out, a lot of the original decor which was obliterated in the 1942 remodeling still remains. Popcorn was still being sold outside the theatre by a street vendor; the snack bar inside the lobby was part of the 1942 redo."
A June 1941 photo from Jack Tillmany. His comments: "The new marquee is in place, but that old vertical just won't quit! Smoke Shop next door and popcorn vendor outside; still no snack bar inside. This is from the Alfred Cook Collection in the B'Hend and Kaufmann Archives. Note the exact title of the picture includes the ? at the end. Since it's Deanna Durbin, we already know there was no need for it. She was always a Nice Girl."
A detail from the 1941 photo above for those wishing to investigate what remained of the original Egyptian decor.
A September 25, 1942 photo with the theatre running Orson Welles' "The Magnificent Ambersons" with "It Happened in Flatbush." It's a Ted Newman photo in the Jack Tillmany collection that can be seen on the San Francisco Public Library website. Note that the smoke shop to the right of the entrance is gone -- the space used for a new snackbar inside after the remodel.
A photo from the Jack Tillmany collection taken the last week of May 1943 when the theatre was running "In Which We Serve" and "Ice Capades Revue." Thanks to Jack for sharing it on the BAHT Facebook page. He comments: "It's
a scan of a small, very faded, snapshot in very poor condition that
reached me a while back. I did what I could sprucing it up."
Thanks to John A. Harris for locating this 1944 view. We're looking east on Geary with the theatre running "Government Girl." It's a San Francisco Public Library photo that John posted on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered. The photo also appears on the blog San Francisco Pictures in their selection of Geary Blvd. photos.
Thanks to John A. Harris for locating this 1944 view. We're looking east on Geary with the theatre running "Government Girl." It's a San Francisco Public Library photo that John posted on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered. The photo also appears on the blog San Francisco Pictures in their selection of Geary Blvd. photos.
Jack Tillmany comments: "The Alexandria 'Government Girl' photo was taken 11 March 1944. Will King's Koffee Kup was a popular restaurant and nighttime entertainment venue, which became Zim's.... Across the street, the Tip Toe Inn was a neighborhood delicatessen. Love those names!"
A few ticket stubs from the Jack Tillmany collection. He comments: "Each and every one of these has my fingerprints on it, and shows the march of inflation during the 1950s, which was a heavy burden we all had to bear. Sniff." Yes, ticket stub fans, you can click on the image for a larger view.
The theatre in November 1956 running "The Bad Seed" and "Tea and Sympathy." This great photo appears (with many comments) on the Lost San Francisco Facebook page. The photo also appears on the blog San Francisco Pictures in their selection of Geary Blvd. photos. The photo is from the Jack Tillmany collection and also appears on a Western Neighborhoods Project page.
Jack comments: "I actually saw that double bill of The Bad Seed & Tea and Sympathy there in November 1956. Rail service on Muni's Geary B Line would end in December 1956, about a month after this now historic photo was taken. There were the usual promises of a light rail upgrade. 60+ years later,
still nothing but overcrowded rubber tired buses. I did not take this photo, but provided it to Frank Dunnigan who used it as the cover of his excellent book on the Richmond District."
Two years later the Alexandria would get 70mm equipment and a big curved screen to emerge as a premiere roadshow house with the 44 week run of "South Pacific," the third TODD-AO film.
Christmas season 1960. It's a shot taken while the theatre was running "The Alamo." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the photo for a Facebook post on Ken's Movie Page.
Jack Tillmany comments: "'The Alamo' opened at the Alexandria 26 October 1960 and closed 17 January 1961, a mere 12 week run, which is pretty poor, and has the odor of a minimum commitment not supported by ticket sales. It's also by far the lowest Alexandria 'long run' on the chart which goes down to 6 weeks. After it closed at the Alexandria, 'The Alamo' moved down to Market Street in April to replace 'Spartacus' which had just finished its 15 week roadshow run at the United Artists; but 'The Alamo' was 'now at popular prices.'
"For comparison, the next lowest Alexandria roadshow runs were 'Can-Can,' earlier in 1960, 19 weeks, and 'El Cid' which followed, later in 1961, with 20 weeks; which isn't saying much for 'The Alamo.' Next up at the Alexandria was 'Exodus' which opened 8 February 1961 and enjoyed a healthy 21 week run until 4 July 1961. The Geary Blvd. Christmas decorations traditionally went up after Thanksgiving, and came down after New Years, so yes, this COULD be the last week of November, but not likely the first week of January."
"For comparison, the next lowest Alexandria roadshow runs were 'Can-Can,' earlier in 1960, 19 weeks, and 'El Cid' which followed, later in 1961, with 20 weeks; which isn't saying much for 'The Alamo.' Next up at the Alexandria was 'Exodus' which opened 8 February 1961 and enjoyed a healthy 21 week run until 4 July 1961. The Geary Blvd. Christmas decorations traditionally went up after Thanksgiving, and came down after New Years, so yes, this COULD be the last week of November, but not likely the first week of January."
In 1963 and 1964 "Cleopatra" had a long and successful 56 week run. Jack notes that nobody seems to have taken a picture of it with that one on the marquee and adds: "It's their long run champ: 56 weeks: 1963-1964."
The theatre in 1964 running "The Fall of the Roman Empire" with Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd and Alec Guinness. The photo, from the Alan J. Canterbury collection at the San Francisco Public Library, also appeared as a post on the Facebook page Lost San Francisco.
The Alexandria is on the far left in this c.1968 view west on Geary taken by Clay Geerdes. Thanks to David Miller for sharing it on the San Francisco Remembered Facebook page.
A 1969 Tom Gray photo of the theatre taken during the run of "Oliver!" Arnold Bedak had the shot on San Francisco Remembered. Thanks to Kevin Walsh for sharing it on the BAHT Facebook page.
A 1969 Tom Gray photo of the theatre taken during the run of "Oliver!" Arnold Bedak had the shot on San Francisco Remembered. Thanks to Kevin Walsh for sharing it on the BAHT Facebook page.
Jack Tillmany comments: "'Oliver!' ran 43 weeks, the Alexandria's 3rd longest run. 'South Pacific' is in the #2 notch with 48 weeks."
A c.1970 view west. Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing this photo from his collection. It inspired some interesting research by David Spaulding and others as to the date of the photo when it was posted on the BAHT Facebook page.
At the 1973 opening of "The Class of '44." Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting John Grant's post of the image from an unidentified publication on the Facebook group Richmond District Memories and Beyond. The shot had originally appeared with this copy:
"Opening night of Warner Bros.' 'Class of '44' at the Alexandria Theatre in San Francisco found these young folks outside dressed in clothing styles reminiscent of those worn in that fabulous bygone era represented in the movie, complete with automobile to match."
"The Towering Inferno" and "Juggernaut" at the Alexandria in May 1975. It's a photo by Jack Tillmany. He notes that the second feature was added late in the run and that this was the last big one to play the house before the 1976 triplexing.
A June 1982 photo taken by Tom Gray that's in the Jack Tillmany collection. Jack notes that despite the triplexing it was still a top of the line venue.
A March 1986 Tom Gray photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.
The theatre doing well as a triplex in 1989. Thanks to Don Lewis for his photo. It's part of his great Vanishing Movie Theaters collection on Flickr.
Thanks to John A. Harris on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered for this 1997 view east.
A detail of the lettering on the marquee. It's a 2004 Phaeton Group photo appearing in a Western Neighborhoods Project album.
An October 2008 photo of the theatre, closed since 2004. It's by Andreas Praefcke and appears on Wikimedia Commons.
A 2011 upper facade detail by Paul David Morris for The Chronicle. The photo (in a set of 16) appears with a 2014 SF Gate story by Evan Sernoffsky: "Once-glamorous S.F. theater now neighborhood eyesore."
A column detail by David Paul Morris for the Chronicle. It's one of 4 photos with "Alexandria Theater site project in S.F.," a 2011 SF Gate article by Robert Selna detailing the theatre's ongoing development woes.
An entrance view by David Paul Morris appearing with the 2011 SF Gate article "Alexandria Theater site project in S.F."
The entrance area in 2014, a photo by Lea Suzuki for the Chronicle. It appears with the May 2014SF Gate article "Once-glamorous S.F. theater now neighborhood eyesore."
A marquee view by Lea Suzuki for The Chronicle. It was with "Once-glamorous S.F. theater now neighborhood eyesore,"a 2014 SF Gate story by Evan Sernoffsky that commented: "The City Planning Department says owner Alexandria Enterprises has not been doing an adequate job of maintaining the Richmond District property." The photo also appeared with a September 12, 2015 Peter Hartlaub SF Gate story called "Time Machine: 10 historic screenings we'd like to visit."
A 2011 look up the vertical by Paul David Morris for The Chronicle. The photo appeared with a 2014 SF Gate story by Evan Sernoffsky: "Once-glamorous S.F. theater now neighborhood eyesore."
A 2011 marquee detail by Paul David Morris for The Chronicle. The photo was with a 2014 SF Gate story by Evan Sernoffsky: "Once-glamorous S.F. theater now neighborhood eyesore."
A 2011 photo by Peter Hartlaub for The Chronicle. The photo appeared with a 2014 SF Gate story by Evan Sernoffsky "Once-glamorous S.F. theater now neighborhood eyesore."
Thanks to Leah Hennen for this December 2015 look at the abandoned theatre. It was a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
A facade view. Photo: Daishiell Merrick-Kamm - Bagdad by the Bay Facebook page - 2017
Photo: Daishiell Merrick-Kamm - Bagdad by the Bay Facebook page - 2017
Photo: Daishiell Merrick-Kamm - Bagdad by the Bay Facebook page - 2017
Photo: Daishiell Merrick-Kamm - Bagdad by the Bay Facebook page - 2017
Photo: Daishiell Merrick-Kamm - Bagdad by the Bay Facebook page - 2017
Salvage from the Alexandria:
The organ console from the theatre, now in the Walnut Creek home studio of Kevin King. It's a 2018 Gary Parks photo. He comments: "The main six ranks of the instrument are from the Appleton/T&D/State, Watsonville, and additional ranks, percussion, and effects are from various other theatres."
A detail of the Hatshepsut figure. Photo: Gary Parks 
An entrance photo by Gary Parks on the BAHT Facebook page in October 2017. He comments: "Okay, these photos won't win any contests, but under the heading of urban archaeology, they show a couple of recently uncovered details. Note the coral-colored curving band of stucco above the two pillars--enlarge the photo. You will see portions of painted (gold and black) letters, reading "ALEXANDRIA." These date from the opening of the theatre, and show up, intact, and a bit enhanced by a photo re-toucher, in publicity images dating from that time."
Another 2017 entrance view from Gary: "Enlarge it, and note the dark oval of damaged plaster ceiling.
In-person observation shows it to be overlayed with metal alloy leafing.
The squares are plainly visible. Also visible are the imprints of
three circular, missing light fixtures. Sadly, the cavetto molding,
replete with winged, cobra-flanked sundisks, which once ringed this oval
ceiling, is long gone."
The theatre in July 2020. Thanks to Annie Lore for sharing this photo she took on the BAHT Facebook page. She noted: "A sorry sight, but at least it was still there."
A 2022 ticket lobby shot by David Boyll. It's one of five views he included in a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
The badly deteriorated vertical sign came down January 20, 2023. This view was shared by Alex Tour-Sarkissian on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered.
The
west side of the support tower. It's a January 20 photo by Jim Cassedy. Thanks to
Gary Meyer for sharing this shot as well as four other views plus Jim's
comments as a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
A little bit more of the sign removed. Thanks to Woody LaBounty for sharing this January 20 shot as a Facebook post.
Only the "...RIA" left on the vertical. Thanks to Woody LaBounty for the photo. He commented: "Yes, I sat out there watching most of it happen and trying to make sure the marquee wasn’t next."
The theatre with both the vertical as well as the support tower removed. Thanks to Alex Alex Tour-Sarkissian for sharing his January 27 photo on San Francisco Remembered.
Part of the sign stashed in the ticket lobby. Thanks to Mike Fusello for sharing three photos he took as a January 27, 2023 post on the BAHT Facebook page.
More pieces of the sign. Photo: Mike Fusello - January 2023
A look under the marquee. Photo: Mike Fusello - January 2023. Thanks!
Salvage from the Alexandria:
The organ console from the theatre, now in the Walnut Creek home studio of Kevin King. It's a 2018 Gary Parks photo. He comments: "The main six ranks of the instrument are from the Appleton/T&D/State, Watsonville, and additional ranks, percussion, and effects are from various other theatres."
Another view of the console. Photo: Gary Parks - 2018
A plaster fragment from the Alexandria's lobby that's in the Gary Parks collection. He comments:
"One
of many fragments I have of painted plaster relief scenes from the
Alexandria's lobby, which hid behind the later 1940s lobby walls for
many years, but were shattered when the storefront along Geary was
remodeled around the 1990s. They were scooped up by a couple and given
to the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology at Cal. Since the Hearst
does not accession this type of thing, one of the Registrars there--who
is a fellow member of the American Research Center in Egypt--gave the
boxes of fragments to me, over ten years ago.
"It
is my hope to one day reassemble and mount the scenes that are in
sufficient condition to be reassembled (some are badly water damaged
from when they were sealed behind the later wall). Perhaps they could be
displayed in the Alexandria's lobby, or elsewhere, but this remains to
be seen. It would be quite an undertaking.
"One
of the ads at the time of the Alexandria's opening said that scenes on
the theatre's walls were copied from actual scenes on Egyptian
monuments, and indeed, these fragments are all copies of recognizable
scenes in various tombs and temples, from a variety of dynasties. This fragment is part of a larger
procession scene, in which women, symbolizing the various Nomes
(districts or counties) of Egypt, carry produce from their individual
locales."
A piece of a figure in the Gary Parks collection. He comments:
"This is the very first fragment I took out years ago and began to clean from the dozens I have from the Alexandria's original lobby. This one happens to be part of a kneeling figure of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut (at this point in her reign, she was depicted breast-less, so as not to upset the traditional artistic canon). The original can be found atop one of her obelisks at Karnak."
A detail of the Hatshepsut figure. Photo: Gary Parks
Hatshepsut as seen in the display honoring the theatre's 100th anniversary. Thanks to Gary Parks for sharing the photo in a post on the BAHT Facebook page. He comments:
"What the lobby wall fragments of the female Pharaoh Hatshepsut looked
like at the Western Neighborhoods Project Museum, with my painted infill
for missing parts, my photo of the original figure on the obelisk at
Karnak, and an ancient faience bead necklace from the Sutro Collection,
on loan from the Global Museum at San Francisco State."
Another lobby wall panel in the Gary Parks collection. The photo was shared as another post on the BAHT Facebook page. Gary comments:
"Here
we have the goddess Hathor. Her crown is also worn often by Isis, but
the glyphs specify this is Hathor. This panel was modeled after a
relief from the Ptolemaic Period."
Another panel in the Gary Parks collection. He shared this photo in a post on the BAHT Facebook page and commented:
"A lobby
wall panel, very closely modeled on a wooden wall panel from the tomb of
Hesi-Re, Sakkara, Egypt. "
An image of the display case that included the panel above. It was in a separate post on the BAHT Facebook page. Gary comments:
"The Alexandria Theatre
Hesi-Re panel in its case, together with a small
explanatory panel containing an image of the Egyptian original, plus a
framed small case, containing three cartonnage mummy case fragments from
the Sutro Collection that was once displayed at Sutro Baths. Exhibited
at the Western Neighborhoods Project Museum, Nov. 2023-March, 2024."
An Isis panel in the Gary Parks collection. It's a photo Gary shared on the BAHT Facebook page. He comments:
"This
panel did not go on display at the Western Neighborhoods Project
Museum, due to the fragility of some of the paint--much of which has
been somewhat stabilized, but still... This section of wall
apparently was subject to water seepage from the rear, during the years
all this Egyptian decor was hidden behind later lobby walls."
Two small fragments. Gary shared the photo on the BAHT Facebook page and comments:
"These two pieces of figures do not join with anything else. One of a
little head is of either Isis or Hathor, and the other is the head of a
Pharaoh, which is almost life size. I have other small fragments that
don't join with anything, but with a couple of exceptions, showing
unknown parts of borders or body parts, they are only a few inches in
size, and are covered in plain, blue background.
"Incidentally, this
blue background was very common in tombs throughout Egyptian history.
Its use proliferated in the Old Kingdom, in tombs clustered around the
large pyramids, and then, many centuries later, enjoyed a revival in the
royal tombs of Amenhotep III, Horemheb, and Rameses I."
The Nome panel. Thanks to Gary for sharing the photo in a Facebook post. He comments:
"The
Nome Goddess Procession, adapted from the tomb of Ty, West Bank, Luxor.
These ladies symbolize the various Nomes (districts or counties--once
tribal areas, in prehistoric times), of Egypt. They each carry items
representative of the agricultural bounty of their respective homes.
The glyphs next to each figure give the Nome name."
The song "Alexandria" by Ben Black and Neil Moret. Jack Tillmany comments: "A friend of mine played it on the piano and sang it at a party I attended. Sounded very 1920s exotic."
More information: The Western Neighborhoods Project has a page on the theatre. They also have a page of photos taken by the Phaeton Group in 2004 which includes several interior views.
See the Cinema Treasures and Cinema Tour pages on the Alexandria. The latter has several hundred 2004 interior photos. There's a list of "South Pacific" roadshow engagements on Cinema Treasures.
The SF Examiner had an April 2017 story about a proposal: "Blighted theatre on Geary to turn into aquatic center." Thanks to William David French for spotting the story. The Richmond District blog had a 2014 story "KTVU and Chronicle cover Alexandria Theater; interest from Alamo Drafthouse?"
SF Gate ran a 2011 article with four photos and another 2014 article as well. SF Heritage has a 2011 page on the theatre's redevelopment possibilities.
SocketSite had a July 2018 article about the progress of the project to transform the theatre into a swim center.
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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