The Strand Theatre

1127 Market St. | map |

Opened: It opened October 27, 1917 as the Jewel Theatre. It tried out a number of names before ending up as the Strand in 1928. After retiring the Jewel name it was the Sun, Newman's College Theatre and the Francesca. Since 2015 it's been a second home for A.C.T. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

Architect: Emory M. Frazier, who also did the Palmer Theatre. Gary Parks has a set of the 1917 blueprints in his collection. See six images from the prints down at the bottom of the page.

Seating: 725 at one time. After the A.C.T rebuild of the space as a legit venue it's about 300 in the main house and a capacity of about a hundred in the Reuff, a flexible space on the 3rd floor.

An October 27, 1917 ad for the opening that was located by Jack Tillmany. 

A January 24, 1920 newspaper item announcing the rising of the venue as the Sun Theatre. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating the story.

It was known as the College Theatre (also as Newman's College Theatre) from August 1920 until November 1921. This ad for the theatre as Newman's appeared in the August 14, 1920 Chronicle. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating it.

"College Theatre Remodeled." It became the The Francesca in 1921. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding this November 5 opening day ad.

By March 1928 it had become the Strand Theatre in 1928. Jack notes that neither the Chronicle or Examiner reported an opening day.

A.C.T.'s "History of the Strand" says: "From 1939 to 1977, the building was run by the West Side Theatre Company, but the advent of television dealt a hard blow to Market Street's once-thriving theater district. To attract customers, The Strand offered triple bills (switched out daily) and nightly bingo games, but business declined."

Mike Thomas took over the house in 1977 and, with his partner Greg King, did some restoration work on the decaying interior. They turned it into a revival operation. One popular attraction was the midnight showings of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." 

A 1978 repertory schedule from the days when Mike Thomas and Greg King were running the Strand and the Warfield. The item appeared on a now-vanished page of the site Observe SF.  

Head toward the bottom of the page for more Strand calendars.

Greg King continued as proprietor after Mike Thomas went to Los Angeles in 1989 to run Strand Releasing. This was about a month before the Loma Prieta earthquake. The house closed as a result of the earthquake but soon reopened. Gary Parks comments: "When we were doing salvage, Greg showed me where the fallen plaster had been repaired up in the balcony. Most of the ornamental plaster around the original proscenium had fallen, and insurance paid for just troweling over that area, which was okay--since no one but employees saw the original proscenium anymore."

 

Howard Taormino's Silver Screen Amusements soon took over the operation with Greg staying on to run it for them. It was still running a revival policy when Silver Screen closed it in 1997. At that time  Greg became manager of the Elmwood in Berkeley. 

When the Strand opened again it was with a porno policy and using video rather than film. It was then operated by Habib Carouba and Alex DeRenzy, who also owned or operated at one time or another the Campus Theatre (aka the Screening Room) at 220 Jones, and the Market St. Cinema, the former Imperial/UA Theatre. It became a hangout for drug dealers and prostitutes and saw a number of police enforcement actions. Thanks to Michael Blythe for the research. Habib's Chronicle obituary is on the site Legacy.com.

Closing: The theatre closed for good after an April 2, 2003 raid by the police department.   

 

Status: A.C.T bought the theatre in 2012 and spent about $30 million rebuilding it. It reopened June 17, 2015 and is now their second house for smaller shows. They also operate the Geary Theatre. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill were the project architects. The SOM website has a page on the Strand project.

The lobby:

A 1943 lobby view by Ted Newman from the from Jack Tillmany collection. It appears on the San Francisco Public Library website.

A delicious 1988 lobby photo by Tom LeGoff. It's one of the many great photos appearing on the Strand history page on the ACT website.

A 1988 look across the lobby by Tom LeGoff. It's from the ACT website.

A 1988 look down the stairs by Tom LeGoff. It appears on the Strand history page on the ACT website.

The snackbar area as it was before the ACT renovations began. The new configuration is totally different. The photo appeared with a May 2015 story on the blog Stark Insider.

Time for hardhat tours before the place is gutted. Thanks to Alissa A. Welsch for her photo, added as a comment to a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

A look up the lobby stairs in 2013. The photo is one in a set Patricia Chang took to accompany "Exclusive Photos: Ground Has Broken...," Mallory Farrugia's Curbed SF article. Also with the piece are plans and renderings from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill architects.

The stripped out lobby. The back of the construction fence on Market is seen through the doorways on the left. The photo appears on a  Strand Theatre page from the project architects Skidmore Owings & Merrill. There are also more construction views and renderings.

The lobby near the end of construction. It's a Jason Henry photo for the Chronicle appearing with a May 2, 2015 article by Sam Whiting: "Strand kicks mid-Market Arts District into Gear."  The restoration of the neon letters from the marquee was by Greg King and Gary Parks.

A look down into the new post-renovation lobby. Photo: Bill Counter - June 2015 

Another view from the stairs. Photo: Bill Counter - June 2015

A detail of the neon. Photo: Bill Lyons - BAHT Facebook page - June 2015

A display panel on the south wall. Photo: Bill Counter - June 2015

A bit of lobby seating. Photo: Bill Lyons - BAHT Facebook page - June 2015

An end standard detail. It's a Gary Parks photo from 2015. He comments: "Greg King and I restored a selection of old auditorium seats. The paint job I did on the iron aisle standards brought them back to their original colors. While I was painting the iron, Greg refinished the wooden backs and arranged for the recovering of the backs and cushions."

The auditorium:

It sure didn't look like this when it opened in 1917. But this is how the remodeled proscenium area appeared in 1943. The photo by Ted Newman from the Jack Tillmany collection appears on Cinema Tour. The photo can also be seen on the San Francisco Public Library website.

A 1943 look down from the balcony. It's a Ted Newman photo from Jack Tillmany on the San Francisco Public Library website.

Watching a movie at the Strand c.1986. It's a photo by Tom LeGoff appearing on the ACT website.

A somewhat different audience view by Mr. LeGoff on the ACT site. 

A look to the rear before the ACT renovations began. The photo by Bruce Damonte appeared with a May 2015 story on the blog Stark Insider.

Across the back of the main floor. It's a 2013 Chronicle photo.

The rear of the main floor. Photo: Patricia Chang/Curbed SF - 2013

 
A look to house right. Photo: Patricia Chang/Curbed SF - 2013

A look down from the balcony in 2013. Photo: Patricia Chang/CurbedSF

Back toward the booth. Photo: Patricia Chang/Curbed SF - 2013 

A view of the stripped out auditorium looking down from the balcony. It's on a  Strand Theatre page from the project architects Skidmore Owings & Merrill.

The building almost had to be destroyed to be saved. Here's an open-air view by Denys Baker appearing on a March 2015 Archpaper story about the theatre. We're in the auditorium looking toward the stage. Those two concrete slabs are where the original proscenium was -- the finished stage comes far forward of that.

A look down from the balcony during construction. It's a Denys Baker photo courtesy of the American Conservatory Theater. It's just one of many shots with "Inside SOM's Renovation...," a December 11, 2014 article by Tracy Elsen on Curbed SF.

A view across the house from the house left box area. Photo: Denys Baker/ACT/Curbed SF - 2014

The auditorium from upstage. Photo: Denys Baker/ACT/Curbed SF - 2014

A view toward the stage near the end of construction. Photo: Jason Henry / Chronicle - May 2015

The rear of the house as work finishes. Photo: Jason Henry / Chronicle - May 2015

A main floor look to the stage. Photo: Bill Lyons - BAHT Facebook page - June 2015

 

A balcony view after renovations. Photo: Bill Counter - June 2015

A look to the rear of the reconstructed theatre. Thanks to Ira Mark Fisher for the photo, added as a comment to an October 2016 post about the theatre by Jason Balch on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered.

A look across from the house left box area. Photo: Bill Lyons - BAHT Facebook page - June 2015

Up in the booth: 

 

Greg King (on the left) with Bobby Clic at work in the booth in the late 1980s. It's a photo taken by Alissa A. Welsch with her trusty Instamatic that she shared on the BAHT Facebook page.

A pre-ACT renovation look by Bruce Damonte across the booth from a May 2015 Stark Insider story. The booth is no more. This area is now part of the Reuff, a flexible performance space on the 3rd floor.

The booth during demolition. Thanks to Alissa A. Welsch for the photo, added as a comment to another Strand photo on the BAHT Facebook page.


The Reuff: 

The new third floor flexible performance space. Photo: Bill Counter - June 2015

 
The front of the space. Photo: Bill Lyons - BAHT Facebook page - June 2015

A peek out the windows. Photo: Bill Counter - June 2015

More exterior views:

It's 1918 with the Strand on the right with people on the marquee watching an April 6 Preparedness Day Liberty Loan Parade. Note the edge of the marquee gives us the theatre's name at the time, the Jewel. To the left of the Strand is the Embassy, at this time called the Rialto. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the photo from his collection.

A look west along the curving marquee of the Rialto/Embassy toward Jewel/Strand. The 1918 photo is from the Jack Tillmany collection. 

A 1920 look at the theatre when it was called the Sun. It's from Jack Tillmany's collection and can be seen on Cinema Tour.

A 20s shot from the Jack Tillmany collection. That signage on the front of the marquee, here saying Francesca Theatre, would later be redone to just say "Francesca." The Fageol "Safety Bus" ran from Market St. to Santa Cruz. Beyond the Francesca there's a bit of the curvy marquee of the Rialto/Embassy and, farther down, the signage of the Imperial. 

An early 20s look east from the Crystal Palace Market toward the theatre, here with lettering above the marquee saying "Francesca." It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.

A detail from the previous photo.

An April 15, 1925 photo is from the Jack Tillmany collection. We're looking west with a bit of the marquee of the Francesca Theatre on the far left advertising its 10 cent admission price. Way down the block we get a glimpse of the Aztec Theatre beyond the Crystal Palace Market. The Civic Center Market building was later the home of Wonderland, an amusement arcade.

Gary Parks comments: "Looking at this great shot of a long stretch of that block, it becomes so obvious how the facade of the Strand (Francesca--out of the photo) really was of the same design family as the whole row of commercial fronts we see here, stretched before us. As a theatre facade, it wasn't really a stand-out, save for some of the moldings being a bit more ornate, and those dangling pendants along the top, which were removed long ago. Mind you, I'm glad to have the Strand still in existence, but it's just an interesting thing to note."

Another 20s look east toward the Francesca. It was to be renamed the Strand in 1928 Beyond it is the vertical for the Rivoli, the name the Embassy Theatre had at the time. It's a Jack Tillmany collection photo.

"We Only Show the Good Ones" This fine 1928 look at the theatre is from the Jack Tillmany collection. A version of it appeared on a Stark Insider post in May 2015 that also included other historic photos and a good video tour of the not yet finished theatre remodel with ACT's artistic director Carey Perloff. They credit the photo to Frank M. Heffernan, presumably from a collection assembled by him -- he was the owner of the building in the 20s. The photo is also appears on the Cinema Tour page about the Strand.

The 2nd floor space where we see the signage in the windows is now part of the theatre's lobby. Here it's occupied by a discount clothing firm. "Fit Guaranteed" "Alterations Free" Their separate entrance was to the right -- we can see a bit of the stairs in the photo.

The big show at the Strand in this February 1938 view is a double bill of "Dancing Pirate" and "Midnight Taxi." Down the street we get a view of the Imperial / UA signage. The photo appears, courtesy of a private collector, on the Open SF History Project site.

Another view taken during the run of "Dancing Pirate." It's from the Jack Tillmany collection and appears on A.C.T.'s "History of the Strand" page.

A detail from Jack's February 1938 photo.

 

A photo from the Jack Tillmany collection taken the first week of July 1941. He comments: "It's interesting because it shows a bit of the pre-WWII marquee of the Strand still as it was. The features at the Embassy are 'Her First Romance' and 'The Great Train Robbery' (the 1941 version, not the 1903 version!). The Strand is offering 'The Man I Married' and 'Captain Fury.'" 

 

 

A July 1946 shot by Waldemar Sievers taken when the Strand was running "The Woman in the Window" and "And Then There Were None." Thanks to Jack Tillmany for locating this image in the Open SF History Project collection amnd sharing it on the BAHT Facebook page. The Open SF History site has two additional takes at the Strand the same day: take #2, looking west, and take #3, showing a bit of the Embassy. Jack notes that the street was decorated for a July 21 Shriner's parade.

A January 12, 1947 view from the Billy Holcomb Collection in the Vanishing Movie Theaters album by Don Lewis on Flickr.  Jack Tillmany dated the photo after seeing "Cesar and Cleopatra" on the Embassy marquee. At the Strand it's two re-releases from 1943: "Pride of the Yankees" along with Bob Hope in "They Got Me Covered."

An April 6, 1947 view of the Army Day parade. Army.arch has the photo on Flickr where it's credited to the National Archives, 111-SC box 665 317326.   

A June 10, 1947 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.The Strand has "The Hidden Eye" and "He Stayed For Breakfast."

A June 20, 1947 photo that appeared with a May 2015 story on the blog Stark Insider. The Strand has "God is My Co-Pilot" (1945) with Dennis Morgan along with Mae West's "The Heat's On," a 1943 release. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for dating the photo. He comments: "Typically, most films had a bit of mileage on them by the time they reached the Strand."

Thanks to the Facebook page Lost San Francisco for this fine March 22, 1948 view. The Strand is running "Woman in the Window" and "Night in Paradise." Down the street we get a peek at the Imperial / United Artists. 

Thanks to Al Schwoerer for this May 5, 1948 view. At the Embassy: "Sleep My Love" with Claudette Colbert and "Always Together" with Robert Hutton.  The program at the Strand is "Crash Dive" and "Shadows Over Shanghai" (plus bingo!). Al posted the photo on the non-public Facebook group Steel Wheels and Iron Rails. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for researching the date.

A September 15, 1950 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. It appears in page 19 of Jack's book "Theatres of San Francisco."

He comments: "The exact date of the photo is 16 September 1950. The bald headed gentleman barely visible taking tickets at the entrance door is the manager of the theatre, Reek (short for Enrico) Feliziani, a wonderful guy, from whom I first received this photo, along with some others, about 50+ years ago when I began my collection, and which I have since been happy to share with SFPL, and countless other historical sites, during the intervening years.

"Reek took great pride in his theatrical operation, lived in the Marina, & ran the bingo game from the stage around 8:40 every evening. He came to a very sad end when he died as the result of a heart attack after an encounter with some Market Street Mugs who were causing trouble at the theatre."

A version of the photo from the San Francisco Library appeared on the Facebook page Lost San Francisco with lots of comments. The photo also appears on the Cinema Tour page about the Strand.

 A September 16, 1950 photo by Reek Feliziani from the Jack Tillmany collection. It appears on ACT's "History of the Strand" page.

Philip Krikau comments: "The lone blacked out window was to the projection booth. Both those windows would fold out for the operator to look out (me). Really was a nice view during a long day of crankin' flicks."

 

A 1953 parade view taken by Bill Young for the Chronicle. The photo appears with the 2020 SF Gate article "San Francisco's forgotten Thanksgiving Day Balloon Parade." Their caption noted that Emperor Joshua Norton I was the parade's grand marshal. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for spotting the shot for a post on the BAHT Facebook page. The photo can also seen on a page from the Emperor Norton Trust.

An October 7, 1954 look east toward 7th St. by an unknown photographer. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting this one on the Open SF History Project website. He notes that the Embassy is running "On the Waterfront" with Marlon Brando. 

A July 27, 1957 view of the Strand and the Embassy with the bonus of the United Artists vertical down there in the distance.  Jack Tillmany came up with the date. He notes that the Strand is running "The Blackboard Jungle" and "The Mountain." 

The photo appears on the Cinema Treasures page for the Embassy, a contribution of David Zornig. He credits it to the Lincoln Land Facebook page. Phil Davies has also posted it on San Francisco Remembered. And you can also find it it on a page of the Open SF History Project. 

 
A terrific postcard appearing on the Cinema Tour page for the Warfield, a contribution of Jack Tillmany. Heather David also had it as a 2013 post on the Facebook page Mid Century By The Bay.  Jack has figured out that the Strand was playing "Drums Across the River" and "A Man Escaped" which puts in 1959. 

A November 23, 1961 photo by Lance Nix. He had it as a post on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered. 

A photo appearing on the Open SF History Project website. Jack Tillmany notes that it could have been taken either May 21, 1963 or April 9, 1964. 

Bingo at 8:40. It's a September 5, 1963 look at the theatre from the Jack Tillmany collection appearing on the ACT "History of the Strand" page. The photo also appears on the Strand's Cinema Tour page.

A 1964 view east with the Strand running "Vera Cruz." In addition to the Embassy, we get a view of the Paramount's signage in the distance. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting the image on the Open SF History Project website. 

A 1964 photo by Alan J. Canterbury in the San Francisco Public Library collection.

A night view from the Jack Tillmany collection. He comments: "This Embassy/Strand night shot is Monday 21 November 1966. 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' (1954) is a typical 'Revival Night' offering that the Embassy did every Monday-Tuesday. 'In Harm's Way' is just a normal re-run of a previously over-hyped turkey." Thanks to Matt Spero for some cleanup work on the photo.

A Sunday May 14, 1967 photo taken by Jack Tillmany.

A July 4, 1967 photo with "Sergeants 3" and "Topkapi" at the Strand. It's from from the Tom B'hend - Preston Kaufmann Collection, part of the Margaret Herrick Digital Library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences.  Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding the photo for a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

A c.1967 photo by an unknown photographer appearing on the Open SF History Project website. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting it. 

 

 

A 1970 photo by Clay Geerdes. One of the titles at the Embassy is "The Undefeated," a November 1969 release with Rock Hudson. Thanks to David Miller for posting this one on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered.  

An August 1970 view appearing on the Open SF History Project website.

A 1971 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. 

Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for finding this shot in the Theatre Historical Society collection for a post on the BAHT Facebook page. He notes that "One More Train To Rob" was a 1971 release.

 

A fine 1973 look at the Strand from the Jack Tillmany collection. It appears on "The Standing Dead," a 2011 Bold Italic page by Sam Harnett about abandoned San Francisco theatres.

 

 

An August 15, 1982 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection, possibly taken by Tom Gray. Jack comments: "Nice capture of a James Bond Triple at the Strand during the legendary Mike Thomas Golden Years. FORTY years ago! Where does the time go?"

Thanks to Paul Engel for this fine 1984 view taken when both theatres were friendly grindhouse competitors. At the Strand: "Never Say Never Again" and "Nate and Hayes." Eric Schaefer notes that this bill played on February 4. The Embassy had "The Island," "Endangered Species" and "Taps."

 

A 1983 photo by George B. Fry III, who liked to take pictures of theatre ticket sellers. The photo appears in a 2003 Smithsonian article comparing two Super Bowl cities, San Francisco and Baltimore. Sad to say that the boxoffice, while not exactly historic, didn't survive ACT's remodel of the theatre. The new boxoffice is strangely located not near the entrance but deep in the back of the enlarged lobby.

 

A fine triple bill sometime in the late 1980s. It's a photo taken by Alissa A. Welsch with her trusty Instamatic that she shared on the BAHT Facebook page.

A fine 1988 look at the theatre by Tom LeGoff. It's one of many great photos appearing with a May 2015 SFist story about "Peeking Inside" the almost completed theatre. The photo also appears on the Strand's history page on the ACT website and with a May 2015 Stark Insider story.

An 80s photo of Mike Thomas, John Waters and Greg King at the Strand. Thanks to Alissa A. Welsch for adding it as a comment to another Strand photo on the BAHT Facebook page. She suggests that the photo may have been taken by Tom LeGoff.

An 80s photo from the May 2015 Stark Insider story.

A 2003 view of the STR___  by Patrick Crowley, taken before the new Federal Building would rise behind the theatre. The photo appeared with an April 2015 SFist article about the re-opening: "Peeking Inside The Historic, Almost-Open Strand Theater, A.C.T.'s New Second Home On Market Street."

A 2003 photo taken by Ron Williams. Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for spotting Ron's post on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered. 

Thanks to Jason Balch for this post-closing view of the Stand, part of a set in an October 2016 post by Jason Balch on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered.

A 2005 view of the Strand by Ken Roe on Flickr.

 

A 2011 photo by Gudmundur Vigfusson that appeared on "The Standing Dead," a 2011 Bold Italic page by Sam Harnett about abandoned San Francisco theatres.

A look up the red facade in a photo by the Chronicle's Brant Ward appearing with "ACT to revive Mid-Market's old Strand Theatre," an October 2012 article by Stephanie M. Lee about the sale of the building to American Conservatory Theatre.

A c.2012 look down on the forlorn property by Mark Ellinger. He says "Market Street commerce, which had begun to decline in the mid-60s, took a sharp downward turn in the 1980s and, with the increasing popularity of home video, the revival cinema business declined as well." Mark's comments and his photo appear in his Up From The Deep survey of mid-Market architecture.  

A 2013 look out from the top of the marquee by Denys Baker that appears on the ACT "History of the Strand" page.  

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for this 2013 photo, a post on the BAHT Facebook page.

 

We're way too late to see the Embassy. The site is that vacant lot this side of the shrouded Strand.  Photo: Bill Counter- January 2015

Looking east along the renovated facade. Photo: Bill Counter - June 2015

A skyward look at the newly painted facade. Photo: Bill Lyons - BAHT Facebook page - June 2015

 A look at the signage. Photo: Bill Lyons - BAHT Facebook page - June 2015. Thanks, Bill! 

Around the back:

A 1971 Fred Beall photo in the collection of Jack Tillmany. We're looking at the stage end of the Strand and Embassy from the Greyhound Bus Station. Jack calls our attention to how much squatter the Strand is compared to the full stage at the Embassy. Thanks to Matt Spero for color correction.

 The back of the building in 2006, advertising the Imperial/Market St. Cinema down in the next block. as one would suppose.  Thanks to Brett La Sota for his photo on San Francisco Remembered. 

Gary Parks comments: "Of course what I most miss is the former painted message, 'STRAND THEATRE Market Street's Best Show Value. Tops in Entertainment, Bottoms in Price.' It was meant to be visible from the long-vanished bus station behind it and the Embassy."

The windows on the Strand back wall are filled in but still visible in this August 2014 view from Google Maps.

A look at the flashy new paint job. The lot to the right is the site of the Embassy. Photo: Bill Counter - 2015

 

 

More Strand calendars: 

 

A November-December 1979 calendar. Thanks to Isabella Acuña for posting it on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered. 

 

A May-June 1986 calendar from the David Thayer collection. Thanks to David for sharing five calendars from his collection in a post on the San Francisco Remembered Facebook page. And thanks to Omar Rodriguez for spotting the post and sharing it on the BAHT Facebook page.

 

 

A January-February 1987 calendar from the David Thayer collection. 

 

 

A February-March 1987 calendar from the David Thayer collection. 

 

 

 

A March-April 1988 calendar that was located somewhere online by Stephen Breen. 

 

 

A January-March 1989 calendar from the David Thayer collection. 

 

 

A March-April 1989 calendar from the David Thayer collection.  

 

 

A March-April 1994 calendar. Thanks to Stephen Breen for sharing this one he located as a post on the San Francisco Remembered Facebook page,


Images from the 1917 blueprints for the theatre in the Gary Parks collection: 

A title block on one of the pages. 

The first floor plan. Gary comments: "When I first acquired these plans, of course Greg King had to have a look. Except for small parts that had been remodeled in later years, he confirmed that these drawings represented the theatre exactly as it was built. Having worked there for the better part of a decade and a half, he should know."

A detail of the lobby end of the first floor plan. 

A section through the building, looking east. 

A detail from the section showing the lobby, balcony and booth. 

A facade elevation. Thanks, Gary!  

 

The Strand Salvage Department:

 

 

An end standard from the front section of the balcony that's in the Gary Parks collection. He comments: "I’d say this style of seat is from the late 40s or the 50s. Greg King helped me detach it from its habitat when he and Mark Santa Maria and I went on a salvage spree prior to ACT’s work on the building, once they had earmarked the items they wanted to keep in the renovated theatre, or gift to donors."

 

 

An exit sign from the Gary Parks collection. He comments: "This sign was over the balcony left fire escape. Oh—if this sign could talk. Perhaps it is best that it—much like the Sphinx, is mute."

 

The OTHER Strand Theatre on Market Street: The theatre that ended up as the St. Francis, 965 Market had opened in 1910 as the Empress. The Graumans came along and renamed it the Strand, a name it kept until 1925. 

More information: A.C.T. has a "History of the Strand" page on their website. There's also a 41 minute history of the theatre on YouTube from A.C.T. And if you want more construction photos head to ACT's Strand Theatre Construction album of more than 1,300 photos on Flickr.

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 2012 story on SFist discussed A.C.T.'s purchase of the building. Curbed SF's 2012 story "Market Street's Strand Theater Gets a New Life" also discussed the purchase.  "ACT's New Theater Boosts Mid-Market Momentum," an October 2013 story by Randy Shaw on the site Beyond Chron heralded the start of construction on ACT's $32 million project. 

Curbed SF's October 2013 article "Exclusive Photos: Ground Has Broken..." by Mallory Farrugia included a set of photos by Patricia Chang and plans and renderings from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill architects.Curbed's December 2014 story "Inside  SOM's Renovation..." included construction photos.

SFist had a May 2015 story about "Peeking Inside the Historic, Almost Open...." Stark Insider had a May 2015 story about the rebirth of the theatre that included vintage and construction photos as well as  a fine video tour with ACT director Carey Perloff.  

Curbed SF's May 2 story "ACT's Strand Theater will open.." discussed the venue's first production.  The site Broadway World San Francisco had a May 20215 story about the grand opening.

The Cinema Treasures page on the theatre has photos and comments. The Cinema Tour page on the Strand has many photos from the Jack Tillmany collection.

Check out Jack Stevenson's "Land of a Thousand Balconies" for tales of Mike Thomas, Greg King and the theatres on Market St.  It's on Google Books.

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