Opening: The first city directory listing for the Panama Theatre was the August 1911 edition. The 1913 and 1914 city directories have it as the Photo-Play Theatre. The location was on the south side of the street between 6th and 7th. This look at the theatre during a Market St. parade is from a postcard in the Jack Tillmany collection.
Seating: 300
A detail from a larger photo giving us another look at the Panama's facade, hiding behind a flower basket. Yes, it's another parade. It's also from the Jack Tillmany collection. Art Siegel notes: "The circular planters were from the 1914-1915 era, for the Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915."
The July 15, 1916 Moving Picture World mentions the Panama as being across the street from the Maio Biograph. Not quite accurate as the Maio, later known as the Crest, was at 980 Market. They note that the Panama was run by a Mrs. Collins, owner of the building.
The policy was similar to the Maio's -- a 5 cent admission and a daily change of program. The article, on page 401, is titled "After the Quake and Fire. San Francisco's Best Picture Theaters Have Been Built Since That Calamity." It's on Google Books.
The Panama on Market is one of two Panama Theatres listed in a March 12, 1922 Paramount ad appearing in the SF Call. Thanks to Chris Ellinger for finding the ad -- he had it as a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
Jack Tillmany found an article in the March 4, 1925 Chronicle about shots being fired at an officer in the Panama's lobby in an altercation with the "long nosed fiend," a man who had been wanted for "annoying children." The Chronicle issue is available on Newsbank.
Closing: The last city directory listing for the theatre was 1925. Jack Tillmany comments:
"An item in the SF Examiner 10 February 1926, Realty Transfers, tells us the property at 1025 Market was being reconstructed from being a theatre into the Clarion Clothing Store, so that nails that; by 1936 it was Cohen's. Browsing the Examiner, in 1961 it was a jewelry store, and from 1972 to 1982 it was an 'Adult Book Store.'"
Status: The building's facade was basically unchanged until 2009. What we now see incorporating 1025 and the building to its west is just a new facade and the original buildings are still behind.
2007 - The Panama Theatre building is the squat one in the middle. Photo: Google Maps
2008 - Looking east with 1023 on the left and the Panama at 1025 right behind the tree. Photo: Google Maps
2009 - On the extreme left it's a sliver of 1021. 1023, with the plywood, is still getting renovated. 1025 and the the building that was to the west of it have been encapsulated with the gleaming new facade. The blue building on the far right uses a 1035 address.
2017 - Another view of the new facade on 1025 and its neighbor, here seen as the International Art Museum of America. The building at the left, 1023 Market, retains much of its earlier appearance. Photo: Google Maps
As of 2020 the "Art Museum" has downsized so they're just in 1023. The building at 1025 is now something called "Onedome - Reality Enhanced."
2020 - The building marked "Onedome" is 2/3 of what is now covered by the white facade. The long skinny building above it is the former Panama Theatre, originally using the 1025 address. Above the former theatre building it's the downsized art museum at 1023, the building that doesn't go all the way through the block. At the top it's 1021, marked as "Zendesk" and "David Rio Chai Bar." Image: Google Maps
More information: Well, there isn't any for the Panama. You've got everything there is. For a fine survey of San Francisco theatres see Jack Tillmany's Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres of San Francisco." It can be previewed on Google Books and is available from Amazon or your local bookseller.
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