1757 Fillmore St. | map |
Opened: 1911. It was on the ground floor of the building in space that earlier was part of the Haussler photo studio. Art Siegel comments:
"It looks like it didn't actually open before 1911, and was Frederick Haussler's photo studio before that time. He continued to have his photo studio upstairs, and it looks like his son Walter ran the theater. Walter was arrested during WWI for not putting out the electric sign on the front in violation of some wartime rule."
Seating: 400
A drawing of F.O. Haussler that appeared in the February 9, 1895 issue of the San Francisco Examiner. At the time he was running a photo studio in Oakland. The image appears with an article on Haussler that was located by Art Siegel on the
Oakland Wiki site. His first San Francisco location was opened in 1897. There was a son, Walter F. Haussler, who ran the theater for part of its run.
In 1902 Haussler built a two-story store and studio building. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this item in the
December 18 S.F. Examiner via the website of the California Digital Newspaper Collection:
" F. O Haussler (owner) /with Pettersen & Persson (contractors). B. J. S. Cahill architect — Carpenter and mill work, stairs, plastering tinning, roofing. glassing, chimneys, hardware and mosaic work for a two-story frame building (store and studio), on W line of Fillmore street. 37:6 S of Sutter, S 25 by w 100; $3700."
In 1906 Art notes that Haussler decided to rent out a storefront, probably to take advantage of high post-fire rents as the Fillmore became a busy retail center. He located this ad in the "Personals" column of the
April 23 S.F. Call:
"REALIZING that portraits will not be in great demand during the building up of the city. I will sublet my magnificent store on Fillmore st., to any wholesale merchant of standing for a period of 2 or 5 years; delivery of photographs will be made upstairs. F. O. HAUSSLER, 1757 Fillmore."
A
May 1906 view north on Fillmore toward Sutter, taken after the earthquake. On the far left it's King Solomon's
Hall, 1745 Fillmore, built in late 1905. It would later be the home of
the Class A / Temple Theatre. The Art Nouveau facade next door was, at the time, the home of the Haussler Photo Studio. The three story building
on the corner beyond Haussler's would later house the Shell Theatre in its south storefront.
Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this image in the
Open SF History Project
collection. It's by Underwood & Underwood and comes from the Martin
Behrman Negative Collection of the Golden Gate National Recreation
Area.
A detail from the 1906 image. Thanks, Art!
Haussler's building, still as a photo studio, shows up on the left in this September 11, 1909 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. We're again looking north toward Sutter. The photo, taken by John Henry Mentz for United Railroads, makes an appearance on the
Open SF History Project website. It can also be seen on the
SFMTA website.
A detail from the photo above. Jack comments that the letters above big arched entrance say "Photos." The clamshell entrance to the
Shell Theatre next door at 1761 Fillmore is seen directly above the driver's head. Gary Parks comments:
"What a pair they must have made. That great photo studio with a Nouveau shell shape. Note the slanted glass windows in its center, for floods of sunlight for photographic purposes. And then the humbler shell-shape of the Shell Theatre next to it. Facades of the same era and of similar design spirit still exist in many European cities. Art Nouveau was bigger there, and didn’t 'age' in the public’s eye in the same way it did here."
Haussler was making improvements in 1910. Art Siegel located this item about a construction loan in the
July 23 S.F. Call via the CDNC website:
"The Humboldt savings bank loaned to Frederick O. and Clara B. Haussler $10,000 for two years on property in the west line of of Fillmore street, 37 feet south of Sutter, 25 by 105 feet."
"Fillmore, near Sutter; raise frame building and add class C lower floor to photo studio and nickelodeon. Owner, F. O. Haussler; architect, Edwin G. Bolles; day’s work. Cost $7900"
Haussler's and its neighbor the Shell Theatre show up in this list that appeared in the May 4, 1911 issue of the Chronicle:
Thanks to Art Siegel for locating the article.
Jack Tillmany notes that the Haussler Theatre doesn't show up with a
city directory listing until 1911 where it's listed as "Walter Haussler"
under "moving
pictures." In the 1912 directory Art Siegel notes that Walter Haussler is listed as Picture Operator with his residence at 1757 Fillmore.
Haussler's was one of many theatres deemed unsafe by the Board of Works in 1913. It's mentioned in "Works Board Calls 20 Theaters Unsafe - Building Inspectors Given List Which Cites Violations of Fire Laws," an article located by Art in the February 8 S.F. Call. It's on the California Digital Newspapers Collection site.
A detail from the 1913 Sanborn Fire
Insurance Map. Fillmore is up the
right side of the image, Post St. runs along the bottom. The Haussler, outlined in blue, is identified as "Moving Pictures." The map notes that the photo studio was then on the second floor and that building had concrete walls with a metal ceiling in the theatre space. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this via the Library of Congress collection.
The map shows the Temple Theatre in the King Solomon's Temple at 1745 Fillmore,
just south of the Haussler. The space once occupied by the Shell
Theatre, just north of the Haussler at 1761, had been converted to other
uses by the time of this map.
An article on page 402 in the July 15, 1916 issue of Moving Picture World (on Google Books) discusses a number of Fillmore district houses. About the Haussler it notes, somewhat incorrectly:
"The Haussler theater, on Fillmore near Sutter, was one of the first moving picture houses to be fitted up following the fire. It is conducted by Walter Haussler, who owns the property, and presents much the same appearance as it did nine years ago. The seating capacity is 400 and a five-cent admission is charged."
Walter Haussler was in trouble in 1918 for violating wartime blackout ordinances. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this item in the August 17 issue of the Chronicle.
Art found this item in the September 4, 1918 L.A. Herald:
"Movie Manager Fails To Reduce Light; Jailed - San Francisco, Sept. 4.—Walter Haussler, motion picture manager, is the first person to be arrested for failing to comply with the national light conservation order, and he has been sentenced to jail for 10 days, following his refusal to cut out his electric signs after having the matter called to his attention."
It became the Pastime Theatre in 1921. Haussler sold the property in 1922. Art found this item in the May 22 S.F. Call:
"F.O. Haussler and wife to I. Welisch et al., lot in W line of Fillmore street, 37:6 south of Sutter, S 25 x W 105; grant."
Closing: There's no record of it running as a theatre after 1924.
The 1929 Sanborn map. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating it. He notes that it shows the Haussler building as a photo studio with "Moving Pictures" at the King Solomon's Hall, aka the
Temple Theatre. This is from Insurance Maps of San Francisco, California Volume Three 1913; Revised to 1929 SHEET: 266.
The Haussler Building, with a newer facade, is seen on the right edge of this 1964 Alan J. Canterbury photo of the Temple Theatre from the
S.F. Public Library collection. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for supplying this larger version. He notes that the Haussler building probably remained there until redevelopment.
Status: The building has been demolished.
More Information: Jack Tillmany's Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres of San Francisco" can be previewed on Google Books. It's available from Amazon or your local bookseller.
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