The Empire Theatre

 979 Market St. | map |

Opened: The Empire Theatre was running by 1913. It was in the east storefront of the Hale Building on the south side of the street between 5th and 6th -- a few doors west of the Empress Theatre, the house later called the St. Francis. 

 

 

A July 7, 1913 SF Call ad located by Art Siegel via the California Digital History Collection website. Art notes that this was the first ad he could locate for the Empire.  

 

Jack Tillmany reports that the first city directory listing was in August 1913. 

 

 

The Hale Building with it's nicely columned facade is seen in the center of this September 9, 1910 photo. But there's no theatre in it at this point. On the far left is the not-yet-opened Empress/St. Francis Theatre. Thanks to Art Siegel for spotting the photo in the Open SF History Project collection. It comes from the Martin Behrman Negatives collection of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area Archives.

A detail from a 1913 Sanborn fire insurance map showing Market St. at the top with the Empire just to the left of center identified as as "Moving Pictures" in the east storefront of the Hale Building at 979. At the right is the Empress/St. Francis at 965. That's Stevenson St. at the bottom behind the theatres and 6th St. on the left edge of the image. This is a detail from plate 50 of the version of the map in the Library of Congress collection. 

On page 12 of the April 10, 1914 Chronicle there was a listing for the Empire running "The Honeymooners" - in two parts. Jack found the listing on Newsbank. It was in a new "At The Movies" column listing addresses and, in many cases, the actual films being shown at the smaller venues.

The last city directory listing as the Empire was in the June 1917 edition. It was renamed the Central Theatre (also known as the New Central) in 1918. Jack reports the first telephone listing under that name was in the January 1, 1919 book with the first city directory listing in June 1919. In a "Greater Movie Season" ad on page 5 of the August 8, 1925 Chronicle the Central is listed as one of the "leading theatres" that's participating.  

Closing: The last telephone directory listing for the Central was November 1924 with its last city directory appearance in the 1925 edition.

Status: The ground floor space of the Hale Building was later a Walgreens. The building survives on Market St. The store space is now Blick Art Materials.

Seating: 250

 

A detail from a March 1913 photo in the Jack Tillmany collection looking west on Market. On the far right is the signage for the Empire Theatre. In the foreground are Pantages and the Empress, the theatre later renamed the St. Francis.

 

 

The Empire is in the storefront just beyond the Washington Market marquee that's seen on the right in this July 15, 1914 image by an unknown photographer. The signage above the Hale Building's second floor is for the Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., one of the tenants. Beyond are Eilers Music House, a little two story building, then the Empress and the Pantages.  

 

Thanks to Art Siegel for locating the photo in the Open SF History Project collection. The site notes that this was an automobile parade organized by the Panama-Pacific International Exposition Company with an advertised 25,000 automobiles on parade from the Ferry Building to the Exposition grounds, at that time under construction. The edge of the marquee of the Maio Biograph, later called the Crest Theatre, is on the left side of the photo.

 

That's the Empire Theatre signage above their entrance just beyond the Washington Market. It's a swing-out style of sign. The image is a detail from the 1914 photo. Thanks, Art!

 

 

Looking east on Market sometime between 1913 and 1917. Just beyond the Lesser Bros. Washington Market there's a bit of the Empire signage with "5 cents" as well as an "EMP" and a "TH."

Beyond the Empire there's bit of the lit dome and roof sign for the Empress Theatre (it became the Strand in 1917, the St. Francis in 1925). And beyond that we see the two verticals for the Pantages. Thanks to Gregory May for posting the photo on the Vintage San Francisco Facebook page. 

A detail from the previous photo. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for spotting the Empire in the jungle of light bulbs. 

Regarding the Lesser Bros. Jack comments: "Before Grauman ran the Maio [later, among other names, known as the Crest], the earliest listings for it have it as Lesser's Nickelodeon. Since it was directly across Market Street from that Market in the Empire photo, sounds to me like the same Lessers. Somewhere I remember hearing that movie producer Sol Lesser began as a nickelodeon operator in San Francisco, so the later Maio etc., seems to be the logical spot.

"Lesser Brothers operated the Lincoln Market at 877 Market Street pre-1912; also the Washington Market in Oakland and Saratoga Market in San Jose. By early 1913 they had added the Washington Market at 947 Market to their list. That would have been the first, smaller one. By May 1913, the address was 981-983 Market, which would have been the second, larger one, next to the Empire. The 'Lesser Brothers' were probably the older generation, and Sol Lesser (born 1890) was across the street at the Golden Gate Film Exchange (964 Market St.) by that time, having opened the Lesser Nickelodeon in 1909." 

 

 

A March 1920 photo looking east from 6th St. On the corner it's the David Hewes Building with the theatre in the next building in, the Hale Building. Down the block it's the Strand Theatre, formerly the Empress, and the Pantages. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating the photo in the Open SF History Project collection. It's an image from the Martin Behrman Negatives Collection of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area Archives. 

 

 

A detail from the 1920 image showing the theatre, at this time running as the Central. Both the theatre's earlier signage as well as the marquee for the market next door have been removed. Thanks, Art!  

 

A June 9, 1925 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection. The Empire/Central is gone. It had been in the east storefront of the third building this side of the St. Francis. At this time the big retail space in the Hale Building this side of the former theatre location was some sort of a store that appears to be called Lillian's.

Down the street it's the St. Francis and Pantages. Jack comments: "Looks like rooftop signage is getting just a bit out of control!" The Warfield, on the left, is running "Soul Fire" with Richard Barthelmess.

A January 1931 view east from the Jack Tillmany collection. It was taken during a depression demonstration as Socialist workers marched up Market St. Here we get another peek at the former Empire/Central premises at the east end of the Hale Building.

Jack comments: "Dorothy Mackaill in 'Once a Sinner' at the Warfield; note how the neon marquee letters don't show up in daytime unless they're lit. Across the street, at the St. Francis: Maurice Chevalier in 'Le Petit Cafe,' the French language version of 'Playboy of Paris;' at this time important Hollywood films with major players known worldwide were filmed in more than one language, for the benefit of international audiences. The St. Francis had a run of these identifying itself as the St. Francis Theatre International.

There's also a version of the photo on the website of the SF History Project from the Emiliano Echeverria/Randolph Brandt Collection.

The Empire location was later a Walgreens store. It's hard to miss the Hale Building with the white columns. It's a 1937 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.

The building in 2017. Photo: Google Maps

 

Next door at Eilers Music: The Eilers Recital Hall was on the ground floor of Eilers Music House. The building had opened in March 1908. The opening announcement for their Recital Hall was on page 12 of the October 11, 1908 Chronicle for a piano and song program. Jack Tillmany found the ad on Newsbank. The address they were using  was 975 Market, their main store address.  

 

A big ad with a drawing of the facade was on page 37 of the March 22, 1908 Chronicle. It's on Newsbank. On page 11 of the October 18, 1908 Chronicle the venue was advertising the Taft-Bryan Debate on the Auxetophone. "Plus an excellent musical programme will be rendered on the Victrola."

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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