Opened: June 1, 1914 as a film and vaudeville house called the Larkin Theatre. It's on the east side of the street between O'Farrell and Geary. The c.1923 photo by an unknown photographer appears on the Open SF History Project website. One of the gentlemen is holding a copy of Billboard. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding the photo in the collection.
Seating: 398 was the number on the plans, later down to 365.
Architect: William Knowles
An elevation taken from the plans for the theatre that are in the Gary Parks collection. See eleven images from them down at the bottom of the page.
It's the oldest theatre in the Tenderloin and survives as an entertainment destination but had a rocky beginning. Jack reports that it "was opened by an entrepreneur named Joy B. Rothschild, whose enthusiasm was apparently not matched by her business expertise or bankroll, or both, because it shut down just a few weeks later, fell into new hands, reopened and then closed again."
The March 18, 1916 issue of The Moving Picture World had an article noting that the theatre had been closed for some time and, after a remodel, would reopen as a first class moving picture house. The operator at the time was Charles Goodwin, mentioned as the former operator of the Elite Theatre. Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Joe Vogel for finding the item. Tillmany notes that Charles had a partner, William Goodwin. The pair installed a new ventilation system and a $3,500 Wurlitzer organ. They also began printing a monthly program to put on your refrigerator.
An item in the July 6, 1929 issue of Motion Picture news mentioned the theatre: "Now the talkies have captured one more district theatre -- this time the Larkin on Larkin between Geary and O'Farrell. The house, newly remodeled, renovated, decorated, is equipped throughout for the presentation of talking pictures."
The theatre started running foreign films in the late 30s. Jack Tillmany reports that "In 1935 the former Regent on Fillmore and Clay was renamed the Clay International, and was so successful showing films imported from outside the USA, that its operator, Herbert Rosener, took over the Larkin three years later, and there introduced the same policy, with equal success. Suddenly, the Larkin was no longer a little known neighborhood flea pit, but a major player in the San Francisco entertainment scene."
Later, New York exhibitor Walter Reade bought in and under Reade-Rosener management the Larkin continued its great career as one of the premiere showcases for foreign films in San Francisco. In Jack Tillmany's book "Theatres of San Francisco" the Larkin is featured on pages 65 and 66 where Jack mentions several long runs of the era: "Diabolique" (34 weeks, 1954), "Room at the Top" (also running at the Clay, 21 weeks in 1959), "Never on Sunday" (34 Weeks, 1960) and "La Dolce Vita" (18 weeks, 1961).
Jack notes that part of the treat for people going to the Larkin was "being able to stop in at the candy store next door and treat themselves to the best homemade Belgian chocolates ever imagined... the candy store is long gone."
The success of the Larkin prompted the chain's opening of the Music Hall up the street. That one is now a Chinese church. The Larkin closed with the Walter Reade bankruptcy in 1978 and the building was purchased by the Mitchell Brothers.
It was renamed the Century Theatre in 1979 and initially ran a policy of gay films and live entertainment. That never clicked and soon the house went to a straight policy. The theatre has also been advertised as the New Century.
Status: Movies no more. It's a strip club.
"Why not spend your evenings at the Larkin?" This 1916 program appears with with "Tenderloin's Oldest Theatre," Jack Tillmany's Found S.F. article published on the occasion of the Larkin's 100th Birthday in 2014. He notes: "Features changed nightly and admission was 10 cents, so for less than a dollar, you could go to the movies every night of the week, and for $3 see thirty major studio features each month."
This boxoffice view from the Jack Tillmany collection appears on the Found SF page about the theatre. Jack comments: "'40,000 Horsemen' was an Australian import deemed important enough to premiere simultaneously at both the Larkin and Clay in January 1942. By the end of World War II, things just got better. The movie-going public, bored with the Production Code controlled domestic output, sought films closer in touch with real life, involving people and situations that Hollywood was forbidden to portray, foreign films were the new rage, and the Larkin was the place to see them."
A 40s Larkin adventure recounted by Jack Tillmany: "In June 1946 the Larkin was running Rossellini's highly acclaimed 'Open City,' dealing with the Nazi Occupation of Rome in 1944 and it was getting a lot of press, including the fact that it was about an Italian priest who was struggling to survive, and at the same time aid the resistance. I guess my mother thought it was another 'Going My Way' so, even though I knew better, I didn't want to throw a monkey wrench into our excursion to a theatre I had never been into before. The fact that there were 2 priests sitting a couple rows behind us apparently gave it the Seal of Approval, but once things got going, shock set in. The priests seemed to be able to handle it OK and so did I, but let's just say mother dearest got a rude awakening. 'Going My Way,' it was not. But a genuine masterpiece, it was, and is."
The theatre in 1961. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for the photo from his collection. The film ran eighteen weeks.
A 1968 photo by Tom Gray from the Jack Tillmany collection.
A March 17, 1968 look at the theatre during a St. Partrick's Day parade on O'Farrell St. Thanks to David Gallagher for the photo. It appears on the Open SF History Project website courtesy of a private collector.
A 1969 photo by Clay Geerdes. "Alice's Restaurant" was an August release. Thanks to David Miller for posting the shot on the Facebook page San Francisco Remembered. And thanks to Kevin Walsh for spotting the post.
The theatre in 1974 during the run of "Chinatown." Thanks to the Facebook page Lost San Francisco for the photo.
Jack Tillmany comments: "'Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end...' as the song goes, but by the late 1970s, Hollywood had abandoned the Production Code, 'Anything Goes' was the new order of the day, and the glory days of foreign films eventually faded into history."
An 80s view after the rebranding as the Century. It's a Jack Tillmany collection photo.
The film days were long over by the time of this 2011 Don Lewis photo. We're looking north on Polk toward Geary. Thanks, Don! The photo is part of his Last Picture Show collection on Flickr.
A photo from Luis V. on Yelp.
A 2016 photo from Dan B. on Yelp.
A May 2018 photo of a remodeling project gives us a look at the original facade. Thanks to Chris Ellinger for posting a friend's photo on the BAHT Facebook page.
Another view of the renovations. Photo: Gary Parks - May 2018.
Gary comments: "I have original blueprints for this one, and they show a
row of little arches and columns on the second story. Those same arches
were temporarily revealed during the 2018 renovations, as seen here.The theatre's first movie screen was mounted directly to the back wall, and framed
by a decorative molding."
The sign during the renovation project. Photo: Gary Parks - May 2018
Gary notes: "This photo shows the neon tubing still in place on the sign. Unfortunately, the neon was removed and replaced with faux neon plastic tubes containing LEDs. When Jack Tillmany and I stopped by there so I could take photos we noticed there are still Working Girls there. A couple of them showed up for work while we were out front."
The interior as a strip club. It's a 2007 photo from Axel S. on Yelp. They list the Century Theatre as a "Performing Arts Theatre." They also have a separate listing for the New Century
as a strip club with 20 photos. One reviewer in March 2018 reported
"The new remodel is much nicer than before, women are better. It's is a
little expensive tho, I had to pay 30 bucks but it's definitely worth
it!"
Joe H. from Minneapolis reported on Yelp: "I went
in with $500 in cash and bought 2 Red Bulls with my friend. Out of my
pocket fell $400 in cash. Before I could bend over to pick it up, some
beautiful blonde woman grabs it for me. She then threatens to steal my
money if I don't go up with her to some secret prostitution room. I use
my best negotiation tactics to recover half of my money back and this
woman LITERALLY takes $200 of mine and runs upstairs. Do NOT drop your
money on the floor. The woman representing this club literally STOLE my
money as I dropped it and ran off with it. Absolutely unbelievable. I
went in expecting to spend $500-$800 and left immediately (10-15 minutes
after arriving because some dumb...stole $200 as it fell on the ground.
Never, ever go here to this club of after-hours, weak ass women. Unless
you want to be robbed. If you want to be robbed, go New Century."
Chris Lion-Transler commented: "When I worked for Century Theatres (aka Syufy Luxury Theatres), our main office was in San Francisco. People often thought we owned that Century Theater. It was awkward."
Sifu Arnie R. Romero adds: "Really nice nudie bar where people hang out there 24 hours a day doing heroin crack meth and also the alley across the street and in front too oh yeah you can buy a prostitute there too for five bucks and $3 change back..."
Images from plans in the Gary Parks collection:
A detail from the floorplan giving us the seating capacity as well as the plaster molding around the screen.
A section through the building on a line just behind the facade. Gary comments: "That railing promenade on the second floor was certainly a great place for management to observe the patrons coming and going. So many theatres of this vintage—including large ones—had this feature. The Imperial on Market Street had leaded glass windows for the management to look down through—our salvage team found where they had been, and all sorts of glass and lead fragments had been stuffed into the opening, when the theatre was remodeled for its 1930 United Artists incarnation. The Pantages in Oakland had such windows, looking down on the outer lobby. As the outer lobby survived both the Tribune printing press building conversion AND the conversion to condos, that window is still there…looking down into retail space beneath the ornamented original ceiling."
A detail from the section. Behind the booth note the viewing gallery in the two-story high ticket lobby.
An elevation of the area around the screen. The architect wants to call this the rear, we'd call it the front. Gary comments:
"Look at that simple, but unusual decorative frame for the screen! Nothing unusual about the bottom and sides of it, but the way the moldings turn away from each other at the top and form wing-like returns is very unusual. The ceiling cove above it flared out over them, as well. Look at how the drawings actually specify for No Smoking signs! These, and the way there are stenciled borders on those walls, remind me exactly of what I saw in the 1980s when the Moulin Rouge Theatre (of similar size and vintage) in Oakland was gutted. The uncovered, original wall surfaces looked much like that—painted No Smoking signs, and stenciled panels around them."
Jack Tillmany recounts that the Powell Theatre also had signs on the front wall when he used to go there, except theirs said "Smoking" and "No Smoking." Smoking on the left side, No Smoking on the right."
A section through the back of the auditorium. In the center note the standee rail and the projection ports of the booth above. Thanks, Gary!
Chris Lion-Transler commented: "When I worked for Century Theatres (aka Syufy Luxury Theatres), our main office was in San Francisco. People often thought we owned that Century Theater. It was awkward."
Sifu Arnie R. Romero adds: "Really nice nudie bar where people hang out there 24 hours a day doing heroin crack meth and also the alley across the street and in front too oh yeah you can buy a prostitute there too for five bucks and $3 change back..."
A view south across the facade after the renovation. Photo: Google Maps - 2019
Images from plans in the Gary Parks collection:
Title information from the first sheet.
A plan at ground floor level. Gary comments: "Man, is this theatre small! From
the street, it looks to be kind of typical neighborhood size as far as
width is concerned, but it really is not very deep at all. The Clay and Roxie are both deeper,
though of course narrower."
A detail from the floorplan giving us the seating capacity as well as the plaster molding around the screen.
A facade elevation with the bonus of an x-ray view into the basement.
A section through the building on a line just behind the facade. Gary comments: "That railing promenade on the second floor was certainly a great place for management to observe the patrons coming and going. So many theatres of this vintage—including large ones—had this feature. The Imperial on Market Street had leaded glass windows for the management to look down through—our salvage team found where they had been, and all sorts of glass and lead fragments had been stuffed into the opening, when the theatre was remodeled for its 1930 United Artists incarnation. The Pantages in Oakland had such windows, looking down on the outer lobby. As the outer lobby survived both the Tribune printing press building conversion AND the conversion to condos, that window is still there…looking down into retail space beneath the ornamented original ceiling."
A longitudinal section giving us a look at the house right wall.
A detail from the section. Behind the booth note the viewing gallery in the two-story high ticket lobby.
An exit door detail.
An elevation of the area around the screen. The architect wants to call this the rear, we'd call it the front. Gary comments:
"Look at that simple, but unusual decorative frame for the screen! Nothing unusual about the bottom and sides of it, but the way the moldings turn away from each other at the top and form wing-like returns is very unusual. The ceiling cove above it flared out over them, as well. Look at how the drawings actually specify for No Smoking signs! These, and the way there are stenciled borders on those walls, remind me exactly of what I saw in the 1980s when the Moulin Rouge Theatre (of similar size and vintage) in Oakland was gutted. The uncovered, original wall surfaces looked much like that—painted No Smoking signs, and stenciled panels around them."
Jack Tillmany recounts that the Powell Theatre also had signs on the front wall when he used to go there, except theirs said "Smoking" and "No Smoking." Smoking on the left side, No Smoking on the right."
A section through the back of the auditorium. In the center note the standee rail and the projection ports of the booth above. Thanks, Gary!
Jack's Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres of San Francisco" can be previewed on Google Books. It's available from Amazon or your local bookseller.
Cinema Treasures and Cinema Tour both have pages on the Larkin.
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