Opened: It opened July 10, 1998 as the AMC 1000 Van Ness 14. The lobby is a building dating from 1921 that was originally a Don Lee Cadillac dealership. It's on the National Register. The theatres, and a parking garage underneath, are 1998 vintage construction behind the original building. The complex, also including office space and retail tenants, is owned by Sites Centers. The photo is one that appears on a page about the building on the site Public Art and Architecture From Around the World.
Website: cgvcinemas.com/san-francisco
Architects: The original building was designed by the San Francisco firm of Weeks and Day. Gary Parks comments: "Weeks & Day designed hotels in San Francisco, but no theatres--except Charles Weeks did a balcony remodel of the Embassy Theatre. But, they designed the Fox Oakland, the Stanford in Palo Alto, the Fox California in San Jose, Loew's State in Los Angeles, and the Fox in San Diego, among others."
Seating: 3,146 in 14 auditoria when AMC had it. It still has 14 screens as a CGV operation but the seating count is down to 2,217.
The AMC closing: February 7, 2019. Curbed SF ran a brief story about the closing. Andra Young commented:
"This theater was not run well and was always sparsely attended. It had a bedbug infestation in 2017 and never was able to bounce back from that."
Gary Meyer had commented on the information that the property would get a revamp:
"When AMC sold the Kabuki to Sundance it was because of the Justice Department insisting that they had too much control in SF and had to divest of screens. With a long-term lease on Van Ness and it having more screens, the Kabuki was the logical one to let go. But after Sundance made it a huge success, AMC now bought it again and once again faced the restraint of trade issues and had to divest again. Van Ness makes the most sense."
The reopening was September 2, 2021 as the CGV San Francisco 14. The architect for their renovations was TK Architects International, Inc. The contractor was CCM Construction.
The CGV closing: February 28, 2023. Gary Meyer comments:
"After last year's quietest and least heralded opening of a theater anywhere, CVG Van Ness closed on February 28. Their grosses had been embarrassing even with 4DX blockbuster attractions and Korean films whose audience they presumably know how to target."
G. Allen Johnson also shared the news in "CGV S.F. latest Bay Area movie theater to close," a February 28 story for SF Gate. The article included a statement from CGV and added:
A vintage view of the lobby as a Cadillac dealership. Thanks to Andra Young for finding the photo.
This photo and the 2019 views she took that appear here were originally a post on the BAHT Facebook page.
A 1964 photo by Alan J. Canterbury in the San Francisco Public Library collection.
Looking north on Van Ness. It's a photo by Carrie Sisto appearing with a February 2019 Hoodline article about the closing.
More information: See the Cinema Treasures page about the Van Ness. Yelp has many reviews and several hundred photos on their pages about the venue as the AMC Van Ness 14 and as the CGV Cinemas.
| back to top | San Francisco Theatres: by address and neighborhood | alphabetical list | list by architect | pre-1906 theatre list | home |
During the 1930s and into the 50s this was the home of KFRC radio and the West Coast Don Lee/CBS and later Don Lee/Mutual radio networks. Among the people who got their start as entertainers in this building were Merv Griffin, Bea Benaderet (Betty of the Flintstones, Kate on Petticoat Junction, etc), musician Meredith Willson, Don Wilson (Jack Benny's announcer), Mark Goodsen (game show creator), singer Tommy Harris (Tommy's Joynt on Van Ness Ave), and others.
ReplyDeleteThanks, David!
Delete