The Panorama - 10th & Market

1331 Market St. | map |  Note: on the earlier numbering system it was 1681 Market St.

Opened: September 3, 1887 on the southeast corner of 10th and Market. This engraving of the building by E. Schultze appeared in the September 10, 1887 issue of the Pacific Rural Press with the article "The New Panorama Building, Corner 10th and Market Streets, San Francisco." It's on the website of the California Digital Newspaper Collection. 

The building was a project of panorama king William Wehner. The initial painting was "The Storming of Missionary Ridge," depicting events of November 25, 1863 that were part of the Battle of Chattanooga. The building, both outside and in, was decorated with Civil War artifacts but the big attraction was a huge circular room for viewing the 360 degree painting. Panorama researcher Gene Meier comments about Wehner:

"On September 18, 2003 I found in the display case of Milwaukee County History Museum the F.W. Heine diaries. These commenced in 1860 and concluded in 1921 upon Heine's death. The diaries needed to be transcribed in German and translated to English by Michael Kutzer... These are the only known narrative of a panorama company, that of William Gottfried Wehner (1847-1928) of Germany, Chicago, Milwaukee and, later, Santa Clara County. 

"From 1885-88 Wehner produced two units of 'Battle of Atlanta,' two units of 'Battle of Missionary Ridge & Lookout Mountain' and three units of 'Jerusalem on the Day of the Crucifixion.' In 1888 Wehner removed to his Evergreen ranch in Santa Clara County. His 'Missionary Ridge' would be displayed in San Francisco. He commissioned 'Battle of Gettysburg'  (per Mr. Rudisill) for San Francisco. He built 'Battle of Manila Bay' for San Francisco. He also handled the 'Battle of Waterloo' panorama in SF."

The article from the September 10, 1897 issue of Pacific Rural Press: 

 

Architect: Unknown. The Pacific Coast Architecture Database attributes it to Albert Pissis on their page about the building. But they have this panorama conflated with the 1884 Panorama Building at Mason and Eddy, which was indeed a design by Pissis. 

 

A c.1890 photo from the Jack Tillmany collection showing the venue with a later attraction, "The Battle of Gettysburg," a painting by John Francis Smith that debuted in 1890. The photo can also be seen on the Open SF History Project website. Gene Meier offers some data about Smith:

"John Francis Smith was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin on June 23, 1868. Smith had his own art academy in Chicago at the time when the Art Institute of Chicago was just getting on its feet. He was a very interesting fellow, but attempted to hide his impoverished upbringing. He died December 27, 1941 in San Diego."

There's information about Smith on the Ask Art site. An article interviewing him in the June 22, 1890 S.F. Call pronounced the painting "One of the most realistic war scenes ever produced." The page is on the website of the California Digital Newspaper Collection. 

In 1886 there had been a Tent Panorama on Market exhibiting a different "Battle of Gettysburg," one painted by Carl Browne. 

 

 

The cover of a 44 page c.1890 program for the attraction. It's on the website of Abe Books with several interior pages also displayed. They called it "The most realistic War-scene ever produced." At the time Isaac Rudisill was the president and manager of the enterprise. 

 

A drawing of the building from the program.

 

An advertising card for "The Battle of Gettysburg." Thanks to Gene Meier for locating it. 

In 1892 Charles Dorman Robinson obtained use of the building to paint a panorama of Yosemite that was 50' x 380'. He detailed his research in Yosemite Valley as well as the actual task of painting the piece in his article "Painting a Yosemite Panorama" on pages 243 to 256 of the September 1893 issue, Volume 22, of Overland Monthly. Thanks to Gene Meier for locating the article. It's on Internet Archive.

 

"Canvas and central point, from top of great staging." It's a photo by George W. Reed appearing with C.D. Robinson's 1893 article in Overland Monthly. The January 1896 issue of Overland Monthly had a biographical piece about him beginning on page 35. It's on Google Books. Wikipedia also has an article about Robinson.

 

"Working on the canvas from the great staging." Photo: George W. Reed - Overland Monthly - September 1893

 

"Portion of the unfinished work from central point." Meaning the observation deck in the center of the panorama building. Photo: George W. Reed - Overland Monthly - September 1893

 

"Stage No. 2, forty feet high, from central point." Photo: George W. Reed - Overland Monthly - September 1893

 

"Stage No. 3, from track on the ground." Photo: George W. Reed - Overland Monthly - September 1893

 

"Working thirty-five feet from the ground on stage No. 3." Photo: George W. Reed - Overland Monthly - September 1893

 

"One of the palettes." Photo: George W. Reed - Overland Monthly - September 1893

Gene Meier says the story about Robinson's "Yosemite" is that it was taken to the Paris World's Fair where it was a financial flop.

 

A glorious c.1893 view southeast across Market toward 10th St. and the west side of the Panorama just beyond. The photo from the Marilyn Blaisdell collection appears on the Open SF History Project website. 

Closed: May 1893. At that time it became Thomas H.B. Varney's Rambler Biclorama, an "Elegant Riding Academy."

 

President William McKinley and Mayor James D. Phelan passing what had been the Panorama in 1901. Notice the signage for the bicycle manufacturing firm of Thomas H.B. Varney on the building. Thanks to Glenn Koch for sharing the photo from his collection.  

 

The building as seen in a detail from the 1899 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. Thanks to Kevin Walsh for locating it via the Library of Congress collection. That's Stevenson St. on the left and 10th St. across the top. Note that this map uses the earlier numbering system for the south side of Market. Here the Panorama entrance is shown as 1681 Market.

 

 

Here's how it appears on page 144 of Volume 2 of the 1905 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this on the website of the David Rumsey Map Collection. Also see a wider look that shows the Majestic Theatre at 9th and Market.

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.

This Panorama building at 10th and Market is discussed in a 2014 story on Curbed S.F. 

More Panoramas: An early exhibition in town was the panorama "Paradise Lost" at the Eureka Theatre in 1865, accomplished by having it on rollers so it slowly moved across the stage. Another panorama was at Mason and Eddy, a building that opened in 1884 with "The Battle of Waterloo," was later used as a music hall, and then rebuilt as the Tivoli Opera House. A Tent Panorama on Market at City Hall Ave. ran another version of "The Battle of Gettysburg" in 1886. One attraction at the 1894 Midwinter Fair was the panorama "Kilauea Volcano." A building at 8th and Market had exhibited the "Battle of Manila Bay" panorama and was rebuilt to become the Central Theatre in 1900. 

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