Chinese Theatre - Globe Hotel building

NW corner Jackson St. and Dupont St. | map |

Opened: June 1865 on the ground floor of the Globe Hotel building. The location is listed as being on the northwest corner in the 1867 city directory. 

Architect: It's unknown who did the theatre conversion. The hotel building was constructed in 1860, a design by Victor Hoffman.  

 

An item in the June 23, 1865 issue of the S.F. Examiner that was located by Art Siegel.

The venue at the Globe was mentioned in this item Mark Reed located in the Daily Alta California. It appeared on November 21, 1867:

"NEW TEMPLE OF THE DRAMA. - The Chinese have lately had two theatres in full blast in this city, the old one at the Globe building, on the corner of Jackson and Dupont streets, and the remodeled Union Theatre, on Commercial street, where the last arrived troupe -- a high-toned one -- made its first appearance. They now propose to have a first-class one erected immediately on Jackson street, between Kearny and Dupont, on the lots now being cleared for that purpose by John Apel. The structure is to be of brick, two stories in height and have a frontage of about 50 feet..."

The new theatre that Apel was to build on Jackson became the Royal Chinese, later called the "Old" Chinese Theatre. 

In "Celestial Drama in the Golden Hills: The Chinese Theatre in California 1849-1869" (California Historical Society Quarterly, June 1944, v. 23 #2) author Lois Rodecape mentions the operation in the Globe Hotel building: 

"... During the middle sixties there were two Chinese theatres in more or less permanent operation in San Francisco: one located on Dupont Street [the Son Son Fong], the other a few blocks away on Jackson [the Royal / Old Chinese]. Occasionally a Chinese company still found its way briefly into an Occidental playhouse. Thus, in March 1865, a group of actors, jugglers, and acrobats was billed at the 'New Idea' Theatre -- the old Union in new disguise -- where they appeared for a week or two. In June of 1865, a theatre was fitted up on the first floor of the Globe Hotel at Dupont and Jackson Streets.

"The fall of 1867 marked the beginning of a first period of recognized prosperity for the Chinese drama. After a newly imported troupe took over the old Union Theatre, some interested reporter dug up, along with information about the major San Francisco houses, some figures on receipts of "the Chinese Theatre." According to his tantalizingly vague report, the Chinese drama grossed $5,365 in September, $9,102 in October, $6,199 in November, and $4,016 in December. We may interpret this at will, bearing in mind that there were at this time players at the Globe Hotel, and two other theatres listed in the city directory, in addition to the new Union Theatre company, to which the statistics probably apply. 

"More definite was the announcement, in November, that a new theatre was to be built for the successful Union Theatre players. One John Apel, owner of a lot on the north side of Jackson Street, between Dupont and Kearny, had been persuaded by Chinese financiers to erect a two-story brick building at a cost of $40,000 for the specific use of the Union Theatre company." [See the page on the Royal / Old Chinese Theatre.]

Thanks to Mark Reed for locating the article. A slight quibble. In the 1867 city directory there was only ONE Chinese venue listed in addition to the Globe. The other listed as "Chinese Theatre" was on the east side of Dupont between Clay and Washington. The old Union Theatre was listed, but as the "New Idea," not as a Chinese venue.

The 1870 theatre feud: See the Royal Chinese page for accounts of a February 1870 feud between that theatre and one of the Dupont St. theatres that had recently been reopened by members of the See Yup Company. It's unknown if it was this theatre or the Son Son Fong on Dupont between Clay and Washington. 

Closing: The date it ceased being a theatre is unknown. The theatre isn't listed in the 1871 city directory. The building presumably was around until 1906. 

The Globe Hotel building is on the right in this 1880s view by an unknown photographer. We're looking west up Jackson from Dupont St. The lettering on the streetlight says "Dupont St.," here seen in reverse. That's a beer sign on the corner of the building. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating the image in the Open San Francisco History Project collection. 

The theatre was long gone but the Globe Hotel building is seen in this detail from image 29 of volume 1 of the 1887 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map that's in the Library of Congress collection. A Chinese school was using part of the building. That's Dupont St. along the bottom of the image. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating this.

A later look at the Globe building. It's a detail from image 44 of volume 1 of the 1899 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map that's in the Library of Congress collection. That's Jackson on the left of the image.

This section of Dupont was renamed Grant Ave. after the 1906 earthquake.  

More information: See the timeline for the pre-1906 Chinatown theatres down at the bottom of the page for the Grand Chinese. That page also has links to various resources that discuss early Chinese theatres.

| back to top | pre-1906 theatre list | San Francisco Theatres: by address and neighborhood | alphabetical list | list by architect | home | 

The other pre-1906 Chinatown venues: Old Chinese / Hung Chien Guen / Royal, 626 Jackson | New Chinese / Po Hing / Po Ring, 623 Jackson | Shanghai + Son Son Fong theatres - Dupont St. | [New ] Royal Chinese, 836 Washington | Grand Chinese - 814 Washington St. | Union/New Idea Theatre - Commercial St.