I also enjoyed the silent films at the Avenue theater for many years.
While the neigborhood (the Portola District of SF), like many others experienced some hard times during the crack epidemic of the 80’s, it was never a life-threatening experience to attend a film there, although it might have felt like that to uptight suburbanites horrified by any local “color”.
The Portola is a solid, multicultural working and middle class neighborhood with a vital business district along San Bruno Avenue. The Shekinh church that now occupies the Avenue Theater has done a very attractive renovation and they make the theater available to local community groups such as the Community Alliance of the Portola and Silver Terrace (CAPS). There are photos and a brief history of the original theater in the display cases outside the entrance.
A small quibble. I grew up in the neighborhood and saw hundreds of films at the Coliseum and the Loew’s 175th St. Back in the 50’s and 60’s there were even ushers and a special section for children. The RKO Coliseum is/was located on 181st St. which is Washington Heights, not Inwood. Very sorry to learn that it was divided into four theaters and eventually closed.
I also enjoyed the silent films at the Avenue theater for many years.
While the neigborhood (the Portola District of SF), like many others experienced some hard times during the crack epidemic of the 80’s, it was never a life-threatening experience to attend a film there, although it might have felt like that to uptight suburbanites horrified by any local “color”.
The Portola is a solid, multicultural working and middle class neighborhood with a vital business district along San Bruno Avenue. The Shekinh church that now occupies the Avenue Theater has done a very attractive renovation and they make the theater available to local community groups such as the Community Alliance of the Portola and Silver Terrace (CAPS). There are photos and a brief history of the original theater in the display cases outside the entrance.
A small quibble. I grew up in the neighborhood and saw hundreds of films at the Coliseum and the Loew’s 175th St. Back in the 50’s and 60’s there were even ushers and a special section for children. The RKO Coliseum is/was located on 181st St. which is Washington Heights, not Inwood. Very sorry to learn that it was divided into four theaters and eventually closed.