Market Street Cinema
1077 Market Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94103
1077 Market Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94103
9 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Blumenfeld Theater Circuit, Grauman, Loews, United Artists Theater Circuit Inc.
Architects: Clifford A. Balch, Harry L. Cunningham, Percy A. Eisen, James Rupert Miller, Carl G. Moeller, Matthew V. Politeo, A. R. Walker
Firms: Cunningham & Politeo, Walker & Eisen
Previous Names: Grauman's Imperial Theatre, Imperial Theatre, Premiere Theatre, United Artists Theatre, Loews Market Street Cinema
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Dec 9, 2012 — Happy 50th, “Lawrence of Arabia”
- Oct 18, 2011 — Happy 50th, "West Side Story"
- Oct 6, 2010 — Happy 50th, "Spartacus"
- Mar 2, 2010 — Happy 45th, "The Sound Of Music"
Opened as Grauman’s Imperial Theatre on December 22, 1912, this theatre remained under the operation of Sid Grauman until it was sold in 1919 to Herman Wobber. A Wurlitzer 2 manual 10 ranks organ was installed that year. By November 1922 it was operated by Lawyer/exhibitor Herbert L. Rothschild.
The theatre was first renamed in August of 1929, as the Premiere Theatre, and then, on March 28 1931, it was renamed again, this time as the United Artists Theatre after undergoing a remodel to the plans of architectural firm Walker & Eisen, with architect Clifford A. Balch. The United Artists Theatre was remodeled in 1959 to the plans of architect Carl G. Moeller, reopening on April 23, 1959 with Marilyn Monroe in “Some Like It Hot”. On October 15, 1969, the theatre was purchased by Loews and renamed Loews Market Street Cinema. They operated it until 1972, when it became the Market Street Cinema.
Regular movies gave way to XXX adult films and in recent years, these were dropped in favor of adult ‘live’ entertainment performances. The Market Street Cinema was closed January 2013. It was demolished in July 2016.
The Market Street Cinema was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
Contributed by
William Gabel
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Recent comments (view all 76 comments)
It was 50 years ago today that DIRTY HARRY premiered here. Here’s the link to a TV news report of the premiere event.
Here’s my 50th anniversary retrospective on DIRTY HARRY, which includes a historian interview and state by state listing of hundreds of its first run theatrical bookings (including this one).
Michael, re Dirty Harry, Philadelphia’s Fox listing with MW. What’s MW? Also was Hollywood Loews the one at 6764 Hollywood Blvd?
Howard:
1) MW = “Man in the Wilderness” and it was only on opening day per the Philly policy back then of overlapping the outgoing movie’s final day with the incoming movie’s opening day. (There is a legend for the co-hit abbreviations at the beginning of the article’s theater listing on Page 2.)
2) No, it’s 6838 Hollywood Blvd. Currently known as El Capitan.
Michael, thanks, I’ve heard of the Philly policy. I’ve been to El Capitan, but I didn’t remember its prior names.
THIS was the place to go for WB movies before video and multiplexes!
Camelot, Dirty Harry, Virginia Woolf, Daisy Clover, My Fair Lady, Sweet Charlotte, Fanny, The Alamo and many others!
Fun fact: The Exorcist and The Enforcer would’ve played here…
THE ENFORCER WAS FILMED BELOW THIS THEATRE AT THE BART TRACKS IN 1973!
True story! 🤩🤩🤩
Jamey_monroe45: “The Exorcist“ first run played Northpoint.
Both The Alamo (1960) and My Fair Lady (1964) opened 70mm reserved seat engagements at the the 2 Geary Blvd theaters, the Alexandria and Coronet respectively. My Fair Lady ran 50 weeks.
Fun Fact - Camelot (1967) played the Coronet for 39 weeks
The condo complex “Stage 1075” takes up this space. According to Jackson Fuller Real Estate “1075 Stage, built in 2017, is home to 99 residences at 1075 Market St. in the heart of the transforming mid-Market neighborhood along the north end of the South of Market Area (SOMA).
Home sizes begin at about 420 square feet and most homes are in the 600 – 800 square foot range, with several over 1,000 square feet. Homes are available in studio, one-, and two-bedroom layouts.
Building amenities of note include attended lobby, smartphone-enabled virtual doorman, package lockers, rooftop deck with BBQ, fire pit and seating area, dog-run and dog-washing station, landscaped building courtyard, bike storage, and bike maintenance areas."
in the lobby and on each floor is a photo mural paying tribute to all of the cinema treasures that were along Market St.