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Home » Theater Guide » Location » United States » California » San Francisco » Rita Theatre
Also known as Searchlight, Empress, Lux, De Lux, Isis, Princess, Church, Del Mar

Rita Theatre

San Francisco, CA
1596 Church Street
, San Francisco, CA 94131 United States
(map)
Status: Closed/Demolished
Screens: Single Screen
Style: Unknown
Function: Unknown
Seats: 400
Chain: Unknown
Architect: Unknown
Firm: Unknown
Add a photo for this theater!
The Rita Theatre was a little neighborhood theatre on the northwest corner of 28th Street and Church Street.

It opened as the Searchlight Theatre on August 5, 1916, and changed names rapidly the next few years. It was variously known as the Empress Theatre (1918-1927), the Lux Theatre, the De Lux Theatre, the Isis Theatre, the Princess Theatre, the Church Theatre, and, finally the Rita Theatre (1945). That name seemed to stick, but in 1961, entrepreneur Ward Stoopes took it over and ran it for about four years as the Del Mar Theatre.

Never successful as a neighborhhod theatre, its only means of survival seemed to be as an outlet for "ethnic" films, i.e. foreign films WITHOUT English sub-titles, usually German or Russian. Its last days as a film theatre were in May 1965. It became a neighborhood church, painted a bright, bright blue, and known as the 'Blue Church. It was demolished in October 2009. Condominiums and retail will be built on the site.
Contributed by Jack Tillmany

YOUR COMMENTS

 
Screens: Single Screen.
posted by gsmurph on Jun 27, 2004 at 11:02am
1986 Photo

posted by Lost Memory on Apr 27, 2009 at 1:15pm
Looks as though the Rita , now known as " the Blue Church" is about to meet the wrecking ball

http://burritojustice.com/2009/10/12/church-st-blues/

http://www.noevalleyvoice.com/2009/September/Blue.htm

posted by hdtv267 on Oct 14, 2009 at 10:02am
I live just two blocks from this building. This article summarizes its history.

http://www.examiner.com/x-7605-SF-Silent-Movie-Examiner~y2009m10d15-San-Francisco-movie-theater-falls-to-wrecking-ball
posted by thomas_gladysz on Oct 17, 2009 at 11:30am
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