Guild Theater

3825 Fifth Avenue,
San Diego, CA

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The Hillcrest Theater was built in 1913 as a silent motion picture house. It has the distinction of being the first film theater built in San Diego that was not downtown. Though small in size, it also had a balcony. It was distinctly Spanish Colonial in style, and even sported a bell tower at the apex of the facade.

For a reason unclear, it closed in 1917, but was re-opened in the 1930s by the Fox chain, who ran it for two decades. It was renamed the Guild in the 1950s but by the 1970s was showing adult films. Landmark took it over in 1978 and it became a popular art house. By 1996, a theater group called “Crazed Imaginations” led the theater audience in late-night sing-along showings of the film “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” which was a big hit.

Sadly, in 1997, the theater was closed, the same year the historic Park Theater was closed a few blocks away. In 2002 an entirely new structure replaced it, the new one with a facade made to simulate the appearance of the original, sans the charming interior and details. The new structure is a designer furniture showroom today.

A photo of the theater is on line at the San Diego Hisotical Society…

http://www.sandiegohistory.org/collections/theaters/images/hillcrest.jpg

Contributed by R. Christian Anderson

Recent comments (view all 5 comments)

Joe Vogel on January 15, 2005 at 3:45 am

Southwest Builder and Manufacturer of March 22nd, 1913, announced the issuing of the building permit for this theater. The owner of the theater was J.K. Stickney, the projected cost was $7500, and the building was described as being built of hollow clay tile (a commonly used construction material in early 20th century Southern California, but which was later found to be highly susceptible to damage in even moderate earthquakes, and very costly to retrofit- which may account for its having eventually been demolished rather than renovated.) The architect is not named, unfortunately.