State Theatre
787 Market Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94103
787 Market Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94103
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Showing 1 - 25 of 28 comments found
I’ve come across this rendering of the California Theatre in the December, 1917, issue of The Architect and Engineer of California. The problem is that it is part of a portfolio of recent work by architect Louis Christian Mullgardt, not Alfred Henry Jacobs.
The August, 1918, issue of the San Francisco-based journal The Architect has three photos of the California Theatre, and attributes the design to Alfred H. Jacobs (scan at Google Books.)
Naturally, I’m a bit puzzled. Did Jacobs and Mullgardt collaborate on the building? Did Jacobs design the theater and Mullgardt the office and commercial parts of the structure? Can anyone clear up this mystery?
Also, I notice that there’s been some confusion surrounding the exact location of this theater (ken mc and Chuck’s comments of June 4, 2006.) The confusion comes from the fact that San Francisco’s numbered streets don’t match up with the address numbers (it’s the same situation as in Manhattan.) The numbered streets begin at the old shoreline of the bay, which was about half a mile inland from where the current shoreline is, but street numbers begin at the Embarcadero, along the modern shoreline. Thus 4th street marks the end of the 700 block and the beginning of the 800 block on Market Street.
The photos ken mc linked to on August 26, 2009, show that the State Theatre was definitely on the southeast corner of 4th and Market. The old skyscraper next door to the theater is the former Humboldt Bank Building, which is still standing at 785 Market.
Kewpie: The theater in the drawing you linked to is the former Loew’s house that is listed at Cinema Treasures as the Warfield Theatre. It was never called the State. It was named for Marcus Loew’s business partner, actor David Warfield, who was born in San Francisco.
This 1938 photo from Library of Congress list this as a Loew’s house, but don’t believe this image is actually that of the SF State Theater, http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2005676633/
Here are some 1961 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/nf5zlp
http://tinyurl.com/kv93mm
Maybe I can rent that movie.
The State can be seen in the film DOA, with Edmond O'Brien.
Thanks for the verification. I saw two separate references to 4th and Market and wasn’t sure if that was correct.
According to the book “Theatres of San Francisco” by Jack Tillmany the theatre address was 787 Market Street, the State/California theatre was a few buildings down from the Portola Theatre located at 779 Market. So 4th and Market street has nothing to do with the address of the theatre.
This page also says 4th & Market. Is the 787 Market Street address incorrect?
http://tinyurl.com/qrzrc
Regarding the comment above by Adam Blankenship, the SF California?State Wurlitzer is NOT installed in the Fox Theatre Visalia. Only the 4 manual console from the SF Cal/State is in Visalia.
The remainder of this large, historic instrument was broken up for parts. Ron Downer of SF has some dramatic photos of the stage house walls coming down with the 32' Diaphones coming down as rubble as well. Between Ron Downer, Dick Villemin, and Ed Stout, most of the rest of the organ was removed and saved, but used as parts—not a complete instrument.
Dick Villemin restored the Cal/State console for his sister Ruth’s home Wurlitzer which she had in her home in Malbu. The rest of the organ was from the Palace Grande Theatre in LA via the Elmo Theatre in San Luis Obispo.
Mrs. Villemin-Dresser is to be commended for donating this wonderful organ to the Fox Theatre in Visalia. Shame on the Fox Visalia for NOT presenting this organ more often OR allowing better access to the playing of the instrument!
Here are some photos of the California from the 1920s:
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Another photo from 1947:
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1944:
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Another SFPL photo from 1945:
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This picture was taken in 1945, but the caption says Fourth looking down at Market, so the building in the forefront may be another theater. Note the smaller Portola next door showing a Cagney-Bogey western (the only one, I think):
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1947, from the SFPL. If you’re an agoraphobe, look at the picture at your own risk:
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1949, from the SF Public Library:
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One more:
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From the SF Public Library:
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1927 photo fo the California Theatre.
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Shortly before its demise, the theater had been on the market for sale. There is a good story in Dave Friedman’s book “A Youth in Babylon” where he talks about one of the exploitation distributors/producers using this theater to show a film. SS Millard (called one of the “forty thieves”, along with Kroger Babb and Dan Sonney) went into a real estate office (on a Friday) wanting to take a look at the theater. The agent there gave him the keys. Millard went out to the theater and found there was electricity hooked up and wound up running a 2 day program of one of his films. (Complete with posters, lobby cards, etc!) On Monday morning, he dropped off the keys in the mailslot before the office opened. Millard, of course, did not pay for use of the theater or the utilities, and of course pocketed all the proceeds.
From the SF Public Library website:
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The 1917 Mighty Wurlitzer is now assembled in the Visalia Fox Theatre in Visalia California. Just prior to the demolition of the State Theatre, Richard S. Villemin rescued this beautiful 4 manual 22 rank Wurlitzer pipe organ. The 32 foot pipes are not with the organ and I am not sure where they are. The Wurlitzer Organ is OPUS 433. The organ is scheduled for four concerts a year. In 2003, Dr. Ruth Villeman Dresser donated this beautiful Organ to the Fox in Visalia where she and her brother Richard Villeman tuned the origional Fox organ in the 1930’s. This is one of many organs that Richard Villeman rescued during the times when theatres were being demolished.
Adam Blankenship
Oakdale, California
Email adress is
The State Theatre came into my life as an organist for the “Golden Gate Temple” a evangelical seven day a week revival center. As the organist I remember the incredible three and half manual Mighty Wurlitzer installed, I’m told, personally by Robert Hope-Jones. The huge 32 foot pipes, I’m also told, were considered as part of the plot of a film that Alfred Hitchcock thought about creating. No, question, it was quite a theatre and the destruction of the theatre was certainly another San Francisco tragedy.
Allen White
San Francisco, California
June 18, 2004
E-mail: