Esquire IMAX Theatre

My dad worked next door to the Esquire at Robert’s Fish Grotto, a seafood restaurant for over 20 years. He would get free tickets every once in a while to the Esquire and at time the Encore theatre that was on the other side of the Esquire. The Encore was much smaller and played more obscure films. Across the street was the Star theatre. I remember that they played at one point more adult oriented films, then in the mid seventies it was a Kung Fu movie place. Since there were so many movie places on K street, and before Sacramento decided to block and shut K street and redeisgn it into a “mall”, many people had a great choice of theatres. When the downtown area started to deteriorate and movie complexes started to take over the suburbs, the Esquire did twin itself, but management could not take care of it too well. The theatre would run 2nd and third run movies, double features for .75 cents etc. and the clientele became very shady. this was about the time that most of K street was in disrepair and many theatres started to get demolished (the Star, the Encore, The Fox etc). Out of all of these, the Crest is the only one that has survived and continues to show movies.

my name is mireya gomez I am not a member yet but could I get a map of the Sacramento Downtown Imax Theater

Here is a photo, circa 1978:
http://tinyurl.com/27o9e3

Re: Posting above by Bob Koch…If you are still around, let me know. I met you years ago when I was a young ‘pup’ just getting started in ‘theatre management’, (1950) in Sacramento. You seemed to ‘pop’ up ‘servicing’ in every area I went to work. Started at the ‘California’ and ‘Studio’ in Sacto. Later in Chico; Modesto; Alameda. Hope to hear from you for ‘shop talk’. J. Lewis JCL

A few November 2013 photos can be seen here and here, and a 2011 photo is here.