Strand Theatre
1127 Market Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94103
1127 Market Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94103
9 people
favorited this theater
This theatre opened on October 27, 1917 as part of the Grauman chain. It changed hands shortly thereafter and would change hands again in 1925 and 1939.
The West Side Theatre Company operated the Strand Theatre from 1940-1977. With the advent of television in the 1950’s and Market Street starting to decline in the 1960’s, the attendance at the theatre dropped (along with a change in the audience). Programming was triple bills, changed daily, with nightly bingo games.
Mike Thomas and a partner bought the Strand Theatre in 1977. (Thomas would also acquire and operate several other Market Street theatres around this time: the Warfield Theatre, the Crest Theatre, and the Embassy Theatre. He would later start up the independent film distributor Strand Releasing.) Thomas redid the theatre and hired security to help clear out undesirables. In June 1977, Thomas reopened the Strand Theatre with a revival of the Howard Hughes production of “The Outlaw” (which premiered originally down the street in 1943 at the United Artists Theatre aka Market Street Cinema). The show sold out and the Strand Theatre would become a well-known venue for revival cinema. The Strand Theatre also became a popular venue for midnight showings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”.
The mid-1980’s took a toll on the Strand Theatre. Home video took a bite into the revival theater business. Market Street would decline further. Then the October 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake would cause the Strand Theatre to close temporarily. (Its neighbor, the Embassy Theatre, wasn’t so lucky, as it was too badly damaged to reopen.) When the Strand Theatre reopened, it was sold to Silver Screen Amusements. (Thomas would still book the theatre.)
In June 1994, the Strand Theatre closed, only to reopen weeks later as a porn theatre showing projected video. The theatre deteriorated even further as it became a haven for crack dealers and hookers. Finally, in early-2003, the city of San Francisco would raid the theatre and shut it down for good. This was also the end to theatres that showed movies on Market Street.
In February 2012, the American Conservatory Theater announced plans to to reopen the Strand Theatre as a 300-seat live theatre.
Contributed by
scottfavareille
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Recent comments (view all 76 comments)
It’s a day he had at the Strand. During the porno days of the theatre.
In the early 80s my primary way to visit SF was by bus, and the old Greyhound station was at 7th and Market. I mostly visited for concerts but occasionally would go to see movies at the art houses, and went to the Strand a few times. They had the best theatre calendars I can remember (which were an art form unto themselves). I hope it can be saved before it’s gone forever.
Okay, let’s reflect a moment here: looking at an old Strand schedule from Nov. of ‘78… one Sunday Nov. 25 showed a QUADRUPLE feature of Deliverance, Sorcerer, Marathon Man, and Bite the Bullet. What!?!?! AND, Lana Turner & Jane Fonda made appearances at 2 separate events at the theater!?!! Beyond incredible.
I renovated the Strand in 1977, and operated and programmed it until the late eighties. I’m appearing at Yerba Buena Center on February 16, 2012 for a screening of a film I directed (in 1968) called “Meat Rack” (which features many Market Street theatres) and hope to also talk about my experiences with the Strand. -Mike Thomas
Exciting news, indeed, for those of us who love live theatre performance and historic theaters.
Here’s American Conservatory Theater’s press release:
Central Market Gains New American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) Performance Venue – Transformation of Vacant Mid-Market Strand Theater Furthers Development & Revitalization of Arts District http://www.act-sf.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6257&news_iv_ctrl=-1
Also: ACT to revive Mid-Market’s old Strand Theatre http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/28/MNJG1ND63R.DTL
I heard about ACT taking over the building. Although I know some fans would love The Strand to be reborn as a revival house, I’m glad that they’ll be life back into it.
Here is a link to a story about the purchase of the Strand by ACT: http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/culturefeed/act-buys-strand-theater-larger-project/
A 2012 photo can be seen here.
More about the Strand being taken over by ACT..
http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2012/10/a_new_act_for_the_long_shuttered_strand_theater.html
memories! I am writing my memoirs of slumming in the 80s T-loin. Does anyone remember there used to be a fast food restaurant near the old bus station (is the bus station still there btw?) was it POpeye’s fried chicken? I met many Church of Slack members there in the wee hours LOL