Grand Theater
2311 Rheem Ave,
Richmond,
CA
94804
2311 Rheem Ave,
Richmond,
CA
94804
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Yes, this is the original Grand Theater and the building is still standing to this day. It is the Auto body shop on the Rheem Avenue side and a Tire sales shop on the 23rd Street side in Richmond, California. I was just by there today and took pictures for my facebook photo album titled “Bay Area Today” which can be seen here-
Rheem Avenue photo:
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23rd Street photo:
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The La Tech Auto Body shop is still listed at this address. If any locals have seen this building since 2004, let us know if this is the original theater building.
In the 1950’s the Grand wasn’t all that “grand”…it had seen better days, but like all theatres in those days, it had it’s own “character”. It was then a second run Fox West Coast theatre near Richmond High School, sometimes playing move over programs from the downtown Fox (formerly Costa). What I remember most about the Grand were the kids matinees in the summer with an admission price of 9 cents. I first saw “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Yearling” there, along with many other current films and reissues. It closed down about 1956 or 1957, it’s final days being a weekends only operation. They never even installed a wide screen but did get CinemaScope lenses and played a few Scope films letterboxed on their old academy ratio screen.
The Grand Theatre was part of Fox West Coast Theatres in their East Bay District. The theatre seated 670 people.
I hunted this theatre down about ten years ago using its address in the Film Daily Yearbook for 1951. At the time I found it, its concrete shell was still standing, and housed an auto repair shop. The facade had been opened up with a rollup door for moving cars in and out.