Crest Theatre
1013 K Street,
Sacramento,
CA
95814
1013 K Street,
Sacramento,
CA
95814
20 people
favorited this theater
Originally on this site was the Empress Theatre, designed by architect Lee DeCamp as a vaudeville theatre which opened in 1913. It was rebuilt as the Hippodrome Theatre, again used first for vaudeville, until movies were were intoduced in the late-1920’s.
After almost 20 years showing first run films and vaudeville shows, the interior of the Hippodrome Theatre was gutted in 1946 and the Crest Theatre was built inside the existing outer shell of the Hippodrome Theatre.
The Crest Theatre opened on October 6 1949 with Mario Lanza in “That Midnight Kiss”. In attendance from Hollywood, were the stars of the movie Kathryn Grayson and Mario Lanza. Government officials included Governor Earl Warren (later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), and Honorable Belle Coolidge, the first woman mayor of Sacramento. Searchlights filled the air as the theatre was properly christened. Seating was provided in the auditorium for 1,217 on a stadium plan, with a stepped section at the rear.
The Crest Theatre showed films exclusively until late-1979 when it was closed due to poor ticket sales, the decline of the K Street mall, television and the rise of the multiplex.
In 1986, the theatre was re-opened by a group of local residents and continued showing films. The grand reopening took place on November 18 1986, with the MGM musical “Singin' In the Rain” starring Donald O'Connor, who attended in person. Mr O'Connor was given a pair of scissors and, with a smile, snipped the celluloid ribbon across the front doors and the Crest Theatre was in business again. In 1995, the Crest Theatre completed a one million dollar restoration which returned the 975-seat theater back to its original Streamline Moderne look, featuring a fabulous gold-leaf interior.
Over the following years, the Crest Theatre has been host to many different types of shows and events. It continues to host a program of classic and recent films. Concerts with artistes such as Cab Calloway, B.B. King, Dave Brubeck and a variety of comedy shows such as Bernie Mac, Carrot Top, Sam Kinison and The Mommies. Community events include the popular Sacremento Symphony ‘Jeans and Beer’ and ‘Mocha and Mozart’ series. In addition, the Crest Theatre is frequently used for private events such as political fundraisers, receptions, movie screenings, conferences, employee orientations and weddings.
Contributed by
Cinema Treasures, Sid Garcia-Heberger, Robert Styger
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Recent comments (view all 58 comments)
Here is a recent night photo of the Crest.
Interesting hisory of the fallen marquee.
The Crest is currently for sale.
View link
From the 1940s a photo postcard view of the Crest Theatre in Sacramento.
The correct link for the Crest in Sacramento is located HERE here.
Ah, Don – I think you have your links mixed up somehow; the link you posted in the comment of of August 4, 2010 points to a postcard of the Grand theater in Grand Island, NB in the 1930s, and the link in your comment of August 5, 2010, is not a link to the Crest website, but to a postcard showing the Crest in the 1940s. The Crest’s website is listed correctly in the headnote, above.
Thanks CWalczak. The intent of the link is to connect to the postcard image of the Crest.
I am sorry to have misunderstood your August 5 comment.
No apology necessary, I did’t word my correction post very clearly.
Here’s a recent photo of the Crest:
http://www.thewholeearthisfilledwithhisglory.com/theaters/004a.html