From the Wikipedia entry for the Fox Theater: “The question of the City & County of San Francisco buying the Fox and its land was put before the voters on November 7, 1961, as Proposition I. Requiring only a simple majority, the measure was overwhelmingly defeated with a NO vote of 59.2%.”
The city apparently offered around $800K for it, Fox West Coast wanted $1.15million. So it was put to the voters as a possible home for the SF Symphony and SF Ballet. A big mistake to let it go.
I took a photo this morning of the rendering mentioned in the overview of the stage curtain (from my copy of The Best Remaining Seats) and posted it in the photos.
A near identical article to the above at Hoodline.com states additionally that the AMC Metreon is “pulling in about $996,000 per screen, about double the chain’s average”. Also the food and beverage tenants are averaging $1,442. per square foot - apparently quite healthy. This mall at Yerba Buena Gardens/Moscone Center is a bright spot downtown with another large tenant, Target, having a lease through 2033. Also, the new T line subway station adjacent to the mall provides direct one seat access from the southeastern part of the city as well as Chinatown/North Beach. The SF Business Times (linked in the Hoodline story) has also reported these figures but without an online subscription I can’t read that article.
Cinerama….actually found this on a Goggle image search of a different LA theater. The photo had no site credited or photographer named. If this photo is also on incinerama.com, where did it come from?
2024 Oscar winner The Holdovers was filmed in Massachusetts including the Orpheum in Boston with a balcony scene of Paul Giamatti and Dominic Sessa watching Little Big Man.
Have uploaded 10 photos from last night’s showing of All Of Us Strangers. A near sell out with David Hegarty at the organ before the film. Did not know the crown of the tented ceiling had been restored - looking like night and day compared to the rest of the ceiling. Miss the smell of fresh popped popcorn in the lobby. A second concession stand is in the upstairs lobby (just popcorn and drinks).
A slight correction to andygarner’s 2010 post. The film is “Violent Saturday”. Just after Victor Mature is carjacked at gunpoint by the 3 bank robbers he is ordered to drive through Bisbee and you see a brief glimpse of the Lyric out the car’s front window. The film is occasionally shown on the Movie! channel as part of it’s Sunday/Thursday night noir film series. Worth a watch.
Jamey_monroe45…the condos inside the gutted Coliseum are on the 2nd and 3rd floors - posted a photo in June ‘21 showing the front and the condo’s windows on the 9th Ave side. They were built in 2002. The Walgreens that occupied the ground floor closed in late 2021 or early 2022 and a google map image capture from last January shows it still boarded up. Apparently it is still empty from my online search showing the space for lease. A call to Smart and Final this morning confirmed that they have only 2 stores in SF - the one moose1111 mentioned on 7th Ave and another in the Bayview Dist.
There are condos in what was the Alexandria’s parking lot behind the theater on 18th Ave but the theater itself is still there and sits in a dilapidated state.
moose1111 - the 7th Ave Smart & Final is quite large and occupies the former supermarket QFI.
A complete history of the theater, photos of scenes filmed at the Los Angeles inside and out and links to photos of the theater at the California State Library. From the losangelestheatres.blogspot.com website:
I could not find anything either at any of the news sources listed above online about this theater permanently closing. The link is to the latest updated (as of Nov 2023) plans for Tanforan on the City of San Bruno’s website. It mentions retaining both the Target store and the Century Theater.
Cinerama…at your provided link above - are you certain the 3rd photo dated 1946 is the SF Orpheum? It looks like the marquee of the Orpheum in downtown Los Angeles.
The Castro is very much open. Events scheduled between Oct 23 and Jan 13, 2024 including both live performances and film are linked here at the APE website for the Castro:
The 13th annual Albany Film Festival will be held at the Cerrito this year due to the nearby Albany Theatre’s closing earlier this year. Details …
Here
Forgot to add that if you have an active library card or university log on and your public library participates with kanopy.com you can watch Only in Theaters for free:
Photo should be credited to Jim Marshall.
From the Wikipedia entry for the Fox Theater: “The question of the City & County of San Francisco buying the Fox and its land was put before the voters on November 7, 1961, as Proposition I. Requiring only a simple majority, the measure was overwhelmingly defeated with a NO vote of 59.2%.”
The city apparently offered around $800K for it, Fox West Coast wanted $1.15million. So it was put to the voters as a possible home for the SF Symphony and SF Ballet. A big mistake to let it go.
I took a photo this morning of the rendering mentioned in the overview of the stage curtain (from my copy of The Best Remaining Seats) and posted it in the photos.
A near identical article to the above at Hoodline.com states additionally that the AMC Metreon is “pulling in about $996,000 per screen, about double the chain’s average”. Also the food and beverage tenants are averaging $1,442. per square foot - apparently quite healthy. This mall at Yerba Buena Gardens/Moscone Center is a bright spot downtown with another large tenant, Target, having a lease through 2033. Also, the new T line subway station adjacent to the mall provides direct one seat access from the southeastern part of the city as well as Chinatown/North Beach. The SF Business Times (linked in the Hoodline story) has also reported these figures but without an online subscription I can’t read that article.
SFGate article - “Berkeley is down to one movie theater. It’s reinventing itself to survive”
Elmwood
Saw 2001 in June of 1968 here. The first of many viewings of 2001 I saw in Cinerama.
Cinerama….actually found this on a Goggle image search of a different LA theater. The photo had no site credited or photographer named. If this photo is also on incinerama.com, where did it come from?
SF Bay Area Reporter article on the Castro’s blade renovation:
Castro Blade
A time lapse 1 minute 49second YouTube video of the 2016 restoration:
Fox
2024 Oscar winner The Holdovers was filmed in Massachusetts including the Orpheum in Boston with a balcony scene of Paul Giamatti and Dominic Sessa watching Little Big Man.
Hoodline
Photo should be credited to Art Frisch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
SFGate article on a 6am showing at the Metreon Imax of Dune Part 2 on March 4, 2024.
SFGate
SF Chronicle article on the sale of the Clay:
Clay Theater Sold
Status should be changed to “Closed” “Renovating”
Castro Closes For Renovations
Have uploaded 10 photos from last night’s showing of All Of Us Strangers. A near sell out with David Hegarty at the organ before the film. Did not know the crown of the tented ceiling had been restored - looking like night and day compared to the rest of the ceiling. Miss the smell of fresh popped popcorn in the lobby. A second concession stand is in the upstairs lobby (just popcorn and drinks).
A slight correction to andygarner’s 2010 post. The film is “Violent Saturday”. Just after Victor Mature is carjacked at gunpoint by the 3 bank robbers he is ordered to drive through Bisbee and you see a brief glimpse of the Lyric out the car’s front window. The film is occasionally shown on the Movie! channel as part of it’s Sunday/Thursday night noir film series. Worth a watch.
From SFGate:
“Bakersfield art deco theater back after years as a church A once-forgotten art deco theater is lighting up downtown Bakersfield again.”
Nile
Should be listed as open.
Jamey_monroe45…the condos inside the gutted Coliseum are on the 2nd and 3rd floors - posted a photo in June ‘21 showing the front and the condo’s windows on the 9th Ave side. They were built in 2002. The Walgreens that occupied the ground floor closed in late 2021 or early 2022 and a google map image capture from last January shows it still boarded up. Apparently it is still empty from my online search showing the space for lease. A call to Smart and Final this morning confirmed that they have only 2 stores in SF - the one moose1111 mentioned on 7th Ave and another in the Bayview Dist.
There are condos in what was the Alexandria’s parking lot behind the theater on 18th Ave but the theater itself is still there and sits in a dilapidated state.
moose1111 - the 7th Ave Smart & Final is quite large and occupies the former supermarket QFI.
A complete history of the theater, photos of scenes filmed at the Los Angeles inside and out and links to photos of the theater at the California State Library. From the losangelestheatres.blogspot.com website:
Los Angeles
I could not find anything either at any of the news sources listed above online about this theater permanently closing. The link is to the latest updated (as of Nov 2023) plans for Tanforan on the City of San Bruno’s website. It mentions retaining both the Target store and the Century Theater.
Tanforan
Cinerama…at your provided link above - are you certain the 3rd photo dated 1946 is the SF Orpheum? It looks like the marquee of the Orpheum in downtown Los Angeles.
The Castro is very much open. Events scheduled between Oct 23 and Jan 13, 2024 including both live performances and film are linked here at the APE website for the Castro:
Castro Schedule
The 13th annual Albany Film Festival will be held at the Cerrito this year due to the nearby Albany Theatre’s closing earlier this year. Details … Here
Another plan for the theater has emerged from the same group that wanted to turn the theater into offices and an aquatic center. This time housing:
SFExaminer
Forgot to add that if you have an active library card or university log on and your public library participates with kanopy.com you can watch Only in Theaters for free:
Here