CineArts at the Empire
85 W. Portal Avenue,
San Francisco,
CA
94127
85 W. Portal Avenue,
San Francisco,
CA
94127
9 people
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Showing 26 - 40 of 40 comments
Here is a photo from the opening in 1926:
http://tinyurl.com/ytjjjc
The theatre is a hideous inside and out. The triplexing is a travesty. They might as well tear it down
As noted above, Irving Morrow and William Garren were the architects. They were not major players in the local theatre scene. I know of only one other theatre by them: the San Mateo (1925), the first Art Deco theatre in the US, and maybe the first Deco building of any kind. Morrow, better known as a critic than as an architect, went on to better things: he is generally credited with the detailing on the Golden Gate Bridge. His wife, Gertrude Comfort Morrow, also an architect, is alleged to have suggested the “International Orange” color. For pix of some of her residential work, see the Arcadia book on West Portal.
An early drawing of the whole site, which extended to the exit alley on West Portal, shows a courtyard in place of the lobby and the stage at the Vicente St. end. The entrance should have been on the corner, but that would have entailed more excavation than the developers were willing to pay for.
Of all the theatres my family was asssociated with over 80 years, the Empire is the only one still showing movies. A couple of years ago I was in it for the first time since 1974. Aud. 1 is passable; the rest is dreck.
Thanks Slevin for the up date info on the Empire Theatre San Francisco. I only go to the large Theatre #1 downstairs. The two tiny up stair old balcony theatres did finaly add Stereo. Can you imagine the Syufy’s Century guys ran the place mono up stairs till just 2 years ago. And they mounted the up stairs projectors down so they didn’t move and shake. They no longer book just art films but everything else. Also they no longer close the curtain in the main theatre. The Syufy’s Century people or is it Cinemark now have no use for any showmanship at the theatres they run that still have curtains that work. A year ago a manager candy type person told me that they don’t close the curtain because they don’t wan’t it to get stuck like what happend on a Saturday night once. Please bring in some curtain people and oil it up! At least the Syufy’s didn’t chop up the downstairs in the middle like they have done at some of the Domes in San Jose. Good news the great Mexican restaurant is still open across and up a little; they are closed on Mondays. Have dinner and a drink and check out Theatre #1 at the Empire. They still have day time showing’s as many SF Landmark Art Theatres only open in the late afternoon or early eve on the weekdays now. Tell them to fix the curtain with all the $ they make from popcorn and drink sales. Even Landmark’s Bridge Theatre in SF has a great little curtain that opens very slow and now has digital projection. Time for the SF Empire to go into remodel again. Look up at the ceiling in Theatre #1 and see the old brown paint coming off from the last paint job they tried to cover over some old vents or lights. The seats are new in Theatre #1 and nice with cupholders and plenty of leg room. The leg room upstairs in Theatre #2 and #3 is not so great if your a tall person.
The West Portal/Empire was NOT built for S. H. Levin. There were two Levin circuits in SF: my family’s was the other. My grandfather was known as H. S. Levin, which may be the root of this confusion. We operated the house from openng until 1974. In 1936 the interior was completely made over and the name was changed to Empire. Just after WWII the back wall was pushed out to Vicente St, adding about 200 seats. The auditorium was rececorated by Heisbergen Studios in mural fashion. Most of this stuff survives behind the drapes and acoustical padding. With the lobby coming into the auditorium in the middle of the left wall, this was a hard house to work. The 1970 renovation took care of most of the hassle, but left the place totally charmless. I worked there for many years, and I still miss it.
make that looking at the screen.
Only go the Empire if you are seeing a film in theater #1, the wheelchair accessible theater. At the two upstairs theaters you will be lokking at the screen on an angle
Two interior photos from 1944:
View link
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From the SF Public Library website:
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The Portal/West Portal Theatre was built for the Samuel H. Levin chain of neighborhood theatres known as San Francisco Theatres Inc.
Now called CineArts at Empire.
Originally opened as the Portal Theatre (known also as the West Portal Theatre) on 26th December 1925, the architects were Irving F. Morrow and William I Garren.
It was re-named Empire Cinema on 1st October 1936 and in 1974 it was divided into 3 screens.
Not only is the Empire NOT CLOSED; it seems to be thriving with its recent change to a CineArts format. It’s very much “Open.”
My husband and I often went to the movies at the Empire when we lived in the City, even though we lived downtown on Nob Hill. There is (or was in the 90s) a wonderful Mexican restaurant across the street.
We still think of it as one of our very favorite places in a town full of favorite places. :–)
The Empire theater is not closed. Century Theaters has run this for a number of years and recently converted it into a CineArts theater showing foreign and independent films. Originally a single screener, it was chopped up into a three-plex in the early 1970’s.