The Metro opened as the Metropolitan in 1924. Architects were Reid Bros.
The architect for the 1941 remodel was Timothy Pflueger. It was his firm’s last theatre project. The murals (by Heinsbergen) and chandeliers in the auditorium are from that remodel. Portions of the original auditorium’s decor are still intact behind the present walls, but not visible to the public. However, in the 1998 remodel, for which I served as a historical consultant, the original 20s lobby ceiling was uncovered and touched up, as was the original ceiling in the entrance foyer.
This theatre has one of the most unusual original proscenium arches of any surviving 1920s Bay Area theatre. The style is Egyptian. The arch shape is semicircular, and outlined with a lotus and sundisk motif. Lighting glows from behind these features. Atop the arch, a larger winged sundisk flanked by uraei (cobras) predominates. Over this is an organ grille, shaped like a sunburst, very similar to a larger example on the ceiling of the Egyptian in Hollywood.
At the base of the proscenium, flanking the stage, are pharaonic pseudo-sphinxes, with the hindparts of what appear to be coiled serpents. Lights hidden between the paws illuminate the faces.
Continuing from the arch a little way down the sidewalls, the surfaces are scribed to look like blocks of stone, with a cornice of cobra-headed vultures with wings outstretched placed end-to-end.
Little remains of the original decor in the rest of the theatre, save for later moderne fixtures in the lobby, and a likewise moderne terrazzo floor in the entry.
All remnants of 1950s remodeling in the entranceway have now been removed and steel studs are in place for replication of the original postercase arrangement.
The facade is covered in scaffolding and a protective debris/dust shroud for restoration work.
Work proceeds on the new courtyard area next to the entrance. The concrete wall which will be a backdrop for a fountain is now in place.
The lower courses of the new stagehouse are being constructed.
A new double layer roof, which will soundproof the auditorium from the sound of jets overhead (Downtown San Jose is in the flightpath of San Jose International Airport), is being built, replacing the original wooden roof.
Meanwhile, at an offsite location, restoration of the auditorium and lobby organs continues.
About a week ago, my wife and I stopped by the newly reopened Cal, and had a nice chat in the lobby with the manager (who, we were interested to learn, was—like us—recently married in a vintage theatre, but I digress). The lobby has lushly patterned new carpet, everything is repainted, including the Skouras-era ceiling embellishments in gold, and the concession counter has been nicely refurbished. An aesthetic bonus is the golden ceiling rosette which was revealed to be hidden above a dropped ceiling when the concession area was extended and renovated. It dates from an earlier decorative scheme, and originally formed part of the balcony soffit. A nice contemporary alabaster-like hanging fixture has been suspended from this feature for a nice look.
The only negative thing about the recent seismic work that I can see is the removal of the old brick stage fly tower, which now negates the future use of the house for stage shows someday. As the theatre never had much in the way of lobby space, perhaps this would never have been an issue anyway.
A section of the Alhambra’s auditorium wall, as well as two lobby torchieres, are preserved in the Oakland Museum in the section about California in the 20s.
The architects were Reid Bros. The lobby still has most of its original interior intact. Almost nothing remains in the auditorium, but the modern drapery job and carpeting makes a very nice, almost plush, environment. Since the photo above was taken, the facade has gotten a new paint job in cooler greens and corals, and the 40s-era marquee has been replaced with one reminiscent of the original. Recently the theatre has been taken over by CineArts, the new art house wing of Century Theatres.
Stylistically it had many interior ornamental details in common with the Rivoli Theatre on San Pablo near University in Berkeley, still standing as a Smart & Final store, with the auditorium ornament mostly intact and visible.
Mr. Tillmany is correct, however, in that the Embassy CLOSED due to the quake. The fire was said to have been caused by homeless folks living in the shuttered theatre.
The architects of the theatre were Reid Bros.
Although most of the interior was remodeled in deco style, the original proscenium arch was always left alone, and was clearly visible at demolition time, with the sockets for a row of lightbulbs outlining the entire thing clearly visible.
The 1951 Film Daily listing gives a seating capacity of 775.
The photo shows the marquee and vertical sign to be nearly identical to those still extant on San Rafael’s Rafael (1919), as remodeled by S. Charles Lee in 1939. This is not to say necessarily that this is a Lee theatre—architects and sign designers copied each other constantly, and there is no listing of this one among Lee’s work in the appendix of the book on him (The Show Starts on the Sidewalk, by Maggie Valentine), but the similarity to the Rafael is striking.
Built in 1932, this was the last of the eight theatres designed “from scratch” by Timothy Pflueger. His firm would design deco remodels for older theatres throughout the ensuing ten years, ending with the remodel of San Francisco’s Metro in 1941.
Some of the Alameda’s lobby furniture may still be enjoyed at the Oakland Paramount, where it fits right in.
I saw and photographed the Palace shortly before its demolition, sometime between 1982 and 1986. It kept that lovely marquee shown in the above photo right up until the end.
My adopted grandmother, who lived in Long Beach during the Twenties, tells me the Palace presented vaudeville as well as movies at that time.
Update. It would seem, judging from what the marquee letters now spell out in Spanish, that this theatre is now being used as a church. No visible alterations seem to have been made on the outside. Fading movie posters remain in the cases.
I have just been informed by a friend who is a lifelong Salinas-area resident and very active in the community there that he has seen a rendering of the proposed new multiplex to be built on the site of the Crystal. The Crystal’s facade, vertical sign and marquee are shown in the rendering as being preserved. The rest of the complex will be in a sort of Mediterranean motif. Aside from preservation considerations, the Crystal’s facade and signage are being kept because they are grandfathered-in under the sign ordinance of Downtown Salinas, which no longer allows any new overhanging signage. This way, the new theatre will have both a monumental sign and eye-catching marquee.
In the above photo, it can be noted that some original facade elements remain from its days as the Imperial: The central blocky portion of the facade that is painted red, and the pale blue arch below that, just above the marquee. There was originally a sculpted bust of a Greco-Roman goddess or woman in the center of the arch.
Just for the record, the Visalia Fox, mentioned above, was designed by Balch and Stanberry, though it indeed has design elements in common with theatres designed by Lee, such as the Bakersfield Fox.
Shortly after this theatre debuted, the corkscrew spiral fins of the tower had to be narrowed down to the simple neon spirals that are there today,so I have been told by several sources, because no thought had been given to drainage, and rainwater accumulated as it flowed down the tower’s spiral, and ran in torrents onto the roof.
Various furnishing and artifacts from the Fox surface from time to time around the Bay Area. For the public eye, however, the most accessible is the main curtain, which is in use in the main (vintage) auditorium at the Grand Lake Theatre, Oakland. Some additional embroidered hangings from one of the Fox’s doorways may be seen in the Grand Lake’s lobby.
I attended this theatre several times as a child in the 70s. The interior was a wonderful example of the Skouras style. It is an older house than that, having been remodeled in the 40s. Much of the exterior remains, but all signage and the marquee was removed in the conversion to a gym in 1981. The terrazzo sidewalk remains in the entrance.
Opened in 1910 as Brown’s Opera House. Has been closed since about 1972. One screen, with small stagehouse. Was a Beaux-Arts building, later redone 1930s Deco. Deco mural of phoenix bird on ceiling. Last used for Spanish Language movies, and boxing matches.
This was MY hometown theatre from about age 4 until 10.
The theatre is a product of the Skouras era of the Fox West Coast chain, and still remained with that charming Moderne look when I was a kid.
In later years, a Wurlitzer pipe organ was installed, an instrument which I understand to be a very fine one, though I have yet to hear it. Unfortunately at around this same time—mid 1980s, a heavy remodeling of the facade was undertaken, removing most neon and converting what was once a colorful building into something like an earth-toned pueblo, definitely an aesthetic hangover from the “natural” 1970s. A return to the facade’s original look would be physically feasible, if someone ever had the money.
The Metro opened as the Metropolitan in 1924. Architects were Reid Bros.
The architect for the 1941 remodel was Timothy Pflueger. It was his firm’s last theatre project. The murals (by Heinsbergen) and chandeliers in the auditorium are from that remodel. Portions of the original auditorium’s decor are still intact behind the present walls, but not visible to the public. However, in the 1998 remodel, for which I served as a historical consultant, the original 20s lobby ceiling was uncovered and touched up, as was the original ceiling in the entrance foyer.
The architects were Balch & Stanberry.
The architect was Mark T. Jorgensen.
This theatre has one of the most unusual original proscenium arches of any surviving 1920s Bay Area theatre. The style is Egyptian. The arch shape is semicircular, and outlined with a lotus and sundisk motif. Lighting glows from behind these features. Atop the arch, a larger winged sundisk flanked by uraei (cobras) predominates. Over this is an organ grille, shaped like a sunburst, very similar to a larger example on the ceiling of the Egyptian in Hollywood.
At the base of the proscenium, flanking the stage, are pharaonic pseudo-sphinxes, with the hindparts of what appear to be coiled serpents. Lights hidden between the paws illuminate the faces.
Continuing from the arch a little way down the sidewalls, the surfaces are scribed to look like blocks of stone, with a cornice of cobra-headed vultures with wings outstretched placed end-to-end.
Little remains of the original decor in the rest of the theatre, save for later moderne fixtures in the lobby, and a likewise moderne terrazzo floor in the entry.
Construction update:
All remnants of 1950s remodeling in the entranceway have now been removed and steel studs are in place for replication of the original postercase arrangement.
The facade is covered in scaffolding and a protective debris/dust shroud for restoration work.
Work proceeds on the new courtyard area next to the entrance. The concrete wall which will be a backdrop for a fountain is now in place.
The lower courses of the new stagehouse are being constructed.
A new double layer roof, which will soundproof the auditorium from the sound of jets overhead (Downtown San Jose is in the flightpath of San Jose International Airport), is being built, replacing the original wooden roof.
Meanwhile, at an offsite location, restoration of the auditorium and lobby organs continues.
About a week ago, my wife and I stopped by the newly reopened Cal, and had a nice chat in the lobby with the manager (who, we were interested to learn, was—like us—recently married in a vintage theatre, but I digress). The lobby has lushly patterned new carpet, everything is repainted, including the Skouras-era ceiling embellishments in gold, and the concession counter has been nicely refurbished. An aesthetic bonus is the golden ceiling rosette which was revealed to be hidden above a dropped ceiling when the concession area was extended and renovated. It dates from an earlier decorative scheme, and originally formed part of the balcony soffit. A nice contemporary alabaster-like hanging fixture has been suspended from this feature for a nice look.
The only negative thing about the recent seismic work that I can see is the removal of the old brick stage fly tower, which now negates the future use of the house for stage shows someday. As the theatre never had much in the way of lobby space, perhaps this would never have been an issue anyway.
A section of the Alhambra’s auditorium wall, as well as two lobby torchieres, are preserved in the Oakland Museum in the section about California in the 20s.
The architects were Reid Bros. The lobby still has most of its original interior intact. Almost nothing remains in the auditorium, but the modern drapery job and carpeting makes a very nice, almost plush, environment. Since the photo above was taken, the facade has gotten a new paint job in cooler greens and corals, and the 40s-era marquee has been replaced with one reminiscent of the original. Recently the theatre has been taken over by CineArts, the new art house wing of Century Theatres.
Stylistically it had many interior ornamental details in common with the Rivoli Theatre on San Pablo near University in Berkeley, still standing as a Smart & Final store, with the auditorium ornament mostly intact and visible.
Mr. Tillmany is correct, however, in that the Embassy CLOSED due to the quake. The fire was said to have been caused by homeless folks living in the shuttered theatre.
The architects of the theatre were Reid Bros.
Although most of the interior was remodeled in deco style, the original proscenium arch was always left alone, and was clearly visible at demolition time, with the sockets for a row of lightbulbs outlining the entire thing clearly visible.
The 1951 Film Daily listing gives a seating capacity of 775.
The photo shows the marquee and vertical sign to be nearly identical to those still extant on San Rafael’s Rafael (1919), as remodeled by S. Charles Lee in 1939. This is not to say necessarily that this is a Lee theatre—architects and sign designers copied each other constantly, and there is no listing of this one among Lee’s work in the appendix of the book on him (The Show Starts on the Sidewalk, by Maggie Valentine), but the similarity to the Rafael is striking.
Built in 1932, this was the last of the eight theatres designed “from scratch” by Timothy Pflueger. His firm would design deco remodels for older theatres throughout the ensuing ten years, ending with the remodel of San Francisco’s Metro in 1941.
Some of the Alameda’s lobby furniture may still be enjoyed at the Oakland Paramount, where it fits right in.
I saw and photographed the Palace shortly before its demolition, sometime between 1982 and 1986. It kept that lovely marquee shown in the above photo right up until the end.
My adopted grandmother, who lived in Long Beach during the Twenties, tells me the Palace presented vaudeville as well as movies at that time.
Update. It would seem, judging from what the marquee letters now spell out in Spanish, that this theatre is now being used as a church. No visible alterations seem to have been made on the outside. Fading movie posters remain in the cases.
I have just been informed by a friend who is a lifelong Salinas-area resident and very active in the community there that he has seen a rendering of the proposed new multiplex to be built on the site of the Crystal. The Crystal’s facade, vertical sign and marquee are shown in the rendering as being preserved. The rest of the complex will be in a sort of Mediterranean motif. Aside from preservation considerations, the Crystal’s facade and signage are being kept because they are grandfathered-in under the sign ordinance of Downtown Salinas, which no longer allows any new overhanging signage. This way, the new theatre will have both a monumental sign and eye-catching marquee.
In the above photo, it can be noted that some original facade elements remain from its days as the Imperial: The central blocky portion of the facade that is painted red, and the pale blue arch below that, just above the marquee. There was originally a sculpted bust of a Greco-Roman goddess or woman in the center of the arch.
Just for the record, the Visalia Fox, mentioned above, was designed by Balch and Stanberry, though it indeed has design elements in common with theatres designed by Lee, such as the Bakersfield Fox.
The Majestic is one of the few major theatres in the Broadway theatre district to have been demolished.
This theatre’s original look was Egyptian, but in between that look and its present appearance, it spent many years with a Streamline Moderne look.
Shortly after this theatre debuted, the corkscrew spiral fins of the tower had to be narrowed down to the simple neon spirals that are there today,so I have been told by several sources, because no thought had been given to drainage, and rainwater accumulated as it flowed down the tower’s spiral, and ran in torrents onto the roof.
The auditorium ceiling’s decorative painting is also intact. The murals on the sidewalls, though sympathetic, are not original.
Various furnishing and artifacts from the Fox surface from time to time around the Bay Area. For the public eye, however, the most accessible is the main curtain, which is in use in the main (vintage) auditorium at the Grand Lake Theatre, Oakland. Some additional embroidered hangings from one of the Fox’s doorways may be seen in the Grand Lake’s lobby.
I attended this theatre several times as a child in the 70s. The interior was a wonderful example of the Skouras style. It is an older house than that, having been remodeled in the 40s. Much of the exterior remains, but all signage and the marquee was removed in the conversion to a gym in 1981. The terrazzo sidewalk remains in the entrance.
Opened in 1910 as Brown’s Opera House. Has been closed since about 1972. One screen, with small stagehouse. Was a Beaux-Arts building, later redone 1930s Deco. Deco mural of phoenix bird on ceiling. Last used for Spanish Language movies, and boxing matches.
Razing of the theatre began in 1989. The facade and marquee looked just like the above photo right until the end.
This was MY hometown theatre from about age 4 until 10.
The theatre is a product of the Skouras era of the Fox West Coast chain, and still remained with that charming Moderne look when I was a kid.
In later years, a Wurlitzer pipe organ was installed, an instrument which I understand to be a very fine one, though I have yet to hear it. Unfortunately at around this same time—mid 1980s, a heavy remodeling of the facade was undertaken, removing most neon and converting what was once a colorful building into something like an earth-toned pueblo, definitely an aesthetic hangover from the “natural” 1970s. A return to the facade’s original look would be physically feasible, if someone ever had the money.