El Rey Theatre
112 E. Yosemite Avenue,
Manteca,
CA
95336
112 E. Yosemite Avenue,
Manteca,
CA
95336
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Related Websites
Kelley Brothers Brewing Company (Official)
Additional Info
Architects: Otto A. Deichmann, Marc T. Jorgensen
Functions: Banquet Hall, Special Events
Styles: Art Deco
Nearby Theaters
The former El Rey Theatre, once an elegant example of the Art Deco style, opening on April 15, 1937. It had a large triangular-shaped blade marquee spelling out the theatre’s name, which was a long-time fixture of downtown Manteca.
During a screening of "The Towering Inferno" on August 6, 1975, a fire started in the El Rey Theatre, and quickly gutted the entire old theatre. The shell of the El Rey Theatre would stand ignored for another twenty years.
It wasn’t until 1997 that brothers Shon and Joe Kelley saw the El Rey Theatre’s ruins, and decided this was where they would build their new brewery and eatery, after a $2.5 million reconstruction.
The Kelley Brothers Brewery and Brickyard Oven Restaurant is designed inside to resemble a Bavarian-style beerhall, and includes two levels, with the brewery on the main floor and the restaurant upstairs, with a view of the main floor.
The exterior of the former theatre has been renovated to close to its original appearance, but without the original marquee. The interior has been remodeled and is now a banquet hall named The Veranda.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
The actual date of the fire which gutted the El Rey was August 5th, 1975. The event was reported in the Los Angeles Times the next day.
The El Rey was built by William Peters. San Francisco architects Mark T. Jorgensen and Otto A. Deichmann prepared the plans, according to the Better Theatres section of The Motion Picture Herald, October 17th, 1936. The theatre probably opened in 1937.
There is (or was) an El Rey Theater in Paradise, wherever that is. It should be added if it’s not here under another name. Here is a picture from the UC Davis Collection:
View link
> There is (or was) an El Rey Theater in Paradise, wherever that is.
Paradise is up by Chico, nowhere near Manteca.
An article about the El Rey fire from the Modesto Bee appears here.
There is another photo of the brewery here:
http://tinyurl.com/6fslak
They called the El Rey “The Grand Dame” and it was. We used to have to drive through Manteca to get to Escalon. The water pump gave out in the car downtown and it must have been at least 103 degrees outside it was hot! I met Bill Peters that day he managed the El Rey, he helped us push the car into the El Rey parking lot. He called his mechanic to come over and fix it. He even let me and the kids come in for free and watch a movie while the car was being fixed. It was air conditioned and so nice to sit in, the cushions on the seats in the loge were so plush and comfortable. The stage had beautiful red velvet curtains with gold trim and tassles on the sides. Beautiful murals and what caught my eye were the light fixtures on the ceiling, very unusual looking but very elegant. I never forgot Bill Peters kindness, and I used to mail him my homemade fudge. He sent me a couple of passes, but unfortunately I never got to use them (i still have them) because about a year later, it caught fire. I will always remember that day at the El Rey. Even my kids mention it still.
I am working on a project to open the former El Rey Theater in Manteca as a restaurant again. Our concept is one of a market style dining experience. In addition to the steak and pasta restaurant, We plan to have a pizzeria/bbq/burger bar, wine club and tasting room, full-service meat and fish market, cheese market, coffeehouse, and greenhouse operation. We are calling it Old Cinema Markets. Like us on Facebook. We are still seeking principles and investors. Contact Tim Cooney at (209) 275-1040 or info@oldcinemamarkets.com for more information.
If you restored the old marquee and the cascade, that would certainly add the authenticity of the experience. I’d go there!
Facade, not cascade…stupid iPhone autocorrect…
The El Rey has a new life, as a event center and a banquet hall called “The Veranda”. The interior has been completely remodeled and looks elegant. Be interesting to see if the theater building will maintain the reputation of being haunted. Good to see that it is in use again.
Timeline from Manteca Bulletin.
April 15, 1937: Opened.
August 6,1975: Gutted by fire.
1997 to January 31, 2012: Kelley Brothers Brewing Co. and Brickyard Oven Restaurant.
June 2019: Became The Veranda. ”The Veranda, a top tier events center and banquet hall, will open in downtown Manteca in June”.
Full Story.
DENNIS WYATT
Manteca Bulletin
Published: Mar 19, 2019, 1:22 AM
“It was the grand dame of Manteca. Built at a cost of $110,000 at the height of the Depression, the El Rey Theatre opened in the 100 block of East Yosemite Avenue in downtown Manteca with great fanfare on April 15, 1937. The 900-seat, air-conditioned theatre dubbed “The House of Courtesy” was complete with tiled bathroom floors and art on the walls and ceilings accented with gold leaf. Its marquee was crowded with big name, first-run movies. It was virtually a carbon copy of a Salinas theater owned by a relative of owner Bill Peters. With tickets going for 35 cents for adults — 40 cents if they wanted a rocking chair in the loges — and big-name films costing $500 to rent, the $110,000 investment was made at a considerable risk. The El Rey Theatre had a 48-year run as Manteca’s major source of commercial entertainment until it was gutted by fire on Aug. 6, 1975, after the screening of “The Towering Inferno.” The El Rey sat gutted for more than 20 years before it was converted into Kelley Brothers Brewing Co. and Brickyard Oven Restaurant”. 2019: “The Veranda, a top tier events center and banquet hall, will open in downtown Manteca in June.”