San Francisco Movie House Closures

San Francisco Movie House Closures

San Francisco movie house closures are listed spanning the period of 1978 to the present, grouped in the tables below by Art Houses and Repertory Cinemas, First Run Theaters, and Mission Street and Neighorbhood Theaters.

View news updates and additional info on San Francisco's movie houses and the efforts to save them. See also this site's coverage of the Castro Theatre, New Mission Theater and the Harding Theater.

Theater names in the three tables below link to corresponding pages on the encyclopedic Cinema Treasures website, that provide historical background info for each theater, photos, mapping, as well as related discussion threads that offer first-hand anecdotes about the lives of San Francisco's movie houses. Thanks to Tom Mayer for his contribution to the compilation of the list below.

Art Houses and Repertory Cinemas

THEATER LOCATION COMMENTS
Times, formerly The Acme 1249 Stockton Closed 1976. Converted to retail stores.
Avenue 2650 San Bruno Avenue Now a church
Richelieu 1075 Geary Street Closed 1981
Music Hall 931 Larkin Now a church
Larkin 816 Larkin Closed late 70's, reopened as The New Century Theater for adult entertainment
El Rey 1070 Ocean Avenue Closed 1977. Now a church
Cannery 2801 Leavenworth Closed 1978. Now a tavern
Ghirardelli 900 North Point Closed 1986. Reopened briefly as The Waterfront Theater.
Surf 4510 Irving Closed in 1985. Used as a church.
Cento Cedar 38 Cedar Alley Closed in 1988. Converted to architectural firm.
Parkside 2205 Taraval Closed in 1988. Auditorium gutted. Converted to day care center.
Pagoda Palace, formerly Milano Theatre, Palace Theatre, Washington Square Theatre 1741 Powell Razed 08/19/13 for use by SFMCP's Central Subway expansion project.
York 2781 24th Street Closed 1993. Restored/reopened in 2001 as Brava Women's Theater Arts
Gateway 215 Jackson Closed 1998. Reopened in 1999 as The Eureka Theater
Strand 1127 Market Closed February 2003. Sold to A.C.T. February 2012 to be renovated.
Lumiere 1572 California Closed September 23, 2012 due to lease dispute.
Bridge 3010 Geary Blvd. Closed on December 27, 2012

First Run Theaters

THEATER LOCATION COMMENTS
Coronet 3575 Geary Closed March 17, 2005
Alexandria 5400 Geary Closed February 2004
Metro 2 (Mercury) 2240 Union Street Closed February 1986
Coliseum 743 Clement Avenue Damaged in 1989 earthquake
Stage Door 420 Mason Now Ruby Skye nightclub
Northpoint 2290 Powell Closed 1998
Embassy 1125 Market Demolished in 1994 following seismic damage from the 1989 earthquake
Alhambra (SF LM #217) 2330 Polk Closed February 1998, now Crunch Fitness
Royal 1529 Polk Closed February 1998; demolished fall 2004
Regency 1 1290 Sutter/1320 Van Ness Housed in the historic Dom Lee Building. Reopened September 1998 as AMC Van Ness 14 and closed February 19, 2019. Plans underway to reopen the theater as CGV 1000 sometime in 2020.
Regency 2 1268 Sutter Closed March 26, 2000; former Avalon Ballroom
St. Francis 965 Market Closed 2000. Demolished 2013.
Cinema 21, now the Marina Theater 2141 Chestnut Closed 2001, remodeled and reopened in 2008 as the 2-screen Marina Theater, with Walgreens on the ground floor
Presidio 2340 Chestnut Closed 2003. Reopened December 26, 2004 by Frank and Lila Lee as a 4-screen multiplex
Metro 2055 Union Closed October 2006. To reopen as gym.
Market St. Cinema, formerly United Artists Theatre, Premiere Theater, Grauman's Imperial Theater 1077 Market Closed April, 2013. Added to National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Mission St. and Other Neighborhood Theaters

THEATER LOCATION COMMENTS
Cine Latino (aka Crown, New Rialto, Wigwam Theatre) 2555 Mission Closed 1987. Plans reported in 2012 for conversion to a gym and restaurant.
Granada 4631 Mission Closed in 90's. Now a Goodwill store.
Grand 2665 Mission Renovated in 2014 and to reopen as Gray Area's New Art & Technology Theater
New Mission (SF LM #245) 2550 Mission Theater renovation started in 2013. Alamo Drafthouse reopens as a multiplex on December 17, 2015. Go here for in-site coverage.
Tower 2465 Mission Now a church
Apollo fomerly The Amazon 965 Geneva Opened 1928 as the Amazon; closed 1978. Now a Walgreens.
Harding Theater 616 Divisadero Opened 1926, closed in 1970; former venue for concerts, theater and church. Restored and reopens February 2018 as Emporiuim SF. Go here for in-site coverage.
Haight 1702 Haight Vacant for 20 years before being demolished in 1994
El Capitan (SF LM #214) 2353 Mission Built 1928, closed 1963; now hotel and parking lot
Fox 1350 Market Demolished 1963; now site of Fox Plaza

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