Oh, the Theatrical Places We used to Go

A historical account into independent Bay Area movie theaters

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, movie theater attendees have been murky to say the least. Shouldered by the risk of COVID-19 spread at public venues and the growing number of streaming services, many movie theaters have suffered through closures and low ticket sales.

As ticket sales drop, many theaters have opted to make adjustments such as offering fewer showtimes, more discounts, upgrades to their venues and higher COVID-19 precautions to draw in more audiences. However, changes in the movie theater industry to consolidate younger generations are not the first. In examining the changes to be made in theater-watching, let’s look at the Bay Area’s historic independent movie theaters that have survived throughout time.

Unlike movie theater chains operating today such as AMC Entertainment and Cinemark Theatres (which owns CinéArts, Century Cinema, and Cinemark Movies), historic independent movie theaters operate alone and usually require financial backing from non-profit organizations. They mainly feature a subset of films: foreign films, art house films and independent films.

The historic movie theater venues on this list include theaters which have been constructed from the 1910s-1920s. Many of their architectural designs pose similarities to one another as they feature design elements popular within their heyday. Although these architectural designs have fallen out of favor, their preservation by the public gives an insight to how theater-watching used to be and the slight changes made to accommodate younger audiences.

Located appropriately in the Castro District of San Francisco, the Castro Theatre opened in 1922. The Nasser brothers constructed and operated the theater house until 1976. Together, they owned a collection of other film theaters around the Bay Area such as the Alhambra on Polk Street, New Mission and Paramount Theater in Oakland. During their 50 year run, the Castro Theatre mainly opened to second mainstream film showings.

However, after 1976, the variety of films played at the Castro Theatre shifted to foreign films, film festivals, and LGBTQ+ films.

Like most historic movie theaters, the Castro Theatre operates in a single auditorium. It includes a lower floor and a balcony with golden columns, paneling and molding surrounding the beautiful interior. Its ceiling is constructed with several circular layers with a chandelier positioned at its center.

Architectural influences for the interior include Moorish, Asian and Egyptian designs prominent for the 1920’s deco style. For theater-goers unfamiliar with the construction of 1920’s movie theaters, it may look more like an opera house than the modern movie theater of today.

Outside the exterior is an Old Mexican cathedral design as an homage to California. Since COVID-19, the theater has yet to open and has been converted to a music and comedy venue with only movie showings during film festivals.

Following another historic independent theater in San Francisco is the Roxie Theatre. It is located within the Mission District of San Francisco and throughout its ownership has consumed a variety of names such as The Poppy, The Rex, The New 16th Street, The Gem, The Gaiety and finally The Roxie.

During the 1960’s, viewership of the theater was at a low and the sexual revolution began that it became an adult movie theater. Here, patrons were shown pornographic films. However, the theater’s 1976 remodel led to screenings of art house movies as the rise of censorship laws and the creation of the VHS meant a decline in adult movie theaters.

Unlike the glamorous 1920’s art deco designs of the Castro Theatre, the Roxie Theatre has been refurbished for modern audiences with standard straight seating at a singular level showroom. The theater was originally designed by the architectural firm Weeks and Days which has designed several buildings within the Bay Area.

Outside of San Francisco and located in Palo Alto is the Stanford Theatre. Opened in 1925, it includes a lower floor and balcony with geometric Egyptian motifs jutting the ceilings and alongside the walls. Several chandeliers illuminate the theater giving the interior a warm, inviting feel. Towards the entrance of the theater sits a separate room with a plethora of classic 1940s-1960s film posters.

A unique feature of the Stanford Theatre is its organ player in the orchestra pit. Like classic movie theaters of the olden times, a sea of instruments was reserved in the orchestra pit to play alongside silent films as incidental music. Prior to the closing of the theater, an organist would accompany the intermission, intros and outros of films showcased at the Stanford Theatre.

Today, the Stanford Theatre is owned by the David and Lucille Packard Foundation who took over the theater after 1987. Although the venue is still closed, the theater is still undergoing renovations. The theater is set to be reopened in July 2022. As the theater reopened in 2017 and 1987 with “The Wizard of Oz,” expectations are that it will reopen in 2022 with the film’s screening.

Heading towards Oakland is the Grand Lake Theatre. The theater was designed by the Reid Brothers for Abaham C. Karski and Louis Kaliski. Its initial opening was in 1926 where vaudeville and silent films played. However, with the induction of talkies (films with synchronized dialogue), it solely played sound movies thereafter. Now the movie theater showcases independent and mainstream movies for an array of audiences.

The theater juts around the corner and includes a rounded illuminated sign bellowing the name Grand Lake Theatre above its building.

Inside, the theater once had four auditorium rooms which have now been reduced to three, with the former second auditorium combined into the main room. Each room showcases different design elements. The main auditorium room is shadowed in gold columns and molding, auditorium three is befitted with painted palm trees and a turquoise ceiling and auditorium four is lined with colorful geometric designs. Overall, each room represents architectural elements popular of the 1920’s period: Egyptian, Moorish and Baroque Revival.

Throughout the Grand Lake Theatre’s opening, the theater has been a political sight. For instance, the message "This Is America — Every Vote Should Be Counted" donned its marquee after the 2000 presidential election, the theater closed as a response to the Occupy Oakland movement and many gathered at the theater during the impeachment of Donald Trump.

Wherever one goes within the United States, there is a plethora of historic independent movie theaters to be seen. To look at the historic independent movie theaters across the Bay Area is to see an inkling of changes in theater-watching. Thus, it is imperative that they be protected, restored and watched for new generations.