Metro Theatre | |
---|---|
Location | 2055 Union Street, San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Coordinates | 37°47′50″N122°25′59″W / 37.797304°N 122.433134°W |
Built | 1924 |
Built for | Samuel H. Levin |
Architect | Reid Brothers |
Architectural style(s) | Spanish colonial revival, Art Deco |
Designated | July 21, 2009 |
Reference no. | 261 |
The Metro Theatre is a historic 1924 building and former single screen theatre in the Cow Hollow neighborhood of San Francisco, California, U.S.. The building was listed by the city as a San Francisco Designated Landmark in June 21, 2009; and has a historic marker. [1] It is also known as the Metro Theater, [2] and the Metropolitan Theater. [3] The building is now used as a private gym.
The Metropolitan Theatre was designed in the Spanish colonial revival style by the Reid Brothers (James Reid and Merritt Reid). [4] [2] [5] It opened on April 23, 1924 as a second run theater, by Samuel H. Levin of San Francisco Theatres Inc., who also owned the Alexandria and Coliseum theaters in San Francisco. [4] The first film shown was The Fighting Coward (1924), a silent film directed by James Cruze. [3]
In 1941, the building was remodeled in an Art Deco style by Otto A. Deichmann and Timothy L. Pflueger. [2] After the remodel, the name was shortened to "Metro Theatre". [4] In the 1950s the reputation of the theatre increased after being the venue for the first San Francisco International Film Festival on December 4–18, 1957. [4] [6] Films screened at the first festival included The Captain from Köpenick (1956 film). [7]
In March 1992 during the release of the erotic thriller film Basic Instinct (1992), women's groups such as the National Organization of Women (NOW) and queer groups in San Francisco and Los Angeles protested the depiction of women and violent queer love in this film. [8] The Metro Theatre in San Francisco saw one of the largest protests on opening night, with some 100 protestors. [8] In 1998, the building had a renovation to preserve the theatre back to the state of the 1941 Art Deco style. [5]
It was part of the Regal Entertainment Group before its closure in 2006. [2] [4] In 2009, a property developer committed to preserving the interior murals by Anthony Heinsbergen, ioinic columns, grilles and urns; and the building was converted in to a private gym. [3]
The Castro Theatre is a historic movie palace in the Castro District of San Francisco, California. The venue became San Francisco Historic Landmark #100 in September 1976. Located at 429 Castro Street, it was built in 1922 with a California Churrigueresque façade that pays homage—in its great arched central window surmounted by a scrolling pediment framing a niche—to the basilica of Mission Dolores nearby. Its designer, Timothy L. Pflueger, also designed Oakland's Paramount Theater and other movie theaters in California during that period. The theater has more than 1,400 seats.
Landmark Theatres is a movie theatre chain founded in 1974 in the United States. It was formerly dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent and foreign films. Landmark consists of 34 theatres with 176 screens in 24 markets. It is known for both its historic and newer, more modern theatres. Helmed by its President Kevin Holloway, Landmark Theatres is part of Cohen Media Group.
The River Oaks Theatre is a historic movie theater located in the River Oaks Shopping Center in the Neartown community in Houston, Texas, United States, east of the River Oaks community. The theater has three projection screens; one large screen, downstairs, and two smaller screens, upstairs.
Timothy Ludwig Pflueger was an architect, interior designer and architectural lighting designer in the San Francisco Bay Area in the first half of the 20th century. Together with James R. Miller, Pflueger designed some of the leading skyscrapers and movie theaters in San Francisco in the 1920s, and his works featured art by challenging new artists such as Ralph Stackpole and Diego Rivera. Rather than breaking new ground with his designs, Pflueger captured the spirit of the times and refined it, adding a distinct personal flair. His work influenced later architects such as Pietro Belluschi.
The Regency Village Theatre is a historic, landmark cinema in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. Westwood Village, in the heart of Westwood, is near the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). It is currently operated by the Regency Theaters chain. The Westwood Village Theatre has been the site for many Hollywood movie premieres in Los Angeles. The seating capacity of the cinema is about 1,400.
The Alhambra Theatre is a Moorish Revival movie theater building at 2330 Polk Street in San Francisco, California, that opened on November 5, 1926. The theater was designed by Miller & Pflueger.
Reid & Reid, also known as Reid Brothers, was an American architectural and engineering firm that was active from 1880 to 1932. Established in Indiana by Canadian immigrants, the firm moved to the West Coast and became was the most prominent firm in San Francisco, California in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Nimoy Theater, formerly known as Crest, Majestic Crest and Bigfoot Crest Theatre, is a movie theatre located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was founded as the UCLAN in 1941, and was built for live performances but switched to a newsreel cinema during World War II. Through ownership changes, it has been known at various times as UCLAN Theatre, Crest Theatre, and Metro Theatre. The original 500-seat art deco style theater was designed by Arthur W. Hawes.
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The Piedmont Theatre, located on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, California, is Oakland's oldest continuously operating movie theater.
The Metro Theater is a defunct movie theater at 2626 Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was designed by architecture firm Boak and Paris and built between 1932 and 1933. The theater is designed in the Art Deco style and originally contained 550 seats. Although the theater's interior was demolished after it was closed in 2005, the original facade remains intact as of 2023 and is a New York City designated landmark.
Clay Theatre is a historic 1913 single screen theater building in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California, United States. It was formerly known as The Regent, The Avalon, The Clay International, and Landmark's Clay Theatre. It has been listed as a San Francisco Designated Landmark since May 6, 2022.
The California Theatre is a historic theatre in Old Town Pittsburg, Callifornia.
El Rey Theatre is a historic theater building in the Ingleside Terraces neighborhood of San Francisco, California, United States. The building is listed by the city as a San Francisco Designated Landmark since 2017.
El Capitan Theatre and Hotel, or The Cap, is a historic 1928 building containing a hotel, shops, and a former luxury vaudeville and movie theater in the Mission District of San Francisco, California. It has been listed by the city as a San Francisco Designated Landmark, since March 3, 1996.