Ample evidence exists of theaters once facing demolition that have been restored and have become tremendous, viable assets to their communities. Visit Canton, Ohio's restored Palace Theater, and Columbus' magnificent Ohio Theater for two compelling examples. Can San Francisco rise to the same challenge? The Alexandria, depicted at left in a 1927 photo, was sold by Regal Entertainment on February 16, 2004. The projection equipment and seats were removed later that month. What the purchasing developer will do with the Alexandria is a question posed by the Planning Association of the Richmond, the Western Neighborhoods Project and the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation. Photos taken by Eric Hooper of the Alexandria on its final day can be found here.
San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation has successfully negotiated an agreement with the owner of Cinema 21 that allows for both Walgreens and a two-screen theater. Nearby Walgreens will move into the street-level floor. A 264-seat theater will be housed upstairs, and an 86-seat theater will be built in the mezzanine area. A concerted neighborhood effort working with the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation was able to stop the iimpending loss of the theater in May 2002.
The fate of two other Regal Entertainment properties, the Metro and the Vogue, is in jeopardy. The Vogue Theater may be sold to a developer with no plans to retain the theater space. As of October 2006, the theater is still in operation. The Metro at 2055 Union Street closed its doors in October 2006. Its future remains uncertain.
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The tables below list former San Francisco movie house closings during the period of 1978 to the present. Thanks to Tom Mayer for the compilation of this list. |
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