San Francisco continues to lose its classic movie theaters. Can neighborhood and business communities work together with the City to devise ways to save and reuse these irreplacable buildings?

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.

The Harding Theater, at Divisadero and Hayes, was sold to a condo developer who intends to demolish this 1926 Reid Brothers single-screen theater. Growing neighborhood and citywide opposition to this plan hopes to stop the demolition. Read more on this.

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 Coronet at 3575 Geary (depicted at left), until recently one of San Francisco's largest theaters, and the theater that premiered Star Wars and Bladerunner, closed March 17, 2005. Its owner, The Goldman Institute, intends to replace the theater and adjacent parking lot with a senior housing complex and service center.

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.

Preservationists are hopeful after hearing of recent owner Gus Murad's proposal to make the New Mission Theater an attractive nightclub/restaurant/theater venue. Only a few years ago, The New Mission Theater at 2550 Mission Street was slated for demolition by then-owner City College. Due to the persistent efforts of the Save the New Mission Theater group and other preservationists, CCSF decided to sell the property. Go here for updates and more information on The New Mission Theater.

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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