Victoria Theatre
2961 16th Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94103
2961 16th Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94103
11 people
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It is the oldest continually operating theatre in SF. One look at the front reveals that little has been done with the facade since its construction in 1908. It has one of my favorite exteriors, even though it’s just a workingman’s kind of theatre, not a palace.
The Victoria Theater came close to demolition in 1978, when I was a partner in the Roxie Cinema two blocks away. I called Robert and Anita Correa who bought it, restored it, and reopened in March 1979. The Correas still own and operate the Victoria and you can find the Victoria’s schedule of programs at www.victoriatheatre.org
This theatre was built circa 1908, not long after the ‘06 earthquake and fire. The man behind its construction was the father of Edmund G. “Pat” Brown, who became Governor of California, and whose son Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown Jr. (Mayor of Oakland as of 2004) also became Governor.
At one point, the Victoria was known as the 16th Street Theatre, and a mosaic with this name still exists on the floor of the ticket lobby, with a later, circa 1930 box office partly obscuring it.
The facade of the mainly brick-built theatre is stucco, and done in a Mission Revival style. There is a circa 1930 marquee, which once had neon, and still retains its chaser-light-bordered reader board. There is also a nice vertical sign, which likewise once featured neon, and today has the Victoria name nicely painted.