Metro Theatre (San Francisco, CA)
The Metro Theatre is one of San Francisco’s finest remaining neighborhood movie theaters. It opened in 1924 and was designed by the Reid Bros., a prominent San Francisco firm that designed numerous Bay Area theaters. In 1941 the Metro was remodeled by master architect Timothy Pflueger (Paramount Theatre, Oakland). The Metro was the original home of the San Francisco International Film Festival – America’s oldest continuously operating Film Festival. The Metro was updated by UA in 1998 and was fitted with new seats and modern amenities. The Metro was closed in 2006 by Regal Entertainment who sold the 20-plus years remaining on their lease to the property owner. An interested local buyer has emerged who would preserve the Metro as a theatre, but the property owner has not given serious consideration to his very competitive offer. Local legislation will make it very difficult to convert the Metro to another use, but the property owner seems determined to gut the theatre. The Metro is a classic neighborhood theatre with a giant screen, a terrific location and a rich history. With a prospective buyer now willing to purchase the theatre at a fair price we need to get the property owner to listen before he attempts to do permanent damage to the theatre. /theaters/3260/
As the President of the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation, I wanted to be sure to provide some information about our organization given the comments above. The Theater Foundation was the driving public force behind saving both the Presidio and Cinema 21 theaters. We organized public testimony supporting preservation of the Presidio and had extensive conversations with the the family that owns the Presidio in advance of their coming to terms with Frank Lee on a lease agreement.
We were also the primary organizers of the campaign to save the Cinema 21. Our efforts led to the defeat at the Planning Commission of the original plan to eliminate the theater. We then came up with the compromise plan to save the theater and initiated the conversations with the property owner that led to the deal to save the theater. We also helped to fund initial architectural study of the compromise plan. The Cinema 21 will re-open as the Marina Theatre next year (it premiered as the Marina Theater).
Our work was also essential to the 2004 local landmarking of the New Mission Theatre and plans are currently being developed to re-open the New Mission as multi-purpose entertainment venue. The New Mission was slated for demolition only a few years ago.
More recently, we worked with the Board of Supervisors to enact legislation that provides significant protections to neighborhood theaters by requiring Conditional Use review of any plan to convert a theatre to another use. Plans for the Coronet were submitted just before the enactment of this legislation. We are already seeing signs that he legislation is having an impact and hopefully the Coronet will be the last theater to be demolished in San Francisco for some time. It is possible that the 4-Star Theater will be saved as a direct result of this legislation. It should also be noted that the Alexandria Theater building will not go away and that the current property owners have committed to maintaining a theater in the building. We’re currently working to do whatever we can to preserve theaters like the Metro and the Vogue and I hope people realize that Regal’s departure from the Metro is not likely to be the end of movie-going at this Theater.
Given the multiple threats to neighborhood theaters from multiplexes, home theatres and escalating real estate values saving neighborhood theaters is a very challenging task. Despite these challenges, however, we are having some success. Unfortunately, we can not control the whim of corporations like Regal Entertainment that have little concern for their few remaining neighborhood theatre properties. Regal was behind the recent closings of the Alexandria, Coronet and Galaxy theatres and is now behind the closing of the Metro.
The Theater Foundation is an all-volunteer organization and we focus our energy on advocacy and working to establish policies through legislation that help to protect San Francisco’s theaters. Our popular outdoor film series began as an extension of our advocacy efforts – a creative way to bring film back to neighborhoods that had lost many, if not all, of their neighborhood theaters (i.e. North Beach, Noe Valley and the Mission).
I hope this clears up some of the confusion about what the Theater Foundation has done and is doing. Perhaps you can all help us spread the word about what we do or drop me a line at if you would like to learn more. Meanwhile, we are doing whatever we can to save the Metro and are optimistic that a positive outcome is possible.
As the President of the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation, I wanted to be sure to provide some information about our organization given the comments above. The Theater Foundation was the driving public force behind saving both the Presidio and Cinema 21 theaters. We organized public testimony supporting preservation of the Presidio and had extenstive conversations with the the family that owns the Presidio in advance of their coming to terms with Frank Lee on a lease agreement.
We were also the primary organizers of the campaign to save the Cinema 21. Our efforts led to the defeat at the Planning Commission of the original plan to eliminate the theater. We then came up with the compromise plan to save the theater and initiated the conversations with the property owner that led to the deal to save the theater. We also helped to fund initial architectural study of the compromise plan. The Cinema 21 will re-open as the Marina Theatre next year (it premiered as the Marina Theater).
Our work was also essential to the 2004 local landmarking of the New Mission Theatre and plans are currently being developed to re-open the New Mission as multi-purpose entertainment venue. The New Mission was slated for demolition only a few years ago.
More recently, we worked with the Board of Supervisors to enact legislation that provides significant protections to neighborhood theaters by requiring Conditional Use review of any plan to convert a theatre to another use. Plans for the Coronet were submitted just before the enactment of this legislation. We are already seeing signs that he legislation is having an impact and hopefully the Coronet will be the last theater to be demolished in San Francisco for some time. It is possible that the 4-Star Theater will be saved as a direct result of this legislation. It should also be noted that the Alexandria Theater building will not go away and that the current property owners have committed to maintaining a theater in the building. We’re currently working to do whatever we can to preserve theaters like the Metro and the Vogue and I hope people realize that Regal’s departure from the Metro is not likely to be the end of movie-going at this Theater.
Given the multiple threats to neighborhood theaters from multiplexes, home theatres and escalating real estate values saving neighborhood theaters is a very challenging task. Despite these challenges, however, we are having some success. Unfortunately, we can not control the whim of corporations like Regal Entertainment that have little concern for their few remaining neighborhood theatre properties. Regal was behind the recent closings of the Alexandria, Coronet and Galaxy theatres and is now behind the closing of the Metro.
The Theater Foundation is an all-volunteer organization and we focus our energy on advocacy and working to establish policies through legislation that help to protect San Francisco’s theaters. Our popular outdoor film series began as an extension of our advocacy efforts – a creative way to bring film back to neighborhoods that had lost many, if not all, of their neighborhood theaters (i.e. North Beach, Noe Valley and the Mission).
I hope this clears up some of the confusion about what the Theater Foundation has done and is doing. Perhaps you can all help us spread the word about what we do or drop me a line at if you would like to learn more.
The Harding Theatre operated as a church for over 20 years and as a result was largely forgotten within the community. The architect of the proposed replacement project suggested that the theatre’s interior had been “stripped” and little of the original theatre remained. As a result of this misinformation, a general lack of notice and of the dilapidated appearance of the theatre’s exterior, there was little early opposition to changes to the theatre. A recent tour of the interior of the theatre, however, verified that the theatre’s interior is in fact largely intact. Projection, sound and screen equipment were removed years ago and singificant improvements would be required to re-open the theatre, but the interior remains striking. More information and photos are available at www.savetheharding.org or at www.sfntf.org The Harding Theatre issue will now be heard before the S.F. Board of Supervisors on 2/15/04 at 4 PM.
Representatives of the Planning Association of the Richmond and the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation recently met with the new owners of the Alexandria. While plans are not complete, the new owners are committed to retaining the historic theatre building and to retaining at least one theatre for movies upstairs (configuration to be determined). Their tentative plan is to build residential units on the adjacent parking lot with groundfloor retail in both the new building and within the Alexadria.
I think the new site looks great. I do, however, hope that the comments will be returned to every theater profile as information contained in comments is often most current and accurate.
Metro Theatre (San Francisco, CA)
The Metro Theatre is one of San Francisco’s finest remaining neighborhood movie theaters. It opened in 1924 and was designed by the Reid Bros., a prominent San Francisco firm that designed numerous Bay Area theaters. In 1941 the Metro was remodeled by master architect Timothy Pflueger (Paramount Theatre, Oakland). The Metro was the original home of the San Francisco International Film Festival – America’s oldest continuously operating Film Festival. The Metro was updated by UA in 1998 and was fitted with new seats and modern amenities. The Metro was closed in 2006 by Regal Entertainment who sold the 20-plus years remaining on their lease to the property owner. An interested local buyer has emerged who would preserve the Metro as a theatre, but the property owner has not given serious consideration to his very competitive offer. Local legislation will make it very difficult to convert the Metro to another use, but the property owner seems determined to gut the theatre. The Metro is a classic neighborhood theatre with a giant screen, a terrific location and a rich history. With a prospective buyer now willing to purchase the theatre at a fair price we need to get the property owner to listen before he attempts to do permanent damage to the theatre.
/theaters/3260/
As the President of the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation, I wanted to be sure to provide some information about our organization given the comments above. The Theater Foundation was the driving public force behind saving both the Presidio and Cinema 21 theaters. We organized public testimony supporting preservation of the Presidio and had extensive conversations with the the family that owns the Presidio in advance of their coming to terms with Frank Lee on a lease agreement.
We were also the primary organizers of the campaign to save the Cinema 21. Our efforts led to the defeat at the Planning Commission of the original plan to eliminate the theater. We then came up with the compromise plan to save the theater and initiated the conversations with the property owner that led to the deal to save the theater. We also helped to fund initial architectural study of the compromise plan. The Cinema 21 will re-open as the Marina Theatre next year (it premiered as the Marina Theater).
Our work was also essential to the 2004 local landmarking of the New Mission Theatre and plans are currently being developed to re-open the New Mission as multi-purpose entertainment venue. The New Mission was slated for demolition only a few years ago.
More recently, we worked with the Board of Supervisors to enact legislation that provides significant protections to neighborhood theaters by requiring Conditional Use review of any plan to convert a theatre to another use. Plans for the Coronet were submitted just before the enactment of this legislation. We are already seeing signs that he legislation is having an impact and hopefully the Coronet will be the last theater to be demolished in San Francisco for some time. It is possible that the 4-Star Theater will be saved as a direct result of this legislation. It should also be noted that the Alexandria Theater building will not go away and that the current property owners have committed to maintaining a theater in the building. We’re currently working to do whatever we can to preserve theaters like the Metro and the Vogue and I hope people realize that Regal’s departure from the Metro is not likely to be the end of movie-going at this Theater.
Given the multiple threats to neighborhood theaters from multiplexes, home theatres and escalating real estate values saving neighborhood theaters is a very challenging task. Despite these challenges, however, we are having some success. Unfortunately, we can not control the whim of corporations like Regal Entertainment that have little concern for their few remaining neighborhood theatre properties. Regal was behind the recent closings of the Alexandria, Coronet and Galaxy theatres and is now behind the closing of the Metro.
The Theater Foundation is an all-volunteer organization and we focus our energy on advocacy and working to establish policies through legislation that help to protect San Francisco’s theaters. Our popular outdoor film series began as an extension of our advocacy efforts – a creative way to bring film back to neighborhoods that had lost many, if not all, of their neighborhood theaters (i.e. North Beach, Noe Valley and the Mission).
I hope this clears up some of the confusion about what the Theater Foundation has done and is doing. Perhaps you can all help us spread the word about what we do or drop me a line at if you would like to learn more. Meanwhile, we are doing whatever we can to save the Metro and are optimistic that a positive outcome is possible.
As the President of the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation, I wanted to be sure to provide some information about our organization given the comments above. The Theater Foundation was the driving public force behind saving both the Presidio and Cinema 21 theaters. We organized public testimony supporting preservation of the Presidio and had extenstive conversations with the the family that owns the Presidio in advance of their coming to terms with Frank Lee on a lease agreement.
We were also the primary organizers of the campaign to save the Cinema 21. Our efforts led to the defeat at the Planning Commission of the original plan to eliminate the theater. We then came up with the compromise plan to save the theater and initiated the conversations with the property owner that led to the deal to save the theater. We also helped to fund initial architectural study of the compromise plan. The Cinema 21 will re-open as the Marina Theatre next year (it premiered as the Marina Theater).
Our work was also essential to the 2004 local landmarking of the New Mission Theatre and plans are currently being developed to re-open the New Mission as multi-purpose entertainment venue. The New Mission was slated for demolition only a few years ago.
More recently, we worked with the Board of Supervisors to enact legislation that provides significant protections to neighborhood theaters by requiring Conditional Use review of any plan to convert a theatre to another use. Plans for the Coronet were submitted just before the enactment of this legislation. We are already seeing signs that he legislation is having an impact and hopefully the Coronet will be the last theater to be demolished in San Francisco for some time. It is possible that the 4-Star Theater will be saved as a direct result of this legislation. It should also be noted that the Alexandria Theater building will not go away and that the current property owners have committed to maintaining a theater in the building. We’re currently working to do whatever we can to preserve theaters like the Metro and the Vogue and I hope people realize that Regal’s departure from the Metro is not likely to be the end of movie-going at this Theater.
Given the multiple threats to neighborhood theaters from multiplexes, home theatres and escalating real estate values saving neighborhood theaters is a very challenging task. Despite these challenges, however, we are having some success. Unfortunately, we can not control the whim of corporations like Regal Entertainment that have little concern for their few remaining neighborhood theatre properties. Regal was behind the recent closings of the Alexandria, Coronet and Galaxy theatres and is now behind the closing of the Metro.
The Theater Foundation is an all-volunteer organization and we focus our energy on advocacy and working to establish policies through legislation that help to protect San Francisco’s theaters. Our popular outdoor film series began as an extension of our advocacy efforts – a creative way to bring film back to neighborhoods that had lost many, if not all, of their neighborhood theaters (i.e. North Beach, Noe Valley and the Mission).
I hope this clears up some of the confusion about what the Theater Foundation has done and is doing. Perhaps you can all help us spread the word about what we do or drop me a line at if you would like to learn more.
The Harding Theatre operated as a church for over 20 years and as a result was largely forgotten within the community. The architect of the proposed replacement project suggested that the theatre’s interior had been “stripped” and little of the original theatre remained. As a result of this misinformation, a general lack of notice and of the dilapidated appearance of the theatre’s exterior, there was little early opposition to changes to the theatre. A recent tour of the interior of the theatre, however, verified that the theatre’s interior is in fact largely intact. Projection, sound and screen equipment were removed years ago and singificant improvements would be required to re-open the theatre, but the interior remains striking. More information and photos are available at www.savetheharding.org or at www.sfntf.org The Harding Theatre issue will now be heard before the S.F. Board of Supervisors on 2/15/04 at 4 PM.
Representatives of the Planning Association of the Richmond and the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation recently met with the new owners of the Alexandria. While plans are not complete, the new owners are committed to retaining the historic theatre building and to retaining at least one theatre for movies upstairs (configuration to be determined). Their tentative plan is to build residential units on the adjacent parking lot with groundfloor retail in both the new building and within the Alexadria.
I think the new site looks great. I do, however, hope that the comments will be returned to every theater profile as information contained in comments is often most current and accurate.