Ghirardelli Square Cinema
901 Beach Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94109
901 Beach Street,
San Francisco,
CA
94109
3 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: General Cinema Corp.
Previous Names: Waterfront Theatre
Nearby Theaters
Located at the corner of Beach Street and Polk Street in the former Power House of the historic Ghirardelli Building, once the headquarters of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. The Waterfront Theatre staged “The Fantastics” from at least 1966 to 1969. Another production staged here was “Oh Calcutta”.
The Ghirardelli Square Cinema opened August 20, 1971 with James Taylor in “Two Lane Blacktop”. It was operated by General Cinema. It was closed on December 7, 1986 with Martha Henry in “Dancing in the Dark”. It briefly reopened as the Waterfront Theatre in April 1987.
Contributed by
Juan-Miguel Gallegos
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
Ghirardeli’s status should be “Closed;” its number of screens should state “Single Screen.”
I was the projectionist at the Ghiradelli on and off in the 70’s It had the best projection booth of any theater I have been in. The theater was bulit to be the new “Hungary I” A nightclub. When that failded it became the Ghiradrlli Cinema, and the manager’s office became the projection booth.It had air conditioning,a large bathroom with a shower.
I think the trouble it had was the fact that parking was almost impossible.It was in a tourist part of town.
I think Cosmo is referring to the “Hungry i”, a noted comedy club, and not the country in Eastern Europe.
An article in today’s San Francisco Chronicle mentioned that the film Cruising was supposed to open here on Feb 15, 1980. Due to vandalism & protests, General Cinema cancelled the booking & it opened at the St Francis on Market Street instead.
I loved this theater. I remember seeing the David Byrne concert “Stop Making Sense” with a friend here in the early 80’s, and we had a blast. Wish some of these smaller theaters were still open, I think they would have a substantial audience.
I remember the jazzy General Cinema (?) teaser reel that opened shows in this vaulted theater. Great place to see films, though the cavernous interior reflected laughter so much that I could barely catch every third line in YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. It was close to home (North Beach), so walking distance for me.
This opened on August 20th, 1971. Grand opening ad in the photo section.
Street views don’t seem to show much of this theatre. Any pointers to it’s OG status are greatly appreciated.
The address is incorrect. It should be 901 Beach St. The address above is around the corner and for the historic Ghirardelli Building on the North Point St side of the building. Photos added including a rendering of the entire Ghirardelli complex. The theater was in the old Power House. The Fantastics played here on stage for quite a long time as well as a touring production of Oh Calcutta! that starred William Macy aka Walter on the hit TV show Maude.
Closed on December 7, 1986 with “Dancing In The Dark”.