El Rey Theatre (San Francisco)
| El Rey Theatre | |
|---|---|
El Rey Theatre in 2024 | |
| Location | 1970 Ocean Avenue, San Francisco, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 37°43′35″N 122°27′50″W / 37.7264°N 122.4640°W |
| Built | 1931 |
| Architect | Timothy L. Pflueger |
| Architectural styles | Art Deco-Moderne,[1] Spanish-Colonial Revival |
| Designated | July 27, 2017 |
| Reference no. | 274[2] |
Location of El Rey Theatre in San Francisco County El Rey Theatre (San Francisco) (California) | |
El Rey Theatre is a historic theater building in the Ingleside Terraces neighborhood of San Francisco, California, United States. The building is listed by the city as a San Francisco Designated Landmark since 2017.[1][3][4]
History
The Balboa Theater (opened in 1926) at 1634 Ocean Avenue had preceded the El Rey in the Ingleside Terraces neighborhood.[5]
The Art Deco–Moderne El Rey Theatre building was designed by local architect Timothy L. Pflueger.[1][6] It contains a 150 feet (46 m) tower, and the tower once contained an aircraft beacon, and neon lights.[3][7] The El Rey Theatre opened on November 14, 1931, and had 1,800 seats.[8] The opening show was The Smiling Lieutenant (1931), starring Maurice Chevalier.[9]
In 1949, the building was remodeled by architect Vincent G. Raney.[10] One of the retail spaces next door to the theater was the first location of The Gap (now Gap Inc.) in 1969.[11] In April 1, 1977, the theater closed.[8][12]
In 2016, the building was sold at auction to the "Voice of the Pentecost or A Place to Meet Jesus" church, which later defaulted on their mortgage.[1] Since 2021, the former theater building has been slated for redevelopment into a multi-unit housing building.[1][13]
In 2025, the building was purchased by "The Father’s House SF" church.[14][15]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e "Redevelopment Plans Move Forward for Historic El Rey Theater In Ingleside". SFist. August 17, 2021. Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Bourdette Building Landmark Designation Report" (PDF). San Francisco Planning Department. May 20, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 13, 2017.
- ^ a b "San Francisco Landmark 274: El Rey Theater". noehill.com. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "ORDINANCE NO. 161-17 — Planning Code - Landmark Designation - 1970 Ocean Avenue (aka El Rey Theater)" (PDF). American Legal Publishing. July 18, 2017. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ Tillmany, Jack (2005). Theatres of San Francisco. Arcadia Publishing. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-7385-3020-8.
- ^ Nolte, Carl (July 2, 2022). "Ocean Avenue is one of San Francisco's unsung streets. Here's why". The San Francisco Chronicle. ISSN 1932-8672. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ Poletti, Therese (September 3, 2008). Art Deco San Francisco: The Architecture of Timothy Pflueger. Princeton Architectural Press. p. 129. ISBN 978-1-56898-756-9.
- ^ a b "El Rey Theatre". OutsideLands.org. Western Neighborhoods Project. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Proctor, Jacqueline (2006). San Francisco's West of Twin Peaks. Arcadia Publishing. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-7385-4660-5.
- ^ "Vincent G. Raney El Rey Architect". The Solano-Napa News Chronicle. July 14, 1949. p. 18. Retrieved May 16, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Keeling, Brock (July 19, 2017). "Timothy Pflueger's El Rey Theatre, home of the first Gap, granted landmark status". Curbed SF. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ Dineen, J.K. (June 26, 2017). "SF's El Rey Theater moves step closer to being a city landmark". The San Francisco Chronicle. ISSN 1932-8672. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ Kristoff, Anne Marie (June 8, 2023). "El Rey Theatre Project Architect Shares Plans". The Ingleside Light. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Long-blighted theater, once destined for housing, taken over by megachurch". The SF Standard. September 22, 2025. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ^ Karoff, Timothy (September 22, 2025). "After 9 years empty, historic San Francisco theater finds buyer". SFGATE.