Clay Theatre
| Clay Theatre | |
|---|---|
Clay Theatre in 2007 | |
| Location | 2261 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 37°47′26″N 122°26′04″W / 37.7905°N 122.4344°W |
| Built | c. 1913 – c. 1914 |
| Designated | May 6, 2022 |
| Reference no. | 302 |
Location of Clay Theatre in San Francisco County Clay Theatre (California) | |
Clay Theatre is a historic 1913 single screen theater building in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California, United States.[1] It was formerly known as The Regent, The Avalon, The Clay International, and Landmark's Clay Theatre. It has been listed as a San Francisco Designated Landmark since May 6, 2022.[2]
History
It was founded in c. 1913 – c. 1914, as The Regent, a nickelodeon-style small movie theater often showing Mary Pickford films.[2][3] It later became The Avalon in 1931.[2][3]
In 1935, it opened as The Clay International under the leadership of Herbert Rosener, and was focused on showing foreign films.[2][4] It was the first theater in the city dedicated to foreign film.[2] The Song to Her (1934), and Goodbye, Beautiful Days (1935) were shown here in 1935.[5]
In the 1950s, the building exterior was greatly modified, including moving of the ticketing booth and a change to the shape of the entrance (formerly an archway).[1]
In modern-day, the single screen theater held 325 seats.[1] Filmmaker John Waters had remembered early showings of Pink Flamingos (1972) at the Clay Theatre.[6] It was also known for midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), after the film release and a decade after.[7][8] The Clay was part of a chain of indie theaters across the United States owned by Landmark Theatres starting in 1991 (and sometimes called Landmark's Clay Theatre).[1]
Closure
In late January 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Clay Theatre was closed by Landmark Theatres.[1][6] In 2021, the owner removed the seating from the theater and filed an application to convert it to retail use.[9]
The local community rallied in hopes of the building re-opening as a movie theater,[1] and in May 2022 it was designated a city landmark.[2]
In February 2024, the theatre and the adjacent building, which then housed the store Alice + Olivia, were purchased by investment trusts linked to Neil Mehta.[9][10] In June 2025, Mehta's Upper Fillmore Revitalization Project announced plans to reopen the Clay Theatre as a 200-seat repertory cinema after nenovations to upgrade its facilities and improve fire safety and ADA compliance.[11] Ted Gerike, the founder of Now Instant Image Hall, a cinema and bookstore in Los Angeles, was hired as creative director of the theater.[12][13]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Whiting, Sam (January 21, 2020). "Clay Theatre to close, last Bay Area single screen in Landmark art house chain". Datebook, The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ a b c d e f Kukura, Joe (April 20, 2022). "The Clay Theatre on Upper Fillmore has finally received historic landmark status". Hoodline.
- ^ a b Tillmany, Jack (2005). Theatres of San Francisco. Arcadia Publishing. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-7385-3020-8.
- ^ "Foreign Made Pictures To Be Screened Here". The San Francisco Examiner. March 28, 1935. p. 14. ISSN 2574-593X – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "French Romance Film Due". The San Francisco Examiner. April 17, 1935. p. 10. ISSN 2574-593X – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Kukura, Joe (July 26, 2021). "Landmark status for Clay Theatre moves forward, theater may reopen yet". Hoodline.
- ^ Zigoris, Julie (2022-03-24). "Sense vs. Sentiment: The Battle for the Soul of Fillmore's Clay Theatre". The San Francisco Standard. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
- ^ Barmann, Jay (2020-01-17). "Historic Clay Theatre in Pacific Heights To Close on January 26 After 110 Years". SFist. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
- ^ a b Waxmann, Laura (February 16, 2024). "Historic S.F. theater sold for surprising price, and the buyer is a mystery". The San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Waxmann, Laura (April 15, 2024). "Several buildings on this ritzy S.F. street are quietly selling at high prices. But who's buying?". The San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2025-02-07. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ Waxmann, Laura (June 10, 2025). "Historic S.F. theater to reopen as part of Fillmore revitalization". The San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ D'Onfro, Jillian (June 10, 2025). "Controversial tech investor unveils revival plan for shuttered 112-year-old movie theater". San Francisco Standard.
- ^ Johnson, G. Allen; Bravo, Tony (June 13, 2025). "'I'm just thrilled': S.F. film community applauds Clay Theatre's anticipated comeback". The San Francisco Chronicle.