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. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. 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.