The Victoria Theater

This photo was probably taken in the late 1930s or early 1940s and shows the Victoria Theater as it appeared during the period I attended movies there.
Located on the southwest corner of Capp and 16th Streets, in the Mission District, it is a real survivor.
The building was reportedly built in 1908 as Brown's Opera House. By c1914, however, it had become the Victoria Theater, and for the next several years entertained its patrons with movies and vaudeville.
For awhile, between 1955 and 1963, it showed mostly Spanish and Mexican movies.
In 1964, it changed its name to the New Follies Theater featuring "Live Burlesque" shows and third rate movies.
By 1968 It was the New Follies Burlesque Theater.
Between 1975 and 1979, It operated under the name The Sixteenth Street Theater, but was not very successful.
In 1979, it resumed its original name and started showing live stage productions interspersed with some English and Mexican language movies.
For the past two decades it has tried to limit itself to mostly live entertainment.
The Lachman Bros. Furniture store, which faced Mission Street and wrapped around the theater, can be seen at left and right of theater building.

The date of this photo showing the foyer of the original Victoria theater is not known.
Although this was not one of my favorite movie houses, I do remember going there sometimes on Sunday afternoons and a few times in the evenings when I couldn't get in to watch the marathon dancing at the hall across the street.

The old Victoria Theater as the New Follies Theater in 1964. As can be seen on the marque, it featured live burlesque. It also showed "action movies."

The old Victoria as the New Follies Burlesque Theater. It operated under this name from c1968 until c1977. Note the slight change in the format of vertical sign from the previous photo.

This is the Victoria Theater as it looks today. It seems little changed from the original.
The billing on the marque is for "Escapade 2001," a Las Vegas-style review, which received mixed reviews in the San Francisco Chronicle on May 7, of this year.
With the tenacity it has shown over the past 87 years, The Victoria Theater might just survive to someday become the oldest active theater in the city.
Although part of the Lachman Bros. sign is still visable, the store has been closed for years.

If you have information or photos pertaining to the above, or any other San Francisco movie theaters, that you are willing to share, I would like to hear from you.

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