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

The, now vacant and boarded up, Clay Theater in February 2025.

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]

However, in February 2024, the theatre and the building that housed the adjacent store, Alice + Olivia, were purchased by Neil Mehta as part of the Upper Fillmore Revitalization Project and it has since been boarded up.[9][10]

See also

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Kukura, Joe (April 20, 2022). "The Clay Theatre on Upper Fillmore has finally received historic landmark status". Hoodline.
  3. ^ a b Tillmany, Jack (2005). Theatres of San Francisco. Arcadia Publishing. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-7385-3020-8.
  4. ^ "Foreign Made Pictures To Be Screened Here". The San Francisco Examiner. March 28, 1935. p. 14. ISSN 2574-593X – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "French Romance Film Due". The San Francisco Examiner. April 17, 1935. p. 10. ISSN 2574-593X – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Kukura, Joe (July 26, 2021). "Landmark status for Clay Theatre moves forward, theater may reopen yet". Hoodline.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Barmann, Jay (2020-01-17). "Historic Clay Theatre in Pacific Heights To Close on January 26 After 110 Years". SFist. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Waxmann, Laura. "Several buildings on this ritzy S.F. street are quietly selling at high prices. But who's buying?". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2025-02-07. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_Theatre
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