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El Rey Theater

El Rey Theater
Ocean Avenue at Victoria Street
San Francisco, California

Opened: November 14, 1931

Architect: Timothy Pfluger (other works included the Castro Theater, and Lincoln and Washington high schools)

First film: "The Smiling Lieutenant" starring Maurice Chevalier

Closed: April 1, 1977

The structure of the old El Rey (built near a number of Spanish-themed developments, which may have influenced the name) prospers today as the Voice of Pentecost church. Note the stone pillars of Ingleside Terraces in the foreground.

(Thanks to J.E. Tillmany for most of this information.)

Image: El Rey Theater, 1941. Courtesy of J.E. Tillmany.

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This project is made possible by a grant from the CALIFORNIA COUNCIL FOR THE HUMANITIES with generous support from the San Francisco Foundation, as part of the Council's statewide California Stories Initiative. The COUNCIL is an independent non-profit organization and a state affiliate of the NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES. For more information on the Council and the California Stories Initiative, visit www.californiastories.org.

Page launched 14 March 2001; Updated 26 May 2003.