El Capitan Theatre and Hotel, San Francisco
El Capitan Theatre and Hotel, or The Cap, is a historic 1928 building containing a hotel, shops, and a former luxury vaudeville and movie theater in the Mission District of San Francisco, California.[2][3] It has been listed by the city as a San Francisco Designated Landmark (no. 214), since March 3, 1996.[1] HistoryIt is a Spanish colonial revival style with a Mexican baroque façade, designed by architect Gustave Albert Lansburgh.[1] When it was built for the Ackerman and Harris vaudeville circuit, it was the second largest theater in San Francisco with 3,100-seats.[2][4][5] It opened on June 29, 1928, with Edward Sloman's silent film We Americans (1928) starring George Sidney,[5] Patsy Ruth Miller, and George J. Lewis. The theater contained a Wurlitzer theatre organ (style 235) to accompany silent films.[5] The building later became part of Fox West Coast Theatres (now Fox Theatres) as the "Mission Street Showcase" theater, and by 1950, they introduced CinemaScope and stereophonic sound.[2] It closed on December 15, 1957.[2] Closure and modern historyIn 1961, the theatre portion of the building was demolished, and turned into a parking lot by 1965.[1][6] In 1994, the remaining portion of the building experienced a fire, which did not affect the façade.[3] Still remaining are the hotel, the stores, the marquee, and the façade. See alsoReferencesWikimedia Commons has media related to El Capitan Theatre and Hotel, San Francisco.
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