California Theatre Site (1869-1888; 1889-1906)
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
William Ralston built the California Theatre on January 18, 1869, after being inspired by the acting of John McCullough and Lawrence Barrett. The original building was demolished and replaced by a second theater that operated until the Great San Francisco Earthquake. The original theater was the grandest in the new city, and it was replaced by a larger theater by the same name that operated from 1889 until 1906 when the earthquake and fire destroyed the second site of the California Theatre. A plaque here shares the story of the theater and was placed on the Pacific Telephone Building in 2012.
Images
The California Historical Landmark plaque for the California Theatre, located on the side of Pacific Telephone Building.
The first site of the California Theatre
The Pacific Telephone Building where the plaque is mounted.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The California Theatre operated here from 1869 through 1888. In those years, this was the leading theatre in San Francisco and showcased performances and was also home to elaborate murals of San Francisco and a panoramic view of San Francisco Bay on the drop curtain. Some performers who came here include Charles W Couldock, Edwin Adams, John Broughan, Edwin Booth, Barton Hill, Walter Montgomery, Mrs D P Bowers, Adelaide Neilson, and Lotta Crabtree.
It is speculated that the theatre was the first on the West Coast to use limelight with parabolic reflectors aimed from the house to light up the stage. However, it is known that the California Theatre was the first on the West Coast to use electricity; this was at the second site of the California Theatre. The second California Theatre was built at the same location as the first in 1889. An earthquake and fire in 1906 destroyed the second site of the California Theatre.
Sources
California Theater, California Historical Landmark website, http://noehill.com/sf/landmarks/cal0086.asp