Harding Theater facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Harding Theater |
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The building in 2022
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| General information | |
| Type | Theater |
| Architectural style | Gothic, Moorish |
| Location | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Completed | 1926 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Reid Brothers |
| Main contractor | Samuel H. Levin |
The Harding Theater is a historic movie theater located at 616 Divisadero Street in San Francisco, California. It was finished in 1926. Today, it's a fun place called the Emporium Arcade Bar, which opened in 2017.
A Look Back: The Harding Theater's Story
The Harding Theater was built in 1926. A local theater owner named Samuel H. Levin hired the famous Reid Brothers architects to design it. The theater opened its doors on April 8, 1926. The very first movie shown was Irene, starring Colleen Moore.
Like other buildings by the Reid Brothers, this theater could hold many people. It had space for 800 to 1200 guests. The Harding Theater showed movies from 1926 until 1970.
Other groups also used the theater. A music group called Lamplighters Music Theatre performed there from 1961 to 1968. The famous band Grateful Dead played concerts at the theater on November 6 and 7, 1971.
From the mid-1970s until 2004, the theater was used as a church. Around 2004, the building was bought by developers for about $1.6 million.
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Saving the Theater
After the theater was bought, its future was uncertain. The new owners wanted to build eight new homes, called condominiums, behind the theater. They planned to keep the front part of the theater, including the lobby and main hall. They also wanted to change the sloped floor and seats to add parking underneath.
However, people who cared about saving old buildings thought this plan would harm the theater's history. They believed it would limit what the building could be used for in the future. These activists filed an appeal against the plan.
In 2005, a similar challenge stopped the owners from tearing down the whole theater. That appeal was heard by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
The activists, called "Friends of 1800," kept fighting for the theater. They asked for a special study called an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). This report would look at how the building changes might affect the area. On November 13, 2008, the San Francisco Planning Commission agreed with the activists. They said an EIR was needed for the project.
Since no one came forward with a plan to pay for and save the entire theater, the developer decided to sell the building. Later in 2008, a local group that saves theaters started looking into ways to preserve the Harding Theater. They hoped to turn it into a place for independent movies, film festivals, and live shows.
In November 2010, some fun laser cats were painted on the theater's boarded-up entrance.
A New Chapter: The Arcade Bar
After being empty for ten years, a new plan for the theater came forward in 2015. A hearing was held to turn the main space into an arcade bar. This would be the fourth location for the Emporium Arcade Bar, which started in Chicago.
The new venue opened in December 2017. It has about 50 old-school arcade games, a full bar, and live music. The new tenants removed parts of the building that were falling apart, like the old seating. But they worked to fix up and keep many of the historic parts of the theater.
