Overview

The National Theatre operated at the corner of Post and Steiner Streets in San Francisco, managed by the father-and-son duo David J. Grauman and Sid Grauman, during the 1900s and 1910s.

Building History

Impresario David Julius Grauman (born 1852 in Louisville, KY-d. 04/06/1921 in Los Angeles, CA) and his son Sid Grauman (1879-1950) opened the National Theatre after they vacated their Unique Theatre in early 1906. The head of the Orpheum Theatre Circuit, Morris Meyerfeld, Jr., (1855-1935) purchased the Unique's building on Market Stteet and then doubled the rent to make life more difficult for the Graumans. The Graumans promptly left the Unique, but not before destroying its interior furnishings, making them unusable.

According to some sources, the Graumans were the first theatre operators to reopen after the quake. They erected a tent theatre, which lasted for about a year, while this new facility was built and completed by late 1907 or early 1908. The National Theatre operated for a relatively short time.

Building Notes

By 1909, the National Theatre featured acts belonging to the Sullivan and Considine vaudeville circuit. (See Joe Vogel, Cinema Treasures.org, "National Theatre," accessed 11/16/2020.)

Demolition

The National Theatre was razed to make way for the Dreamland (later renamed Winterland) Ballroom in 1928.

PCAD id: 23730