California Theatre (San Francisco)
California Theatre ca. 1870
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| Address | 414 Bush St. San Francisco |
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| Owner | Bank of California |
| Operator | William Ralston |
| Designation | California Theatre |
| Construction | |
| Opened | January 18, 1869 |
| Demolished | 1906 |
| Rebuilt | May 18, 1889 |
| Architect | S. C. Bugbee & Son |
| Reference no. | 86 |
The California Theatre (San Francisco), was located at 414 (now 440) Bush Street, San Francisco. It was built in 1869 by William Ralston, at that time the treasurer of the Bank of California. S. C. Bugbee & Son were the architects and the theatre cost $250, 000 to build. The original theatre was demolished and rebuilt in 1889. It was destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. The former site (north side of Bush Street, between Kearny and Grant) is now a California Historical Landmark, with a historical marker commemorating the theatre and its artists.
Ralston's decision to build the theatre was inspired by the acting of John McCullough and Lawrence Barrett, who he felt deserved a theatre of their own to showcase their talent and which he believed would be a lucrative investment. He was right, for the theatre was successful beyond his expectations. It opened on January 18, 1869 with a performance of Bulwer-Lytton's play Money. it was the leading theatre in the city until its demolition in 1888. There were elaborate murals of San Francisco painted by local artist G.J. Denny and a panoramic view of San Francisco Bay on the drop curtain. The theatre claimed to be the first on the West Coast to use calcium light (limelight) with parabolic reflectors, aimed from the house, to light up the stage.
On the first anniversary of the theatre's opening, a Scandinavian bandleader had the following to say,
The first year [1869-1870] the California Theatre cleared $100,000. On the evening of our first anniversary, Mr. Barrett stood at the stage door and invited every single individual belonging to the theatre, saying that after the performance we should all meet up in Pacific Hall on the second floor of the California Theatre building, facing Bush street. Upon coming into the hall we were surprised with a large banquet table set in the form of “T” and furnished from the best caterer, Maison-Doree, at $5 a piece.
In spite of the theatre's success, the Bank of California, which owned the theatre, failed in 1875. Soon thereafter, Ralston went swimming and drowned, leading to speculation that he might have committed suicide. The theatre then went into a decline.
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