Then + Now: Presidio Theatre

Like all Army posts, the Presidio had a bustling community life where soldiers and military families would come together to socialize and enjoy much needed “R&R” (rest and relaxation). The Presidio Theatre, located in the heart of the post near the Presidio Officers’ Club, was at the center of this community life and was a beloved gathering place for decades.

Built in 1939, the Spanish Colonial Revival building was the Presidio’s first dedicated movie theatre. Though before the theatre was built, the Army screened mov​ies for the troops at the theatre for over three decades, soldiers previously had to watch movies at smaller venues, like the YMCA building, or on makeshift outdoor screens. The theatre was part of an extensive effort to improve recreational facilities at the Presidio and it was funded through the federal government’s Works Progress Administration (WPA), a New Deal job stimulus program.

For more than fifty years, the Presidio Theatre screened movies for Army personnel and their families on an almost daily basis at the theatre. In addition, the theatre hosted occasional live performances from some of the biggest names in showbiz. It’s been vacant and awaiting its new chapter since the Army marched out of the Presidio in 1994…until now.

A New Chapter Begins

In June 2017, the Margaret E. Haas Fund, in partnership with the Presidio Trust, announced it’s bringing the theatre back to life as a state-of-the-art multipurpose space for live theatre, film, dance, music, lectures, educational programming, and special events. The theatre will offer approximately 650 seats. Construction starts soon and will continue through mid-2019. Learn more about the Presidio Theatre project >>

As we await this exciting future, let’s take a walk back in time and see the Presidio Theatre through the decades.​

Then: circa 1908 – Before it was the location for the theatre, the site was used as an athletic field for baseball and other sports. During World War I, the playing field was moved south to make room for bayonet drills.

Then: December 16, 1938 – Congressional dignitaries and Army officers attended the official groundbreaking on July 8, 1938. Within a few months, the theatre began taking shape.

Then: 1939 – The theatre opened on July 30, 1939 with four free performances for enlisted men, officers, and their families from the Presidio and nearby posts. The program featured the film, I’m from Missouri, starring Bob Burns and Gladys George, and the Mikey Mouse cartoon, Society Dog Show.

Then: October 6, 1942 – During World War II, both Jack Benny and Bob Hope brought their popular radio shows to the theatre to record live performances for the troops. Here, Private Charles Heinrichs presents Hope with a plaque correcting his announcement the previous week that the broadcast would be “from the Presidio of Oakland, California.”

Then: January 1969 – This program from 1969 shows some of the various movies offered on a daily basis at the theatre.

Then: 1994 – The theatre closed just after the Army departed the Presidio. It showed its last film, Maverick, on August 28, 1994, the day before the final Army bowling tournament at the Bowling Center next door. ​