Alhambra Theatre, Sacramento
Encyclopedia
The Alhambra Theatre opened in 1927 and was the preeminent movie house in the greater Sacramento
area for many years. It was designed in the Moorish style of the great Spanish
cities and included a large courtyard and fountain. The interior was lavishly appointed with red carpet, gold trim, and large pillars. It was located directly beyond the eastern terminus of K Street at 1025 Thirty-First Street, now Alhambra Boulevard, Sacramento, California 95816, in the East Sacramento
neighborhood.
The theatre was designed by Nacht and Lewis Architects, a firm which was founded in Sacramento by New Yorker Leonard Starks in 1922 and designed many other important structures, including the Fox-Senator Theatre, the Elks Building, C. K. McClatchy High School
, and the downtown post office.
The theatre was also home to the Alhambra Pipe Organ
, an organ of fifteen ranks built by the Robert Morton Organ Company
in 1927. After it was removed in 1960, the instrument was used by the First Baptist Church in Stockton and now resides with the Kautz family at Ironstone Vineyards
.
In 1973, a bond measure intended to allow the City of Sacramento
to purchase the theatre failed to pass, and the Alhambra was demolished to make way for a Safeway
supermarket. An original fountain is still intact and functioning on the south side of the Safeway parking lot. The destruction of the theatre, which was opposed by the public, awakened a preservation movement in Sacramento that remains active today and has adopted “Remember the Alhambra” as a slogan.
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
area for many years. It was designed in the Moorish style of the great Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
cities and included a large courtyard and fountain. The interior was lavishly appointed with red carpet, gold trim, and large pillars. It was located directly beyond the eastern terminus of K Street at 1025 Thirty-First Street, now Alhambra Boulevard, Sacramento, California 95816, in the East Sacramento
East Sacramento, Sacramento, California
East Sacramento is a neighborhood in Sacramento, California, United States, that is east of downtown and midtown. East Sacramento is bounded by U.S. Hwy. 50 to the south, Alhambra Boulevard to the west, Elvas Ave. to the north and northeast, and California State University, Sacramento and the...
neighborhood.
The theatre was designed by Nacht and Lewis Architects, a firm which was founded in Sacramento by New Yorker Leonard Starks in 1922 and designed many other important structures, including the Fox-Senator Theatre, the Elks Building, C. K. McClatchy High School
C. K. McClatchy High School
C.K. McClatchy High School is a Sacramento City Unified School District High School. It is located in the Land Park area of Sacramento, California, USA . McClatchy High School is also the second-oldest high school in Sacramento, having been established in 1937. It is currently the oldest high...
, and the downtown post office.
The theatre was also home to the Alhambra Pipe Organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
, an organ of fifteen ranks built by the Robert Morton Organ Company
Robert Morton Organ Company
The Robert Morton Organ Company was a producer of theater pipe organs and church organs, located in Van Nuys, California. Robert Morton was the number two volume producer of theatre organs, building approximately half as many organs as the industry leader Wurlitzer...
in 1927. After it was removed in 1960, the instrument was used by the First Baptist Church in Stockton and now resides with the Kautz family at Ironstone Vineyards
Ironstone Vineyards
Ironstone Vineyards is a winery located in Calaveras County in the California Sierra Foothills. Its wines are derived from grapes both local to their production facility outside Murphys, California as well as from the Lodi, California area....
.
In 1973, a bond measure intended to allow the City of Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
to purchase the theatre failed to pass, and the Alhambra was demolished to make way for a Safeway
Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
supermarket. An original fountain is still intact and functioning on the south side of the Safeway parking lot. The destruction of the theatre, which was opposed by the public, awakened a preservation movement in Sacramento that remains active today and has adopted “Remember the Alhambra” as a slogan.
External links
- Alhambra profile and considerable commentary
- The Alhambra in contemporary Sacramento redevelopment
- Postcard view of Alhambra archived from the original on Apr 29, 2008.