Tenderloin in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Former Film Exchange
Uptown Tenderloin Historic District
c. 1922
Former Film Exchange
Originally owned by legendary
San Francisco real estate developer
Louis R. Lurie.
This building is listed in
The National Register of
Historic Places
Uptown Tenderloin Historic District
Erected by Uptown Tenderloin, Incorporated.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1922.
Location. 37° 46.942′ N, 122° 24.835′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in Tenderloin. Marker is on Leavenworth Street south of Turk Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 144 Leavenworth Street, San Francisco CA 94102, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Page Hotel (within shouting distance of this marker); California Labor School (within shouting distance of this marker); 220 Golden Gate Ave. (within shouting distance of this marker); Oasis Apartments (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hamlin Hotel (about 500 feet away); Blackhawk Jazz Club (about 500 feet away); Antonia Manor (about 500 feet away); Cadillac Hotel (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.
More about this marker. It might be prudent to avoid this site altogether, or at a minimum, not visit it alone. This correspondent was harangued for taking pictures of the marker and building - apparently a drug deal was about to occur and the dealer's lookout considered the photography uncongenial to business. With the explanation provided that the correspondent's interest was confined to photographing old buildings, both the picture-taking and drug deal were concluded.
Also see . . . San Francisco's Film Exchanges. FoundSF presents Mark Ellinger's historical essay on the film exchanges in San Francisco. On their establishment: "...Many early film exchanges were located in Tenderloin buildings because of their proximity to Market Street cinemas; however, nitrate film was explosively volatile, so ordinary buildings were dangerous places in which to store movies, especially large quantities of them. Although delayed by political inertia, the ’06 conflagration notwithstanding, by 1911 was born the first of the Tenderloin’s many film exchange buildings—fireproof, reinforced concrete structures specifically designed for storing film." (Submitted on March 7, 2013.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 7, 2013, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 540 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 7, 2013, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.