Taken on October 31, 1946, this photograph shows the entrance to the El Rancho Drive-In Theater on the Davis Highway, now 2000 West Capitol Avenue, in West Sacramento, California. The 13-acre, 600-car El Rancho was the first drive-in theater in...
This November 1940 photograph shows Sacramento’s annual Christmas Parade as, led by Santa Claus, it proceeds east on K Street between Sixth and Seventh. Sponsored by the “Sacramento Bee,” the Sacramento Retail Merchants’ Association and...
The Christmas 1950 photograph reveals numerous K Street storefronts, including the Capital Clothing Company at 916 K Street, Fox Senator Theater at 912 K Street, Wilson's Restaurant at 908 K Street, the Moderne Bar and Restaurant at 910 K Street,...
In this August 1932 photograph, a parade comprised of various posts of the Veterans of Foreign Wars moves eastward, down K Street, between Seventh and Tenth Streets. Their presence represented Sacramento’s hosting of the VFW’s thirty-third...
This August 28, 1950, photograph captures the northern stretch of K Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Streets. The Bon Marche department store at 1031 K Street was known to be one of the premier women’s clothing merchants in Superior...
Pictured on October 29, 1949, are the seats and projection facilities of the auditorium at the Crest Theater, located at 1013 K Street. The theater’s 1,200 seats are arranged in a stadium plan, divided into six sections. Gold leaf sconces both...
Pictured are the Golden Eagle Hotel (627 K Street), and the Pantages Theater (615 K Street), circa 1909. The Golden Eagle was built of brick for 25,000 dollars in 1853 by D.C. Callahan. It stood three stories high and covered nearly 3,360 square...
In this circa 1924 photograph of K Street, several business fronts are visible. They include the Golden Eagle Hotel (627 K Street), the Bon Marche women's clothing store (631 K Street), the Liberty Theatre (617 K Street), and Heeseman Clothing...
Pictured on April 11, 1928, and located directly across from the Esquire Theater, is the Del Rio Hotel on 1212 K Street. Visible is the façade of the structure with various cars parked before it. By late 1941, however, it was converted into a...
This circa 1942 photograph reveals a glowing interior of the Hippodrome Theater at 1013 K Street. Just four years later, on September 14, 1946, the marquee of the Hippodrome collapsed onto K Street, killing one person and injuring three. A...
This screenward shot of the Hippodrome Theater's interior was taken in circa 1942. The 1013 K Street venue had changed much since its opening in 1913, when it was known as the Empress. At that time, it provided vaudeville-style entertainment and a...
This photograph, as taken from the back of the Crest Theater auditorium, was made on October 29, 1949. It shows the proscenium, a curtain-shrouded projection screen, numerous seats and walls adorned with gold leaf fixtures. For the first time...
Looking west, from the top of the Ramona Hotel, this February 21, 1941, photograph shows the frenetic aftermath of a fire at the El Rey Hotel at 519 J Street. The fire started in one of the theater’s balconies and was likely the result of...
The marquee for the Esquire Theater on 1219 K Street promotes the movie “Steel Town” in this March 1952 photograph. The marquee and neon lighting were products of Sacramento’s branch of the Electrical Products Corporation. Below the marquee...
This westerly view, from the intersection of Twelfth and K Streets, was taken in 1939. On the right are the towering spires of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, built in 1889 for 250,000 dollars. Its design was directed by the Sacramento...
This March 29, 1952, photograph captures an eastbound automobile procession on K Street, advertising the opening of the film "Steel Town" at the Esquire Theater. In addition to the parade, the photograph reveals several downtown businesses,...
This November 21, 1940, photograph shows the Fox Capitol Theater at 615 K Street, and its effort to promote "Northwest Mounted Police," starring Gary Cooper and Madeleine Carroll. Three men are dressed as Canadian mounted policemen, posing with a...
Photo taken August 28, 1950 of the corner of Eleventh and K Streets, showing the Bon Marche Department Store (1031 K Street), Crest Theater (1013 K Street), H.T. Harger Company Jewelers (1028 K Street), Hart's Restaurant and Pastry (919 K Street);
This July 4, 1910, photograph shows horse-drawn fire engines parading along K Street, between Fourth and Fifth Streets. 30,000 Sacramentans witnessed the Independence Day parade which featured horses. Several awards were given for the fittest and...
Pictured here in May of 1942, and located in North Sacramento at 1917 Del Paso Boulevard, is the Grand Theater. The Grand operated from 1943 to 1960. A church called Evangel Temple rented the theater space after it closed. The church purchased...
