Alhambra Theater

Once named the ‘Showplace of Sacramento’ the Alhambra Theater was designed by Leonard Starks in 1927. The Alhambra seated about 1,850 and had California’s first permanently installed movie sound system, the Vitaphone, which was installed just after the theater’s opening Sept. 24, 1927.  So great was its splendor that the City of Sacramento even renamed adjacent 31st Street ‘Alhambra Boulevard’ in honor of the theater.

The legacy of the Alhambra and passion in which Sacramento’s moviegoers loved this building is evident in the grass roots effort known as “Save the Alhambra!” which attempted to save the theater from being razed.

In 1973, however, the Alhambra was demolished to make way for a Safeway grocery store. Today, the only remnant of the Alhambra is a fountain and a plaque located on the side of the store’s parking lot.

Two Images Courtesy of Preservation Sacramento