The California Theatre was located at 414 (now 440) Bush Street, San Francisco. It was built in 1869 by William Ralston, at that time the treasurer of the Bank of California. were the architects and the theatre cost $250, 000 to build. The original theatre was demolished and rebuilt in 1889. It was destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. The former site (north side of Bush Street, between Kearny and Grant) is now a California Historical Landmark, with a historical marker commemorating the theatre and its artists. The original theater encompassed 165 feet of frontage, 117 feet in depth, resting on 4 1/2 foot foundation walls; a handsome building with a dress circle, gallery and 51 foot ceiling space in the interior auditorium.
