Market Street Cinema
Market Street Cinema was a historic San Francisco theater and adult-entertainment venue that operated under several names before its demolition in 2016.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Market Street Cinema was a historic theater and later adult-entertainment venue on Market Street in San Francisco's Mid-Market district. The building opened in 1912 as the Imperial Theater, established by theater entrepreneurs David Grauman and Sid Grauman. Its early history placed it within San Francisco's traditional theatrical and motion-picture exhibition culture, although the venue subsequently changed names and uses several times. In 1929, the building was converted into a movie theater known as the Premiere Theatre. Two years later, it became the United Artists Theatre, reflecting the importance of branded cinema chains and film-distribution companies in the development of American movie exhibition. The site retained a connection to mainstream film culture for decades. On December 22, 1971, it hosted the benefit world premiere of Dirty Harry, the San Francisco-set crime film starring Clint Eastwood. That event is one of the building's most prominent links to the city's cinematic history. A major change came in 1972, when adult-film producer Mike Weldon purchased the venue. He renamed it Market Street Cinema and converted it into an adult-entertainment business. The club continued operating under that identity through the early 2000s. It became associated with an early form of lap dancing in which dancers moved through the audience and sat on customers' laps while seeking tips. The venue's operating model and public reputation placed it within San Francisco's broader adult-entertainment and sex-industry history, particularly during the 1980s. The club and its proprietor also became involved in legal disputes with the United States Department of Justice. Mike Weldon was sued on allegations characterized as pimping. According to the referenced account, he repeatedly prevailed because the encounters involved clothed participants and were treated as lap dances rather than negotiated sex acts. These disputes illustrate the legal boundary between adult entertainment and prostitution that shaped regulation and litigation around such venues, but they do not establish that the venue itself was formally convicted of a criminal offense. Market Street Cinema also entered popular culture through stories about its atmosphere and alleged haunting. It appeared in a 2013 episode of the television program Ghost Adventures, and filmmaker Charles Webb used it as a location for the low-budget horror film G-String Horror. Photographer Leon Mostovoy documented the venue's role in San Francisco's 1980s sex industry in a photo essay. A fictionalized cultural afterlife followed after Mint Minx Press published Michele Machado's novella Market Street Cinema on August 15, 2016, depicting a dancer working at the club in 1998. The building's physical history ended in the 2010s. In October 2015, the San Francisco Planning Commission approved a plan to demolish the theater and replace it with an eight-story building. Demolition took place in July 2016. Market Street Cinema therefore survives primarily as a historical reference point: first as a Grauman-associated theater, later as a movie palace linked to a notable film premiere, and finally as an adult-entertainment venue associated with San Francisco's nightlife, legal controversies, documentary photography, television, horror cinema, and urban redevelopment.
History
Market Street Cinema began as a theater rather than an adult club. David Grauman and Sid Grauman founded the venue in San Francisco in 1912 under the name Imperial Theater. Its location on Market Street placed it in a commercially important part of the city, and its early function was consistent with the theatrical entertainment venues that shaped urban leisure in the early twentieth century. The building entered the motion-picture business in 1929, when it was converted into the Premiere Theatre. In 1931 it adopted the United Artists Theatre name. These changes reflected the transition from theatrical presentation to large-scale cinema exhibition and the growing influence of film companies in the branding and operation of movie houses. Although the venue later became known for adult entertainment, its cinema history remained significant. The most notable event from this period was the benefit world premiere of Dirty Harry on December 22, 1971. In 1972, adult-film producer Mike Weldon purchased the property and renamed it Market Street Cinema. The new identity marked a substantial change in both business model and public image. The venue operated as an adult-entertainment club through the early 2000s and became associated with lap dancing. The form described in the reference material involved dancers moving through the audience, sitting on customers' laps, and seeking tips. This helped make the venue an identifiable part of San Francisco's adult-entertainment scene. The club's history was connected to wider debates over the regulation of sexual entertainment. Mike Weldon faced repeated lawsuits from the United States Department of Justice involving allegations described as pimping. The referenced historical account states that he won the lawsuits because participants remained clothed and the encounters were treated as lap dances rather than negotiated sex acts. The disputes illustrate how questions of performance, payment, nudity, and alleged prostitution were contested in court, while also contributing to the venue's notoriety. During the 1980s, Market Street Cinema was part of San Francisco's sex-industry landscape. Photographer Leon Mostovoy documented that role in a photo essay. The venue's unusual atmosphere also generated a reputation for being haunted. It later appeared in the 2013 television program Ghost Adventures, and filmmaker Charles Webb used the building as a location for the low-budget horror movie G-String Horror. These appearances extended the venue's identity beyond nightlife and into documentary, paranormal, and exploitation-film culture. The property was ultimately affected by redevelopment pressures in the Mid-Market district. In October 2015, the San Francisco Planning Commission approved a proposal to replace the theater with an eight-story building. Demolition followed in July 2016, ending the physical existence of the venue. Its name continued to circulate in cultural works, including Michele Machado's novella Market Street Cinema, published by Mint Minx Press on August 15, 2016. The novella presents a fictional account of a dancer working at the club in 1998. The venue's historical significance lies in its successive identities. It was a theater founded by the Grauman brothers, a movie house operating under the Premiere Theatre and United Artists Theatre names, a prominent adult-entertainment club, and a recurring subject in legal, photographic, television, film, and literary representations. Because the building no longer exists and no continuing operating company or website is identified in the reference material, Market Street Cinema is best treated as a defunct historical venue and brand.
- 2016
Building demolished
[1]The former theater and club was demolished in July.
- 2015
Redevelopment approved
[1]The San Francisco Planning Commission approved a plan for demolition and replacement with an eight-story building.
- 2013
Featured in Ghost Adventures
[1]The venue appeared in an episode of the paranormal television series Ghost Adventures.
- 1972
Market Street Cinema identity begins
[1]Mike Weldon purchased the venue, renamed it Market Street Cinema, and established its adult-entertainment era.
- 1971
Dirty Harry benefit premiere
[1]The venue hosted the benefit world premiere of Dirty Harry on December 22.
- 1931
Renamed United Artists Theatre
[1]The movie venue adopted the United Artists Theatre name.
- 1929
Conversion to Premiere Theatre
[1]The building was converted into a movie theater and operated as the Premiere Theatre.
- 1912
Imperial Theater opens
[1]David Grauman and Sid Grauman founded the theater on Market Street in San Francisco under the name Imperial Theater.
Products and positioning
A San Francisco entertainment venue whose identity evolved from a traditional theater and movie house into an adult-entertainment club, before the building was demolished as part of urban redevelopment.
Cinema exhibition · 1929
Movie theater
During its periods as the Premiere Theatre and United Artists Theatre, the building functioned as a conventional movie theater. Its cinema history included the benefit world premiere of Dirty Harry in December 1971.
Adult entertainment · 1972
Market Street Cinema adult-entertainment club
After Mike Weldon acquired the venue in 1972, it operated as an adult-entertainment club under the Market Street Cinema name through the early 2000s. It became associated with lap-dancing performances in which dancers circulated through the audience and sought tips.
Controversies
Justice Department lawsuits involving Mike Weldon
Mike Weldon was sued by the United States Department of Justice on pimping-related allegations. The referenced account says he repeatedly won the lawsuits because the relevant encounters involved clothed participants and were characterized as lap dances rather than negotiated sex acts.
Brand decisions
2015
Approval of demolition and redevelopmentOtherBackground
The historic venue occupied a site targeted for redevelopment in San Francisco's Mid-Market district.
Action taken
The San Francisco Planning Commission approved a plan to demolish the theater and replace it with an eight-story building.
Aftermath
The building was demolished in July 2016, ending the physical venue.
1972
Conversion to an adult-entertainment venueStrategyBackground
Mike Weldon purchased the former movie theater after its long cinema history and changed its commercial identity.
Action taken
The venue was renamed Market Street Cinema and operated as an adult-entertainment club.
Aftermath
The site became associated with San Francisco's adult-entertainment industry and lap dancing through the early 2000s.
Recent events
- 2016
Market Street Cinema building demolished[1]
Other
The former theater and club was demolished in July 2016 following the approved redevelopment plan.
- 2016
Market Street Cinema novella published[1]
Other
Mint Minx Press published Michele Machado's novella Market Street Cinema on August 15, 2016. The fiction follows a dancer working at the club in 1998.
- 2015
San Francisco Planning Commission approves redevelopment plan[1]
Other
In October 2015, the San Francisco Planning Commission approved a plan to demolish the theater and replace it with an eight-story building.
- 1972
Mike Weldon acquires and renames the theater[1]
Other
Adult-film producer Mike Weldon purchased the venue and renamed it Market Street Cinema, beginning its long period as an adult-entertainment business.
- 1971
Benefit world premiere of Dirty Harry held at the venue[1]
Other
The San Francisco theater hosted the benefit world premiere of Dirty Harry on December 22, 1971, shortly before its transition to an adult-entertainment venue.
Sources1 sources
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