Historical Marker · No. 86
California Theatre
San Francisco, San Francisco County · California
Erected by Commonwealth Club of California and the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, 1932
The state's register lists one member of the opening company as Mrs. Judah Emelie Melville. She was two women. The bronze ends a line with MRS JUDAH and starts the next with EMELIE MELVILLE, and whoever copied it ran them together: Marietta Judah, who had played San Francisco since 1851 and was known as its favorite actress, and Emelie Melville, a Philadelphia-born singer who turned eighteen the day after the house opened on 18 January 1869 with Bulwer-Lytton's Money. The register misspells two more of the company, Mestayer and Sedley. No state plaque stands here.
What the plaque says
On this site January 18 1869 The California Theatre built by William C Ralston opened with the following stock company John McCullough - Lawrence Barrett Harry Edwards - Willie Edouin - E B Holmes William Mestayer - John T Raymond W F Burroughs - W H Sedley Smith John Wilson - Edward J Buckley - Mrs Judah Emelie Melville - Elizabeth Saunders Annette Ince - Marie E Gordon - Sophie Edwin Minnie Walton - Julia Buckley This theatre remained a brilliant center of drama until August 11 1888 - among artists who played here were - Charles W Couldock - Edwin Adams - John Broughan - Edwin Booth - Barton Hill - Walter Montgomery - Mrs D P Bowers - Adelaide Neilson - Lotta Crabtree Tablet placed by the Commonwealth Club of California and the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company - 1932
Where it stands
37.79078, -122.40466 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Site of Old St. Mary's — steps away
- Site of First California State Fair — steps away
- Site of Parrott Granite Block — steps away
- Hudson's Bay Company Headquarters — 0.2 mi