# Auditorium 2

Auditorium 2 is characterized by its red curtain walls and dark red seats with coarsely meshed fabric and plastic cup holders. However, the seats are pretty stiff and not very comfortable. The most notable aspect is the excellent viewing angle and the unique placement of the entrance and exit directly below the screen.

# History

The El Presidio Theatre opened on July 1, 1937, and served as a third-run neighborhood house in the Marina district, built by Baron and Nathan for $75,000-$100,000. The theater was designed by architect W.D. Peugh and associate John H. Ahnden and featured a Moderne design. Initially seating 828, it was sold in 1951 to Gerald Hardy, who renamed it Presidio Theatre. In the 1960s, under the Art Theatre Guild’s management, it began screening softcore and later hardcore films, including “I Am Curious, Yellow” in 1969.

The Presidio Theatre saw significant changes over the years. In the 1970s, it hosted Mike Getz’s Midnight Movies and Steve Silver’s “Beach Blanket Babylon” skits. Century Theatres acquired it in the mid-1990s, remodeling it for first-run Hollywood films until 2003. Lee Theatres operates it as a four-plex after Frank Lee’s 33-year lease and a half-million dollar renovation. The revamped complex includes three auditoria and a small screening room, with the original screen and proscenium preserved in the large downstairs auditorium.