Harding Theatre, Gothic movie theater in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, United States.
The Harding Theatre is a 1926 movie theater at 616 Divisadero Street in San Francisco, designed by the Reid Brothers for owner Samuel H. Levin. Its auditorium held between 800 and 1,200 people. The proscenium arch, lobby and auditorium detailing survive; the raked floor and seating were removed when the space became an arcade bar.
The theater was designed by Reid Brothers architects and opened in 1926 as a cinema venue. Decades later it ceased showing films and the building transitioned to different uses while retaining its original architectural character.
The name comes from its original owner, and today the space functions as an arcade bar where visitors move between vintage games and socializing. It has transformed from a single-purpose cinema into a gathering spot that draws different groups of people.
The theater stands at 616 Divisadero Street, and its boarded-up entrance was painted with laser cats in November 2010. The main space reopened in December 2017 as an arcade bar with 50 vintage arcade games, a full bar and live music. Renovation removed dilapidated seating but kept historic elements such as the proscenium arch.
In November 2010, laser cats were painted on the theater's boarded-up entrance, a graffiti detail passersby could spot during the years the building stood empty. The Grateful Dead also played here on 6 and 7 November 1971, debuting "Hideaway" on the second night.
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