A look back at old movie theaters of Sonoma County

A century ago, the 1920s were roaring in a way the 2020s have yet to do. And one main form of entertainment back then were theaters.

In Santa Rosa there was the G&S Theater, which opened on B Street in the mid-1920s for vaudeville acts. Theater goers reportedly wore long gowns and black ties. It was later renamed the California Theatre and films were shown there, accompanied by live organ music before audio was included.

The California Theatre, also called the Cal Theatre, was demolished in the late 1970s as part of urban renewal efforts. It’s one of several old theaters of Sonoma County that’s forever gone as culture and entertainment evolved.

Before video stores were ubiquitous in the 1980s, movie theaters were people’s primary way of watching films, said Joe Kaminiski, owner of Joe Video store.

Kaminski, 59, moved to Santa Rosa in the early 1980s and recalled crowded movie watching experiences at local theaters, including Coddingtown Cinemas, which has since closed. While crowds weren’t his preference, it was the social aspect — going out with friends and on dates — that made local theaters fun.

"It's the experience of just having a good story in visual and audio format that's a treat when it's done well," he said of movie watching.

There were about 20 movie theaters in Sonoma County in the mid-1970s, according to a Press Democrat report.

The Cal Theatre was called a “handsome Gatsby era theater” and one of Santa Rosa’s “last ties to the architecture of the twenties” by one Press Democrat reader in 1974.

The Village Drive-In movie theater in east Santa Rosa was another once-popular hangout that closed as movie watching experiences evolved. It was in business from 1952 to 1983.

“People don’t want to go out in the car and sit in it all night anymore,” former Village Drive-In manager Don Morton said after it closed.

Smaller discount theaters are mostly gone now, too. The family-owned Oak Creek Cinema in Cotati saw 2,000 movie goers a week in its heyday in the 1980s before closing.

Movie theaters took a major hit during the COVID-19 pandemic as people stayed home and streaming services dominated.

Still around is the Sebastiani Theatre in Sonoma, which some say is haunted by several ghosts, including a teenage girl in a yellow dress who lingers in the bathroom.

See the gallery above for photos of old movie theaters around the North Bay.