The building at 420 Mason Street was built in 1912 by architect August Headman for the
Native Sons of the Golden West. The venue space was originally an auditorium and meeting hall. In the 1940s it became a
USO club and was called the "Stage Door." Later it started showing films as the "Stage Door Theater" and hosted the premiere of the
Alfred Hitchcock film
Vertigo on May 9, 1958. By the early 1980s, it had become the Regency III movie theater (the Regency I and II were located several blocks away). In 1989 the theater was renamed the Stage Door Theater while it was used as a temporary home for the
ACT theater. ACT's
Geary Theater was heavily damaged in the
1989 earthquake and was being restored. == Ruby Skye history ==