The Castro Theatre, designated a Registered Landmark in 1977, is considered not only the finest example of a 1920s movie palace in San Francisco (Landmark Report), but one of the best preserved of its type in the nation. In July 1977 the Castro Theatre became the 100th edifice to receive the protection and prestige of landmark status, establishing a welcome milestone for the city as well as the Theatre.

The Castro was built at a cost of $300,000 in 1922 by the pioneer San Francisco theatre entrepreneurs, the Nasser Brothers, who started on Castro Street with a nickelodeon in 1908. The designer was Timothy L. Pflueger (1894-1946), a celebrated figure in Bay Area architecture whose career originated with the commission for the Castro*.