Theatre Architects

Born: 1892 (San Francisco, California)

Died: 1946 (San Francisco, California)

Despite having never graduated from high school, Timothy Ludwig Pflueger was a successful architect in his native San Francisco Bay Area. Pflueger started as a working-class draftsman with the firm of Miller and De Colmesnil, Architects and attended night classes at the San Francisco Architectural Club.

Pflueger, in conjunction with James R. Miller, designed some of San Francisco’s leading skyscrapers and movie theatres in the 1920s. Rather than breaking new ground with his designs, Pflueger captured the spirit of the times and refined it, adding a distinct personal flair.

Notable theatres in the San Francisco Bay Area designed by Pflueger include the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, the Alameda Theatre, and the Castro Theatre in San Francisco.

Pflueger filed a patent application for a new form of ceiling and wall construction in late 1931, relating to the special construction of the ceilings and walls of rooms whereby illuminated effects were secured by way of elaborate designs carried by illuminated effects of varied or changing colors. The invention was principally adapted for the ceilings of theatres, large halls, and rooms for public gatherings where unusual lighting and color effects were desired.

Pflueger passed away in late 1946 having never married.

Theatres on this website in which this architect was involved:

Alameda Theatre, California, USA