A vintage single-screen movie palace at the heart of downtown Sacramento, now operating as an independent cinema and music venue. The 1949 Art Deco building retains its original ornate interior — gilded Moorish plasterwork, a huge ceiling mural, and period lighting that gives the lobby a warm, otherworldly glow. One of the best-preserved mid-century movie palaces in California.
The Crest programmes independent and foreign films, revival screenings, and occasional midnight movies alongside live music and the annual Sacramento French Film Festival. The acoustics are good for music, and the sight lines from the back rows are better than they have any right to be in a building of this age. It is the kind of cinema that makes modern multiplexes feel like bus shelters.