User:Mliu92/sandbox/Century Theatre Domes (San Jose)
The Domes | |
Full name | The Winchester Theaters |
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Address |
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Coordinates | 37°19′09″N 121°57′09″W / 37.31917°N 121.95250°W |
Public transit |
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Owner | Syufy Enterprises (1964-2014) (as Century Theaters 1964-2006) |
Operator | Syufy Enterprises |
Type | Theatre |
Genre(s) | motion pictures |
Capacity |
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Construction | |
Opened |
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Renovated | Century 23: 17 June 1973 (screen divided) |
Expanded | Century 22: 197x (satellite domes) |
Closed | 30 March 2014 |
Architect | Vincent G. Raney |
Main contractors | |
Century 21 Theater | |
NRHP reference No. | DO_14000306 |
The Century Theatre Domes are a set of three domed movie theatres in San Jose, each originally built as single-screen auditoriums on land controlled by the Winchester Mystery House. They were designed by architect Vincent Raney; the first dome, Century 21, opened in 1964 as the first Century-branded theatre of the Century Theatres chain. The dome design of Century 21 was repeated throughout the Bay Area (including two neighboring sister domes, Century 22 and 23 in 1966 and 1967, respectively) and northern California in other Century-branded theatres. The dome design and name were part of a deliberate marketing tactic meant to evoke the future.
The three Century domes were not included as part of the 2006 sale of the Century chain to Cinemark Theatres, and they were operated by the original owners of Century Theatres, Syufy Enterprises, under the new moniker Winchester Theaters until the original 50-year property lease expired in 2014. The current owners of the land, Federal Realty, filed for a special use permit in 2013 to demolish all three domes, possibly to free land to expand the neighboring Santana Row shopping and residential development.
Since Century 21 has retained its original single-screen design, it was declared eligible for the National Register of Historic Places in June 2014, following the recommendation of xyz org. A grassroots organization, Save the Domes, has been organized to preserve the iconic dome theaters.
History
[edit]For the first Syufy Cinerama theatre, Syufy chose the name Century 21 to evoke the future. Vincent Raney had been hired by Syufy on prior theatre projects, but drew his inspiration from the Cinerama Dome Theatre in Los Angeles for the design of the San Jose theatre. The original roof used contrasting shingles to create a starburst motif
Vincent Raney married one of the daughters of the then-owners (Browns) of the Winchester House property and was likely instrumental in convincing them to lease the land to Syufy for use as a movie theater.
Michelle Bevis authored at least two letters on behalf of the Raney and Farris families opposing historic status, citing the declining competitiveness of a single-screen movie theater and changing viewing habits. It should be noted that since the land is still privately owned, the designation as a historic landmark does not preclude private use demolition.
Opened November 1964 screening It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
- July 25, 2013: special use permit filed to demolish
- January 9, 2014: historic landmarks commission nominated it as a city landmark.
- March 18, 2014: proceed with city landmark designation process based on NRHP application info.
- March 30, 2014: last picture show of Raiders of the Lost Ark
- April 22, 2014: California state historical resources commission recommends NPS eligibility to list on NRHP
- June 13, 2014: NPS determines C21 eligible for NRHP listing, DO_14000306
Schoenherr, Steven E. (21 January 2001). "California Movie Theaters with Best Sound". Schoenherr Family. Retrieved 22 Feburary 2015. {{cite web}}
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Seltzer, Debra Jane (2015). "San Jose Movie Theaters". Roadside Architecture. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
In the weeks following the last show, which was a screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the tenant partially demolished the interior of Century 21, removing the seats and some lobby fixtures.[7]
Influence
[edit]As the first Century-branded theater created by Syufy, the dome became a corporate trademark and similar dome theatres opened by Century Theatres (and United Artists, who employed Vincent Raney as well) include:
Original name | City | Opened | Opening feature | Closed | Demolished | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Century 21 | Oakland | 1967 | Gone with the Wind | 198x | 199x | Twinned in 197x | [8] |
Century 21 | Pleasant Hill | 21 February 1967 | Doctor Zhivago | 21 April 2013 | 8 May 2013 | Dimension-150 screen never subdivided; renamed the CineArts 5 prior to demolition | [9] [10] |
Century 21 | Sacramento | 1967 | Gone with the Wind | n/a | n/a | Twinned in 1978; now screens 13 and 14 of a 14-screen megaplex. The owner of the property has proposed tearing down the domes in favor of expanding neighboring retail and replacing them with a conventional 14-screen movie theater. | [11][12][13] |
Century 22 | Sacramento | 1968 | Camelot | n/a | n/a | Twinned in 1974; now screens 11 and 12 of a 14-screen megaplex. Vulnerable to proposed redevelopment. | [11] |
Century 24 | San José | 18 July 1968 | xyz | December 2013 | January 2014 | Twinned in 1973 | [14] |
Century 25 | San José | 27 May 1969 | xyz | 20 January 2013 | Summer 2013 | Twinned in 1974; reopened as The Retro Dome in September–October 2009. | [15] [16] |
Century 21 | Salt Lake City | 1967 | xyz | 1998? | 1998 | Tri-plexed in 197x | [17] |
Century 22 | Salt Lake City | 1969 | xyz | 1998? | 1998 | Twinned in 197x | [17] |
Cinedome 20 | Orange | 17 June 1968 | Oliver! | 199x | 1999 | [18] | |
Cinedome 21 | Orange | 18 June 1968 | Che | 199x | 1999 | [18] | |
Century 21 | Oakland | 1967 | Gone with the Wind | 198x | 199x | Twinned in 197x | [19] |
- Century 21 (Oakland) 1967 GWTW (demolished 1990s) http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/5377
- Cinedome (Orange) 196x (demolished 1999) http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/4975
- UA 150 (Seattle) 1969 (closed 1998, demolished 2002) http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/4370
- Stargazers (Colorado Springs) 1969 (still standing) http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/36522
- CineArts (Burlingame)?
- Century Almaden ?
Preservation
[edit]- Newman, Bruce (5 July 2014). "San Jose's Century 21 theater: No place like dome". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- Avalos, George (12 June 2014). "Builder still eyes development plans next to Century 21 theater in San Jose". Oakland Tribune. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- Nelson, Katie (10 June 2014). "San Jose: Century 21 dome theater granted historical status by city council". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- Pizarro, Sal (8 June 2014). "Pizarro: Century 21 dome's landmark status goes before the City Council this week". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
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References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ "Century 21". cinema Treasures. 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ^ Historic Landmarks Commission (20 May 2014). "Historic Landmark Nomination (HL14-212) for the "Century 21 Theatre" at 3161 Olsen Drive". City of San Jose. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "National Register of HIstoric Places Program: Century 21 Theater". Nationall Park Service. 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ Prevetti, Laurel (4 March 2014). "National Register of Historic Places Nomination for Century 21 Theatres". City of San Jose. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ San Jose Arts Commission (14 May 2014). "Recommendation of Landmark Designation for the Century 21 Theater". City of San Jose. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ Garavaglia Architecture, Inc. (1 February 2013). "Dome Theater: Final Historic Resource Evaluation Report". City of Pleasant Hill. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ Weinstein, Dave (1 May 2014). "Century 21 Domed Theater Found Eligible for National Register". The CA Modernist. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "Century 8 Oakland". cinema Treasures. 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "CineArts 5 at Pleasant Hill". cinema Treasures. 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ Jones, Carolyn (8 May 2013). "Pleasant Hill's movie dome destroyed". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ a b "Century Stadium 14 Sacramento". cinema Treasures. 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ Kasler, Dale (5 February 2015). "Sacramento's Howe `Bout Arden center eyes big makeover". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ "Howe Bout Arden 30 Acre Redevelopment" (PDF). The Edwards Company. 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ "Century 24". cinema Treasures. 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "Retro Dome". cinema Treasures. 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "The Retro Dome: Frequently Asked Questions". The Retro Dome. January 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ a b "Century 21". cinema Treasures. 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ a b "Cinedome Theatres". cinema Treasures. 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "Century 8 Oakland". cinema Treasures. 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
External links
[edit]- "Save the San Jose Dome Theaters". Save the Dome. 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- "Century 21 Theatre". DOCOMOMO/NOCA. 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- VerPlanck, Christopher P. (January 2014). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Century 21 Theater" (PDF). California State Parks, Office of Historic Preservation. DoCoMoMo Northern California Chapter. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- Nguyen, Lanny (2 June 2014). "End of an Era: Good-Bye Domes". Lanny Nguyen Photography Blog. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- Frank, Gayle (Winter 2013). "Please Landmark Century 21!" (PDF). Continuity. 24 (4). Preservation Action Council of San Jose. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/21/5628202/sunset-on-the-domes
- http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/2950.html