Burbank Cinema

Here’s the scoop:

The Burbank is going the way of the Fine Arts/Mitchell Brothers in Berkeley…Condo City! 👿😭🤮

Except for the the marquee, ALL will be demolished!

Opened on September 5th, 1951. Grand opening ad posted. Theatre was boarded up in 2021 according to Google Street View.

Just sold Jan 13 2022 to True Investments for $1.6 million. This Art-Moderne neighborhood theatre opened in 1949 I think. The building for closed in 2019. I have no idea what the inside looks like at this time. The new owners may have no interest in turning It back into a theatre? The Preservation Action Council of San Jose will try to reach out to the new owners about future use. The former cinema is listed on the Santa Clara Country’s Historic Resources Inventory but legal protections on It’s demolition are very limited. Let’s hope they don’t tear the theatre down and build more condos.

Hi, I really love this theatre, and is in my 2 blocks neighborhood …I took the first photo series from my “Diva” project… I would like to take my second session inside theatre if is possible, please send to me a message if someone knows, how I to do this please…. here it is some of my photoproject with Laura San Pablo my singer friend : https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=270917439691865&set=a.270911863025756.62364.265549483561994&type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=270917486358527&set=a.270911863025756.62364.265549483561994&type=3&permPage=1 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=270917673025175&set=a.270911863025756.62364.265549483561994&type=3&permPage=1 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=270917556358520&set=a.270911863025756.62364.265549483561994&type=3&permPage=1

A few 2012 photos can be seen here, here and here.

Hello everyone. I am the current owner’s son and happened to venture on to this page. If anyone is interested in more information regarding the Burbank Theater you are more than welcome to contact me. Currently the theater has undergone major renovations and there are multiple sections that are up for rent. My email is

Thanks
Amir

Much more of the exterior is now painted in a warm sandstone/orangish color. This painting process seems to be added to whenever the owner can afford more paint and/or labor.

Here is a 1981 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/cknuvh

I checked on Loopnet and this isn’t for sale that I can see… Has anyone spoken to the owner lately? Does anyone know where they stand in terms of selling this or leasing it to restore it to a cinematic, historic, and architectural attraction? I hear it is still being operated as a world- broadcast Muslim language tv/radio station… Looks like it sold for 1.3M in April, 2004…

Drove by the other day, and the stucco exterior was all painted in white primer, and on one side, a contemporary vivid earth toned color was being applied. While I’d love to see the original mint green restored, the new color beats the horribly cold and chalky grey and blue-grey which has marred the exterior since the mid-80s.

it was reported today that the Burbank was recently sold to a group of shiite muslims and renovated as a broadcasting studio for worldwide televising of islamic news and events.

I have lived in the Burbank area all my life, as well as my great- grandparents back in the early 1900’s and owned a great part of the orchards here in the area as well as graduating from the Burbank School. I believe we should give back to the community and make it an all age center. I have the same ideas as must others, to have a coffee shop upstairs and downstairs a theater that shows old movies and maybe have a musical group come play certain days and have arcade games and after school activities such as a homework center. Then when night falls make it like an all age club. I know of lots of local bands that are looking for places to play and get there music out. Upstairs will then become somewhat off limits to the underage but will sell food for them to enjoy. Kind of sounds like the Cactus Club that used to be downtown, but this one will be for everyone in our community by having the alcohol upstairs. The people that I talk to that live near me and the theater disagree with having a place for kids to go and believe that it will only make the peaceful neighborhood loud and crowded with people and traffic. Their annoyed with the fact that people will be parking in front of their houses. Well, I’m annoyed that on Leland Ave. everyone has to pay $30 for each car each year to park in front of their own house, and I have asked each person on this street and no one signed anything to have this happen. Just think of the kids, teens, young adults and even adults that roam the streets with nothing to do. Kids are our future and the older people in this community need to understand that. We can put in new $2,000 palm trees down our streets but we can’t help the people in this community. I think everyone needs to open their eyes before deciding the future of the Burbank Theater.

A sign posted on the door says that the building is “Not fit for human occupation.”