Strand Theatre

156 S. Murphy Avenue,
Sunnyvale, CA 94086

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GaryParks
GaryParks on May 2, 2012 at 9:34 pm

Thank you, Joe! Yes, that is unquestionably the theater which later was renamed Strand.
The stained glass transom window I mention was inserted into that arch, and the cornice above the arch is the one I speak of, and lasted intact until the building was remodeled to house Fibbar MaGee’s pub.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on May 2, 2012 at 7:33 pm

Might this theater have originally been called the Empire? The earliest mention of a theater in Sunnyvale that I can find in the trade publications is this item from The Moving Picture World of July 15, 1916:

“Sunnyvale, Cal.—Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Meany have disposed of the Empire theater to P. S. Fleischer and associates of Palo Alto who plan to make a number of improvements.”
Silicon Valley History Online provides this photo of the Empire Theatre, dated 1913. A 1911 directory of San Jose and Santa Clara County lists the Empire Theatre as being on Murphy Avenue near Evelyn Avenue.