California Theatre
345 S. 1st Street,
San Jose,
CA
95131
345 S. 1st Street,
San Jose,
CA
95131
16 people
favorited this theater
Related Websites
Opera San Jose (Official)
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Fox West Coast Theatres
Architects: William Day, Charles Peter Weeks
Firms: ELS Architects, Weeks and Day
Functions: Movies, Opera House, Symphony
Styles: Spanish Colonial
Previous Names: Fox California Theatre, Fox Theatre
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
408.437.4450
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Dec 7, 2007 — California Theatre in San Jose to host classic films for Christmas
- Dec 17, 2004 — Casablanca At The California
- Sep 20, 2004 — Restored San Jose Fox and Stockton Fox Theaters Reopen This Week.
The California Theatre was opened by West Coast Theatres on April 16, 1927 with Billie Dove in “An Affair of the Follies” plus a variety stage show on the stage. It was equipped with a Wurlitzer 4 manual 21 ranks organ which was opened by organist Irma Falvey. I was soon taken over by Fox West Coast Theatres. Following a remodel it reopened as the Fox Theatre on March 20, 1957 with Robert Mitchum in “Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison” & Scott Brady in “Storm Rider” plus a ‘major studio preview’. This 1,848-seat former movie palace closed in 1973 after over 50 years of showing films.
After a recent restoration project by architectural firm ELS Architects, the California Theatre is now the permanent home of the Opera San Jose and seats 1,200.
Contributed by
Ross Melnick
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Recent comments (view all 39 comments)
The California Theatre will be showing classic films in December 2007. More info can be found at the Stanford Theatre site – Click on the California Theatre link. The only film listed so far is “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Christmas eve. The link says a full schedule will be posted later.
Can hardly wait to see a movie in this grand old theatre.
Here is part of an LA Times story, dated 2/11/30:
SAN JOSE (Feb. 10)-Two bandits entered the California Theater here shortly before 1 o'clock today, held up the assistant business manager, Harold Flora, and escaped with the week-end’s receipts totaling several thousand dollars. It is believed that they concealed themselves overnight in the theater.
With Flora at the time of the hold-up was Helen Barr, cashier, and Charlotte McDonald, usher. All were commanded to lie face down on the floor. After taking the money the men continued to the rear exits, passing several ushers who thought they were electricians.
The THSA has a large photo gallery of photos of theatres from their 2008 Conclave in the San Francisco region, at
Here are links to their photos of the California Theatre:
View link – Interior – lobby
View link – Lobby
View link – Lobby
View link – Auditorium seat
View link – Auditorium Detail
View link – Main Lobby
View link – Main Lobby
View link – Lobby window
View link – Main Lobby
View link – Auditorium Ceiling
View link – Proscenium
View link – Auditorium sidewalls
View link – Upper proscenium – sunburst
View link – Proscenium
View link – exterior
View link – vertical sign , marquee
The California as it appeared in 1997:
View link
Here is a 1945 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/kjl8om
From the 1940s a photo of the California Theatre in San Jose.
Someone from the Fox California needs to do some tree trimming out side as the great big vertical neon California sign is blocked by tree limbs and blocked from one side of the street.
Photos of the restored California Theatre can be seen on this page at the web site of ELS Architecture and Urban Design, the firm that handled the renovation project. The project included an entirely new stage tower and two new buildings to augment the theater’s production space and public areas. The web page has a plan of the ground floor showing the changes.
ELS also designed restoration projects for the Portland Theatre in Portland, Oregon, now Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall; The Fox Oakland Theatre; the restoration of the Grand Theatre at Tracy, California, as part of the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts; and the recent renovation of the former AMC Kabuki multiplex in San Francisco for Sundance Cinemas.
1933 photo added courtesy of the Who Knows East – Old Photographs Facebook page. “Doctor Bull” starring Will Rogers.
Reopened as the Fox theatre on March 21st, 1957. Grand opening ads from 1927 and 1957 posted.