Garden Theater - San Jose, CA
Posted by: 
saopaulo1
N 37° 18.440 W 121° 54.025
10S E 597442 N 4129533
A former theater, now a galleria of shops.
Waymark Code: WM58M3
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 11/28/2008
Views: 15
"The Garden opened in 1949 and it's name echoed the old term for San Jose as "The Garden City." The architect was Otto A. Deichman. It was operated for most of its life by General Theatrical as a first run house, and was very successful as the theater for San Jose's Willow Glen neighborhood.
In the mid 1970s, the Garden changed ownership and policy--Spanish language movies. With the increasing gentrification of the neighborhood, this policy no longer was profitable and the theater closed in 1988.
Camera Cinemas, the local art house exhibitors, very much wanted to buy the Garden, with the idea of turning it into a triplex, while restoring it (the theater was almost totally unaltered).
This would likely have been a successful venture, but the owners wanted more money than Camera Cinemas could afford, and Camera Cinemas opted to acquire the Towne Theatre instead.
In 1989, the Garden was gutted to the bare walls, its auditorium chandeliers being allowed to crash to the floor. However, many of the human figures of its auditorium murals (the work of the Heinsbergen decorating company) were painted on canvas glued to the plaster. These were removed, as well as bas relief friezes in the lobby, and all of the etched glass doors.
Some of the doors may now be found in the Orinda Theatre, Orinda--along with selected mural figures, and some of the doors are now reused in the Oaks, Berkeley.
The Garden's facade survived the building's conversion to an office/retail mall with marquee and vertical sign intact. The neon lights up every night." (
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