Los Gatos Theatre

I have often gone to this quaint old theater to see art films from Europe. After the scary earthquake in October 1989, many were doubtful that this theater would ever open again. Happy to say after seismic retrofits and remodeling it did!

The Los Gatos Theatre is located at 43 Santa Cruz Ave., it seated during the 50's 745 people.

The actual address is 41 N. Santa Cruz Ave. The two theaters now seat 200 and 225. There is talk of twinning theater #1.

Per cameracinemas.com, each theatre seats 200; making total capacity 400, not 425.

"Each of its two auditoriums seat 200, and number 1 was recently refitted with brand-new seats and carpeting."

See http://www.cameracinemas.com/cameras.html for the full story.

Here is a photo of the Los Gatos Theater.

This is a 2007 photo of the Los Gatos Theater.

A more recent photo of the Los Gatos Theater can be seen here.

This is a recent night view.

Another photo of the Los Gatos Theater can be seen here.

Here is another photo.

This theater was earlier known at the Premier, a name which it still had by 1930. I long ago discovered one reference to its original name being Strand. During the silent era, it was equipped with a photoplayer instrument. I do not know the brand or type.

Address on the Camera Cinemas website is 41 North Santa Cruz Avenue.

The most recent reference to a Premier Theatre in Los Gatos I can find is an item in Boxoffice Magazine, November 20, 1937.

Items from various issues of Boxoffice in late 1950 mention the Los Gatos Theatre celebrating its ninth anniversary. Apparently, this house was part of a small circuit operated by A. Blanco, taken over by partners William B. David and Bruno Vecchiarelli in 1941, according to an item in the September 13 issue of Boxoffice that year. The name change to Los Gatos must have been made about the time David and Vecchiarelli took over the house.

William B. David was still the owner of the Los Gatos in 1974. The September 9 issue of Boxoffice that year ran an item headed "Los Gatos Reconstruction Expected to Start Soon", relating that the Los Gatos Theatre had been damaged by a fire which had spread to its attic from an adjoining building. The building suffered water damage as well. David was quoted as saying "It looks as though there will be two theaters instead of one." Thus 1974 is the likely date of the twinning of the Los Gatos.

The article doesn't mention it, but I'd surmise that David did the design for the reconstruction and remodeling himself, as he was the designer of many Northern California movie houses.

Here is an earlier Strand in Los Gatos, circa 1920s:
http://tinyurl.com/m5uhkg

What does that have to do with this theater?

This is a 1944 photo. It looks like the earlier Strand was re-opened as the Premier after a fire in 1929, but then later became the Los Gatos listed here. The Premier was mentioned as an aka by Gary Parks on 9/21/08.
http://tinyurl.com/nb6sax

Still doesn't answer the question.

Here is a 1935 view of the Premier:
http://tinyurl.com/kuqfa9

I don't mind waiting.

So the Strand building, constructed in 1916, was burned in the 1929 fire but not destroyed. It was renovated and became the Premier. At some later date the name was changed from Premier to Los Gatos.

So the Strand was at the same location as this theater. If that's the case then posting the photo makes sense. Otherwise you could have added the Strand.

That's where the aka of Strand came from when they added the theater. Premier should also be added.

Regarding Joe Vogel's assumption based on a 1974 comment made by William David in Box Office magazine: The Los Gatos was not twinned at that time. I attended there several times in 1989, and the auditorium was a single. The sidewalls had their original plasterwork--frames, moldings, medallions--from the Teens. There was a dropped ceiling of perforated acoustical tile, which was plainly hiding further ornament above it, as you could see some plaster pendant elements hanging down below the ceiling tile line on the sidewall pilasters. The proscenium and angled walls flanking it were of 1940s vintage, plain and streamlined, with the abovementioned maiden figures painted on them, these being the only historic interior decorative elements visible today.
The twinning was done after the Oct 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake closed the theatre for repairs and remodeling.

Here is a recent night photo.