California Theatre
345 South First Street,
San Jose,
CA
95131
345 South First Street,
San Jose,
CA
95131
12 people
favorited this theater
Built in 1927, this 1,848 seat former movie palace closed in 1973 after over 50 years of showing films. After a recent restoration project, the California 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 48 comments)
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.
That was during the depression so it doesn’t surprise me very much.
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
This is another photo of the California Theater.
The California as it appeared in 1997:
View link
The year given for this photo is 1942.
Here is a 1945 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/kjl8om
View link
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.