Rosendin

Shuttered for over 30 years, the beautifully restored and expanded California Theatre is now a centerpiece of San Jose’s South First Street Arts District and home for Symphony Silicon Valley and Opera San José. The original 18,000 square foot California Theater opened in 1927 and showcased movies in downtown San Jose until 1973 when the City revoked its license. The restoration and expansion of the theatre began in 2001. The mixture of Gothic, Moorish and Renaissance styles was painstakingly restored by hundreds of artisans who recreated historical details of the 1920s in the light fixtures, chandeliers, stage curtain, plaster decoration, and other architectural elements. The technology, however, is state-of-the-art, with the installation of new theatrical systems, including a sophisticated lighting control system as well as rigging, sound and A/V systems. Surround sound was added for showing contemporary films. The California Theater project has won several prestigious awards including the United States Institute of Theatre Technology Honor Award, California Construction’s Best of 2005 Award and the California Preservation Foundation’s 2005 Rehabilitation Award.