Domed theater would be preserved in office campus proposal
SAN JOSE >> A new plan has emerged that would preserve an iconic domed theater in San Jose and build a large technology office campus next to it, across the street from the Santana Row mixeduse complex.
Santana Row developer Federal Realty aims to build three office buildings totaling 850,000 square feet along with a parking garage next to the dome, near the corner of Winchester Boulevard and Olsen Drive, according to a preliminary proposal it has filed with San Jose planners. More than 4,000 people could potentially work at a modern office campus of that size.
The 13.4-acre site includes the domed former Century 21 movie theater, which opened in 1964 and showed blockbuster films such as “Star Wars: A New Hope” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” before closing in 2014.
Local preservationists waged a battle to help the Century 21 theater ward off the wrecking ball. The city of San Jose granted historic status to the theater in 2014, which assured that any development would have to preserve the domed building.
Federal Realty didn’t say what it will do with the domed structure that it plans to preserve but said its ongoing plans to eventually develop the site remain in place.
The developer obtained a ground lease a few years ago from families that own the land beneath the theater site and adjacent parking lot. The families also own the nearby Winchester Mystery House and continue to own the land beneath the movie theater and parking lot, Santa Clara County documents show.
The Century 21 domed theater structure is the only one of four domed theaters on the proposed development site along Winchester Boulevard that the city has granted historic status.
“Some architectural historians agree these are some of the best remaining examples of mid-century modern architecture in Silicon Valley,” states a website dedicated to saving the Winchester domes.
In addition to its proximity to Santana Row, the development site is a short distance from Westfield Valley Fair mall and the busy intersection of Winchester and Stevens Creek boulevards.
“This would be a highquality office development at a great location,” said Dave Sandlin, a senior vice president and principal executive with Colliers International, a commercial realty brokerage. “The real question is the traffic impact.”
Two of the office buildings would each total 350,000 square feet, while the third would be 150,000 square feet. The two larger buildings each would stand eight stories tall, while the smaller office structure would be five stories. The parking garage would be four stories.
The existing Santana Row complex across the street contains the 215-room Hotel Valencia, more than 70 shops, 20 restaurants and nine spa salons. Santana Row also has 834 housing units, including a mix of privately owned condos and apartments for rent, according to a brochure circulated in 2016.
“Federal Realty has done a good job of developing Santana Row into a destination with mixed uses, and people and businesses want to be there,” said Chad Leiker, a first vice president with commercial realty brokerage Kidder Mathews.
Santana Row also has 300,000 square feet of existing offices, including 65,000 square feet at 300 Santana Row and 235,000 square feet at 500 Santana Row. Plus, Federal Realty is building a 260,000-square-foot office complex along with 30,000 square feet of retail at the 700 Santana Row site.
The offices at 500 Santana Row have attracted tenants such as tech firm Splunk.
Big office complexes are attracting plenty of attention these days from digital giants.
Facebook, Apple, Google and Amazon are among the tech titans that have dramatically expanded their Silicon Valley operations in recent years through aggressive pursuit of office spaces to accommodate fast-growing workforces.