Hope is alive for Century 21 dome
There’s good news — and some bad news — for fans of San Jose’s three remaining Century theater domes on Winchester Boulevard.
Let’s start with the bad news, which was expected. An evaluation of the Century 22 and Century 23 theaters determined that those structures don’t warrant historic status, largely due to alterations made since their original construction, according to a city draft environmental impact report released Friday. The Century 22 was built in 1966 and expanded in 1972. The Century 23 was built in 1967 and split into two theaters in 1973.
But here’s the good news for preservationists: A proposal to strip the Century 21 dome down to its steel ribs and make it the centerpiece of a grassy open space area probably won’t fly because it would destroy the historical integrity of the structure, according to the draft EIR. The theater, which opened in 1964, is on the state register of historic places and was declared a city landmark in 2014.
“The removal of the exterior of the building and retention of the original substructure does not meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for reuse of a historic structure because it would remove all aspects of the buildings materials and architecture elements, except for the dome shape,” the report reads.
The Preservation Action Council of San Jose said as much in a newsletter last winter when early plans for the Santana West project surfaced. “Tearing off the facade and roof and leaving a bare metal frame is unacceptable to the historic preservation community and does not respect this unique structure that contributes to our midcentury history in San Jose.”
If the Century 21 remains as is, there are two dramatically different reuses mentioned in the draft report. The first is as a ministorage space, which sounds efficient but totally lacking in imagination. That’s like turning the Winchester Mystery House into a server farm. Sure, the structure’s still there, but it loses its identity as a public venue.
The other reuse idea is as an “entertainment venue, such as a night club,” which is at least in the right ballpark since the Century 21 was designed to be an entertainment venue. That option at least keeps the door open for its potential reuse as a movie theater, perhaps following the successful model of the refurbished Cinerama dome in Hollywood, which
regularly hosts big premieres and special events.
And there’s more: The Flames restaurant, which opened in 1965 as a Bob’s Big Boy on Winchester Boulevard, was determined to be historically significant after its evaluation. It would qualify for the California register of historic places and is even eligible to be a city landmark under several criteria, according to the report.
Developer Federal Realty expects to demolish the restaurant as part of Santana West. Not so fast, the draft EIR says. The report lists reusing the eatery, distinctive for its midcentury modern architecture, or relocating it as preferable options.
There are a lot of other issues to unpack in the draft EIR about potential traffic and noise surrounding the project, which proposes to put up to 970,000 square feet of office space and 29,000 square feet of retail on the 13-acre site. The public review period began Friday and ends Aug. 8. You can read the full report and its related documents at www.sanjoseca.gov/activeeirs.
Of course, none of this means that Flames will live on or the Century 21 will ever return to being a theater — or that the plans to strip it won’t ultimately prevail. But it gives preservationists some serious backup when it comes to continuing the fight and making sure the project ultimately respects the property’s historical value.