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Santana West Tech Campus To Preserve Shuttered Movie Theater Dome

SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) – A proposed tech development near Santana Row in San Jose is attempting to blend the new with the old.

The 850,000 square foot Santana West project is incorporating a piece of the original domed theaters on the site into its architecture.

Santana West will sit on Olsen Drive near Winchester Boulevard, just across the street from Santana Row.

Century 21 Dome Theater
Century 21 dome theater site in San Jose, which is currently being used as a vehicle storage lot. (CBS)

The old Century 21 theater dome doesn't look like much now, it is currently a storage yard for new car inventory. But the dome has been designated as a historic building, so it's not going anywhere.

Meanwhile, the other four domes next to the old theater were not deemed historic. Instead, they will be demolished.

The developer, Federal Realty, provided KPIX 5 renderings of what it could look like, the dome surrounded by office space, spread out over three buildings.

Santana West Rendering
Rendering of Santana West development with the Century 21 movie theater incorporated into its design. (CBS)

The goal is to be an elegant mix of old and new.

"No one in this area has any illusions that it's going to be exactly the same," Daphna Woolfe, president of the Winchester Orchard Neighborhood Association, told KPIX 5.

The domes are directly behind Woolfe's backyard, and her property will butt up right against the new tech campus.

Neighbors said are conerned about the height of the buildings, worried that workers could see into their homes and backyards if they are too tall. Residents are also worried about traffic being a massive headache when thousands of new tech workers move in.

Woolfe said they have been in regular meetings with the developer.

"It's much better to have a relationship with the city and the developers, than to come out with an adversarial position from day one," Woolfe said. "Our stance in the Winchester Orchard neighborhood is, we want to work with people, we want to make sure that the projects go forth neighborhood backing because it's a win-win for everybody if we can do that."

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