Varsity Theatre (Palo Alto)

37°26′51″N 122°09′34″W / 37.447478°N 122.159306°W / 37.447478; -122.159306

Varsity Theatre
Fox Varsity Theatre
New Varsity Theatre
Address456 University Avenue
Palo Alto, California
United States
TypeFilm
Capacity975
Construction
Opened1927
Closed1994
ArchitectReid Brothers

The Varsity Theatre was a single-screen Mission Revival movie palace located on University Avenue in Palo Alto, California. The building is notable for its distinctive neon marquee and elongated, colonnade-lined courtyard.[1]

View of the theatre as occupied by Borders Bookstore

History

Following its closure as a theater in 1994, the space was converted into a Borders Bookstore. The chain preserved the exterior and most of the original interior of the building. When Borders was liquidated in 2011, the building remained vacant until 2015. In 2015 Gensler renovated the building to accommodate HanaHaus, a community workspace, and a Blue Bottle Cafe.

References

  1. ^ An Architectural Guidebook to San Francisco and the Bay Area, by Susan Dinkelspiel Cerny, Gibbs Smith (2007), p. 176; OCLC 495265729

External links

  • Cinema Treasures Varsity Theatre profile
  • Roadside Architecture Includes information and recent images of the Varsity's exterior
  • Waymarking Building profile
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