"Restoration of the Burbank and the West San Carlos area should be a major focus of revitalizing central San Jose."

-- A.C.

Save The Burbank!

642

supporters and counting!

SIGN OUR PETITION BELOW!

560 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose

Cantin & Cantin, Architects

Built 1949

An Art Moderne classic from the golden age of cinema, the Burbank Theater stands ready and waiting for a new lease on life. The former theater’s soaring, three-sided sign tower and angular marquee are beloved beacons for the surrounding Burbank neighborhood, but following a recent foreclosure, the now-vacant property has suffered greatly under absentee ownership.

The theater was sold at auction on December 15th, 2021, for $1.6 million to TRU Investments LLC, which recently relisted the property for sale. PAC*SJ is working closely with community stakeholders to identify potential reuses and we stand ready and eager to assist the current and future owners. The property is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and was added to the Santa Clara County Heritage Resource Inventory in 2018, but is no longer protected from demolition following the property's recent annexation by the City of San Jose. We are therefore urging the City to designate the building a City Landmark.

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History of the Theater

Recent Media Coverage

Save the Burbank Theater

To Mayor Mahan, San Jose City Council, and TRU Investments LLC:

I support the preservation and revitalization of the historic Burbank Theater, whose iconic Art Moderne tower has been a recognized and beloved landmark for the surrounding Burbank neighborhood since its construction in 1949. Recently annexed into the City of San Jose, the building is now eligible for and deserves City Landmark status to prevent its needless demolition and to encourage its redevelopment without sacrificing its irreplaceable architectural character. Preservation and creative repurposing of the theater is consistent with the City’s vision for developing the surrounding West San Carlos Urban Village, and I urge the City to work with the property owners, neighbors, PAC*SJ and other stakeholders to reimagine and leverage the site’s enormous potential for reactivating this crucial urban gateway.

Sincerely,