Retro Dome
1694 Saratoga Avenue,
San Jose,
CA
95129
1694 Saratoga Avenue,
San Jose,
CA
95129
7 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Century Theatres
Architects: Vincent G. Raney
Previous Names: Century 25
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
408.984.5610
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Jan 11, 2014 — Century 25 loses the fight
- Jun 14, 2012 — REMEMBERING CINERAMA (Part 53: San Jose)
- Sep 8, 2009 — Century 25 in San Jose becomes the Retro Dome
This dome theater was opened by Century Theatres on May 27, 1969, as a single-screen theater. It was twinned in November 1974.
Century 25 was part of the Westgate Mall complex, operated by Cinplex. It showed mostly independent/art-house fare.
In late-August 2009, it became the Retro Dome, presenting a mix of Classic movies and live performances. It was demolished on January 6, 2013.
Contributed by
Kate
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Recent comments (view all 29 comments)
From the RetroDome newsletter: news for the projection buffs.
You Won’t Believe Your Eyes and Ears!
Thanks to the extremely generous offer of Brian Bakhshandeh (a fan of The Retro Dome and an uber-knowledgeable projection and sound designer) we recently upgraded our projection and sound system from HD DVD and the sound design originally created for the theatre. As of May 2010, we have installed a state of the art Blu-Ray player that is equipped with Anchor Bay VRS Video Processor and the ability to playback Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio. This is one of the most advanced processors in the market today.
All movies are now shown in 720P DLP Digital Format. If the movie is presented in DVD, you will experience Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1, whereas before, this was not offered and the presentation was not even in Stereo Sound, making it a huge improvement. Also, the picture is much improved thanks to the Anchor Bay Video Processor and Digital DLP.
If the movie is presented in Blu Ray, you are in for a real treat. You can now experience Dolby True HD or DTS-HD Master Audio. These are Uncompressed Raw Studio Quality Sound formats! No theater is currently offering this, as this sound quality can NOT be offered with 35 or 70mm film.
Since most movies that are shown are older, they really benefit from Blu Ray as the picture and sound is light years ahead of 35mm presentation. Unlike film, there are no pops, buzzing, film reel artifacts or sound issues. Even Mr. Lucas and Mr. Spielberg agree that Digital is far superior to film and these guys ARE purists! When you see a film, you want to see and hear what the director intended. The Retro Dome now let’s you do that.
Good Luck,from the photos I see how this theatre got its name.
Well, they REALLY blew it by not converting this back to the original large dome! And why would I go out to watch a DVD anyways?
Seats 275 and 350, respectively: http://www.sanjose.com/the-retro-dome-b24560822
Now closed after a successful run. Awaiting the bulldozer.
Retrodome/Guggenheim is now in Century 21 complex
Demolished as of Jan 6, 2014.
I saw some of the photos of this place.
It reminds me a little of the now-demolished Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.
The overview says Century 25 mostly screened independent or art house fare. I remember in the mid to late 70s they were showing major movie releases there; and in the early 80s, we used to go there and watch Tom Cruise films; I also remember watching Star Trek II there, for example. This was a great movie theater.
It might have switched to independent and art films in its later years, but when it opened, the Century 25 would have been a first-run house, just like the other domed suburban theaters being built by the Syufy/Century chain during that period.