Strand Theatre to reopen next month
While the future of a Gilroy owned and operated Cultural Arts
Center is plagued by red tape and financing questions, area art
enthusiasts will be happy to know that the old Strand Theatre,
which closed in 1982, is set to become private enterprise’s answer
to the community void.
Strand Theatre to reopen next month
While the future of a Gilroy owned and operated Cultural Arts Center is plagued by red tape and financing questions, area art enthusiasts will be happy to know that the old Strand Theatre, which closed in 1982, is set to become private enterprise’s answer to the community void.
Earnest Brooks, a retired Lutheran Pastor, has leased the building at 7588 Monterey Street and will reopen it Dec. 14 for the exact purpose for which it was originally designed.
“It’s going to be called Gilroy’s Historic Strand Theatre,” said Brooks. “We’re really excited.”
With the help of his daughter and several other area art lovers, Brooks has transformed the old theatre back into a cultural center that can now host plays, banquets, weddings, conferences and dances.
This week workers have been hanging lights, opening boxes of chairs and cleaning the hardwood floor on the old building’s second story.
“My dream is to make this into a center that Gilroy can be proud of,” said Brooks on Wednesday. “When you retire, you look for the next big challenge. I love entertainment and my daughter is a graduate of Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She’ll do the booking of the artists.”
In addition to his daughter, Christine, booking musical acts, Brooks has hired a wedding planner, someone to handle food services and personnel for building operations and security. In all, Gilroy’s Historic Strand Theatre will employ roughly 20 people when in full operation.
“I think this is great. I really love the idea of bringing a cultural center and a music hall into the community,” said the younger Brooks. “There are a lot of great places in Gilroy, but I think this could really complement them.”
Now, Brooks is waiting for the final permits to be signed off before the facility can legally operate.
“We don’t have a liquor license yet and we’re still waiting for the dance hall permits,” Brooks said. “Right now, we’re still cleaning the place up. Ultimately, we’ll have musical groups in here that will perform everything from blue grass to blues. We’ll also have disco dancing and we’re planning a New Year’s Eve party right now.”
When it does open, the historic theatre will also have enough space to house a 500-seat auditorium. The first floor of the building is 12,000 square feet and the second floor has 8,000 square feet of space.
For years the building has been considered as one of several possible sites that the city could use for its cultural center. Pluses for the facility include the fact that it already exists and it’s centered in the heart of the downtown.
On Monday night, however, the old Strand Theatre was eliminated as an option for the city when a citizen’s taskforce recommended to the city council that a 2.3-acre site at the corner of Eigleberry and Seventh Street was better suited for a future multi-million cultural center.
By a vote of 6-1 – with Craig Gartman dissenting because of competition with the Strand project – the council accepted the taskforce recommendation.
When finished, the two sites will have similar goals and missions. But city officials don’t see the situation as being competitive and are thrilled to hear that the old theatre will be opening its doors again.
“We have been rehearsing this idea for years,” said Gilroy City Councilman Charles Morales. “All of a sudden, someone is actually going to put on the show. I think that’s great for the city.”
The first event for the revamped theatre is a local disco band.
On Dec. 22, there will be a Christmas party at the facility. The Casuals, a local band that plays traditional dance music, will provide the entertainment and the Gilroy Chamber Choir will perform as well.
On New Year’s Eve, Capitola-based The Plain James will perform a wide array of rock and roll hits from the 1960s to the present.
“It’s going to be very eclectic,” said Christine Brooks. “We’re going to make it so people don’t have to go elsewhere for good entertainment.”
The Strand Theatre first opened on Dec. 3, 1921. Since closing, the site has been home to several retail stores.
When the historic building’s latest tenant, Palermo Antiques, vacated the building a few months ago, Brooks jumped on the opportunity.
“I don’t know what the city is or isn’t going to do,” said Brooks. “They may reconsider their plans, who knows? But I don’t want to sit around and wait. You’ve got to go ahead and do what you’re called to do. Ultimately, as things progress, I would hope that Gilroy would grow to not just support two cultural centers but also maybe even more. I don’t see what the city is trying to do as competition at all. I’m just looking for something that can best serve this area and that’s what we need right now.”
