Towne Theater now stands where Hester theater once stood. And the Hester was the first neighborhood theater in San Jose.The current facade that adorns the theater is from 1952. 
The theater showed adult movies through the 70s and 80s, but in 1980 San Jose banned all adult entertainment businesses from operating within 500 yards of a school. (And Hester Elementary School is just across the street). The theater showed foreign and independent films for a while and now shows Indian movies.
I’d love to find out more about this really wonderful scrollwork-like design that adorns the front of the theater. And whether there’s anything to the theory that the green scalloped disc behind the scrollwork was once adorned with giant painted California poppies. So if you know more about this theater, I’d love to hear from you.
Location:
1433 The Alameda
Love that your back to documenting. I grew up in San Jose and enjoy your paintings. My parents also lived in San Jose. We attended the First Methodist Church which was downtown. It had a beautiful Hugh pipe organ and leaded glass windows. Sadly it burned down. I am sure there are archives with pictures of the church. My dad owned a chevron station on race st across the street from the florist and by Mel Cottons. I lived in Rose Garden area and remember the Garden theater. Don’t remember if there were poppies on the facade, or not.