The rise and fall of Silicon Valley's dome-shaped theaters

In 1963, a prominent local architect named Vincent G. Raney agreed to build a theater on his family's land in San Jose, California, right next to their world-famous Winchester Mystery House. He'd built theaters before, but this would be the first of its kind: the prototype for a long line of giant dome buildings that would launch the Century Theaters brand and define its image until the turn of the millennium.

Though borrowing elements of the Los Angeles Cinerama Dome that had been completed a year earlier, the Century 21 was still a marvel when it opened in November 1964, with a giant curved widescreen experience that both patrons and Hollywood directors adored. But though Raney's popular domes once dotted the landscape, they're rapidly vanishing now, and the original Century 21 and its next-door neighbors the Century 22 and 23 may soon be destroyed to make way for new development.

Here, you can see Silicon Valley's original Century Theaters as they were in 1964 — and now. You can also find more pictures at Cinematour.

Sunset on the Dome The Century 21 dome theater in San Jose, California was the first of its kind.
This is how it looked fifty years ago, in November 1964. (Ampex Corp / Syufy Enterprises)
The Century 21's roof no longer bears the same starburst design, and shows some wear.
The dome construction, supported by curved steel ribs, allowed for an exceptionally large auditorium with no structural supports standing in the way of the screen. (Robert Cox / Syufy Enterprises)
Many of the steel ribs anchor to the ground outside the building itself.
The Century 21 pioneered widescreen cinema in its day. The screen curved 164 degrees, around the audience, and measured 70 feet diagonally. (Meridian Studio / Syufy Enterprises)
To fill that screen, the theater was originally designed to show Cinerama movies on three projectors simultaneously. None were ever actually shown here. Instead, the Century 21 helped pioneer Panavision, which used a single projector and became the dominant widescreen format. (Meridian Studio / Syufy Enterprises)
In 2014, the view from the projectionist's booth.
The first movie shown at the Century 21 in 1964, on the original marquee. (Syufy Enterprises)
One of the final marquees.
The Century 21 sat nearly 1,000 people, and originally offered reserved seating. Going to the dome was a social occasion. (Syufy Enterprises)
In 2014, the Century 21 isn't nearly as fancy a place, but "dinner and a movie" is still a traditional date.
The original Century 21 lobby. (Syufy Enterprises)
The Century 21 wasn't alone for long. In 1966, the Century 22 opened right next door, and the Century 23 followed one year later.
All three domes have color-coded signs that light up at night. The Century 21 is green.
The Century 23, whose sign lights up pink.
Originally, the Century 21, 22, and 23 were single domes with single screens. (Syufy Enterprises)
But single screens fell out of favor. Two smaller domes were added to the Century 22 (right), the Century 23 split the dome and added a second screen (left). Eventually, the dome shape became entirely symbolic and decorative on newer multiplex theaters. (Syufy Enterprises)
This Century 22 architectural rendering shows not only the theater's space-age design, but also its expected clientele. (Vincent Raney / Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Collection at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
Design for a Movie Theater 4-Plex Compare to this later architectural rendering of a multiplex, circa 1968. (Vincent Raney / Art Linson / Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Collection at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
Another example of space-age archtiecture, this former Bob's Big Boy restaurant is now a Flames Cafe, but it still stands right in front of the domes. You can see a dome-shaped outline at left. (Armet Davis Newlove Architects)
Design for Movie Theater at El Camino Kings Way Shopping Complex, Sacramento, California Another single-dome Raney design, circa 1966. (Vincent Raney / Museum of Fine Arts, Boston / Gift of Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf)
In the late '60s, the domes dwarfed everything else in the area. (Syufy Enterprises)
The same house behind the Century 22 still stands, but the neighborhood has grown quite a bit.
The Century 22 lobby in 1972. (Syufy Enterprises)
Another lobby picture from 1972. (Syufy Enterprises)
Architect Vincent Raney married into the family that owned the Winchester Mystery House, and all three domes were built on empty land belonging to the group. The patch of land labeled "Winchester Mystery House" is where the theaters stand now.
The Winchester Orchards, meanwhile, became the property of Chas Cali, whose son would create the Winchester Ranch Mobilehome Community. Some of their clubhouse furniture and decorations were built with wood from the orchard days.
Winchester Ranch lies literally right behind the Century 23.
March 30, 2014. The final show at the domes.
Despite the Century 21's nearly 1,000 seats, there were still nearly 100 people were still waiting outside the sold-out show.
Inside the projection room, a projectionist prepares the film.
A memory in celluloid.
The end of an era is marked by empty sodas and fallen popcorn.
The Century 24, mid-demolition. (Kym Mulligan)
The Century 24, doomed, shows the resilience of its construction. (Kym Mulligan)
But not for long. (Kym Mulligan)
Ghost in the shell: you can still find the Century 24 on Google Street View.
The Century Almaden theaters were successfully converted into a church, but they will likely be razed in a few more years.
Twin spaceships, ready to take E.T. home.