"Every year, I love watching children's faces light up when they find a book that speaks to them," Books for Treats founder Rebecca Morgan says on the Willow Glen Business Association's Halloween event page. The children she means will pick out those books on Friday, October 30, at 1165 Lincoln Avenue. That address is the Garden Theater, and it hasn't shown a movie in 38 years.
That gap matters for understanding how a Willow Glen autumn works. The neighborhood's season doesn't spread out along Lincoln Avenue. It gathers at two addresses: the old Garden Theater at 1165 and the Bank of America parking lot at 1245. Between late September and mid-December, nearly every major event on the Business Association's calendar starts at one of those two places.
What Willow Glen Kept When the Screen Went Dark
The Garden opened on June 22, 1949. The architect was Otto A. Deichman, and General Theatrical ran it as a first-run neighborhood cinema, so families didn't have to drive into downtown San Jose to see new releases. San José's Preservation Action Council names Ben Levin and Jimmy Lima as the original owners.
According to the Willow Glen Community Foundation, the theater did well through the 1950s and 1960s. By the mid-1970s it had switched to Spanish-language films, and it ran that way for more than a decade until the programming stopped paying. It closed in 1988.
In 1989 the interior was gutted and rebuilt as an office and retail mall. Three things were saved: the facade, the marquee and the vertical sign. The neon still lights up every night. Some of the interior also survived elsewhere. Before the conversion, crews removed murals by the Anthony B. Heinsbergen decorating company and bas-relief friezes from the lobby. Etched glass doors and mural figures went on to the Orinda Theatre and the Oaks Theatre in Berkeley.
So the Garden lost its function and kept its face. Since then, the space behind the marquee has changed hands more than once. In 2016 the Mercury News listed Starbucks, Top Nosh and Bellano Coffee as past occupants. Community events were already happening there by 2015, when the paper reported a Santa story-time puppet show at the Garden. The tenants came and went. The sign stayed, and that kept the address recognizable enough to keep working as a meeting point.
The Season, Sorted by Address
Here is the fall and holiday schedule from the Business Association's listings, sorted by where each event happens.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 26 | Glen Fest | Bank of America lot, Lincoln Ave. |
| Oct. 30 | Trick or Treat Along Lincoln Avenue, plus Books for Treats | Lincoln Ave., Minnesota Ave. to Willow St.; books at 1165 Lincoln |
| Nov. 8 | Garden Theater Makers Market | 1165 Lincoln Ave. |
| Dec. 5 | Holiday Bubbly Walk | Check-in at 1245 Lincoln Ave. |
| Dec. 6–17 | Holiday Trolley Rides | Bank of America lot, 1245 Lincoln Ave. |
The Garden handles the daytime, kid-friendly and browsing events of autumn. The parking lot handles the bigger crowds, with Glen Fest in September and then the ticketed and nighttime events of December. Fall goes through the theater, and the holidays go through the lot.
Halloween Runs Clockwise
Trick or Treat Along Lincoln Avenue is on Friday, October 30, and it's open to the public. Participating businesses from Minnesota Avenue to Willow Street hand out candy. The Business Association asks families to walk the route clockwise so traffic keeps moving. The day is split into two sessions:
- 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., for toddlers
- 3 to 4:30 p.m., for school-aged children
At the Garden, Books for Treats volunteers help each child choose one free book. The morning session is for kindergarten age and younger. The afternoon session is for first through sixth grade. The nonprofit was founded in 2001 and has been part of Halloween in Willow Glen for more than two decades. It accepts donations of new or gently used children's books.
The candy route covers the whole business district, but the book giveaway happens under the neon sign.
November 8, Behind the Marquee
Nine days after the trick-or-treat sessions, the Garden opens again for a different crowd. The Business Association and San Jose Makers are holding the Garden Theater Makers Market on Sunday, November 8, from noon to 4 p.m. More than 20 local artists and makers will be there. No ticket is needed. A Funcheap listing describes it as free and family- and pet-friendly, with vendors selling handmade goods.
Most of the original theater interior is gone, so the event isn't about architecture. It works because of the building's history. A space rebuilt in 1989 for offices and shops is being used once a season the way it was used in 1949, as a place people walk to on a weekend for something they can't get at home.
December Moves Up the Street
After the makers market packs up, the center of the season moves to 1245 Lincoln, the Bank of America lot that also hosted Glen Fest on September 26.
The Business Association calls the Holiday Bubbly Walk on Saturday, December 5, its most popular wine walk of the year. Guests sample sparkling wine at stops along Lincoln Avenue while doing holiday shopping. The details:
- Tickets: $60 early bird plus taxes and fees through Nov. 29, then $65 starting Nov. 30. The listing says tickets go on sale soon.
- Included: bubbly tastings, a souvenir glass, a wristband and a map of the tasting sites.
- Check-in: noon to 3 p.m. at the Bank of America lot, 1245 Lincoln Ave. The walk starts at 2 p.m.
- The firm rule: check-in closes promptly at 3 p.m., and there are no refunds for missing the window.
The event is also looking for volunteers to staff check-in and pour wine.
The next night, the Holiday Trolley Rides start a 12-night run, December 6 through December 17. On select nights, groups can book a whole trolley for a private party by contacting the Business Association at [email protected]. Public tickets are listed as coming soon. Riders check in at the same lot at 1245 Lincoln.
The Shops Between the Two Addresses
The Garden at 1165 and the lot at 1245 are about 80 street numbers apart, and the walk between them goes past many of the Lincoln Avenue merchants who join these events. Mango Blossom Apiary at 1123, Sushi Confidential at 1140 and Mariette Chocolates at 1268 all offered promotions during the Business Association's summer Family Day. With events starting at both ends, people end up walking along the stretch where the storefronts are.
If you're planning ahead, the city's Cone Zone report lists pavement resurfacing on Lincoln Avenue from Park Avenue to Morris Avenue and from Morris Avenue to Lonus Street, scheduled October 14 through November 20. The report is updated regularly, so check it before driving in for Halloween or the makers market.
The Garden's marquee has outlasted its projector, its auditorium and several cafes because Willow Glen decided in 1989 that the front of the building was worth keeping. Douglas Marshall approaches a listing the same way. The details buyers remember, whether that's a preserved facade, a street that fills up in December or a short walk to Lincoln Avenue, deserve the same care in how a home is presented. If you own near that marquee and want to know what your home's location is worth in today's market, Douglas Marshall can walk you through it. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
