THE STRAND (Opened in December, 1921; closed in 1971; destroyed by fire in July, 1984)
1021 10th Street (Located just about where Brenden Theatre 18 is now.)

Those who remember the Strand recall it as Modesto's grandest movie palace. Built in the era when movie theatres boasted crystal chandeliers and thick carpeting, this was the type of building that became a landmark in the community. The Strand was a full-fledged, 1,800 seat theatre with a stage, orchestra pit, Wurlitzer organ, and a full complement of stage equipment. Built at a cost of $250,000 by a group of Fresno investors, the Strand Theatre "offered movies (first silent, then talking), live vaudeville shows, plays, operettas, and hosted graduations, music recitals and community programs," according to Modesto Then and Now by Colleen Stanley Bare. The large Wurlitzer pipe organ was played on weekends and to accompany silent films. For years, Modestans could point with pride to this "modern and fireproof" theatre as it stood proudly in the downtown business core.

When the Strand opened in 1921 the first film shown at the theatre was "The Mark of Zorro," starring Douglas Fairbanks. The two-day opening was attended by 3,500 people and the Modesto Evening News proclaimed it as "the greatest affair of its kind ever held in the history of Modesto. The Strand had thick carpeted floors, high ceilings, crystal chandeliers and wall murals in the lobby. It was advertised as the most elaborate and complete theatre in the San Joaquin Valley. It was sold to the National Theatre Syndicate in 1923. In 1971, the fire marshall closed the theatre for safety reasons.

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