CUPERTINO — An iconic performing arts theater where Apple co-founder Steve Job unveiled the first Macintosh computer in 1984 is being reduced to rubble, five years after the college district that owns the space closed it down due to high renovation costs.
Workers began the demolition of De Anza College’s Flint Center in early October, breaking apart the beige concrete walls that one housed a plethora of community events and exposing dozens of deteriorated railings and theater seats. Majority of the demolition is expected to be completed by March 2025, according to Paula Norsell, a spokesperson for the Foothill-De Anza College District.
In 2019, the board of trustees voted to close the center, saying the district would need to pour in $50 million in renovations, seismic and accessibility upgrades to keep the space open. The district is planning to build a new multi-million Creative Arts Building in its place and also make room for an adjacent Student Services building.
The projects will be funded by Measure G, which was approved by district voters in 2020 to provide $898 million to upgrade and repair facilities, classrooms and labs, and to acquire and construct facilities and equipment for De Anza and Foothill College.
“We are incredibly grateful to the community for approving Measure G and are excited to put the bond dollars to work,” Norsell said. “Improving the college’s aging infrastructure and creating new state-of-the-art facilities that will meet the needs of the next generation of students and reduce our carbon footprint.”
In the meantime, De Anza college has temporarily closed down several student walking and drop-off areas around the center until January 2025.
The 2,400-seat Flint Center opened in 1971 and was a hotspot for local plays, symphony performances, religious services and college graduations. The center’s popular Celebrity Forum series brought foreign dignitaries into the Silicon Valley, along with famous athletes like 49ers quarterback Joe Montana, and movies stars including Star Trek actor George Takei.
It was also where Jobs and other Apple executives unveiled the company’s latest phones, computers and other pioneering technologies. In 2015, the center was even the filming site of for a biopic about Jobs.
But managing the five-story concrete building was no easy feat for the Foothill-De Anza District. A 2015 study by the district found the Flint was booked only 17 to 24 percent of the year, and hosted just six or seven annual events that drew crowds of more than 2,000 people.