title: Varsity Theatre (Palo Alto)
text: # Varsity Theatre (Palo Alto)
  
  37°26′51″N 122°09′34″W﻿ / ﻿37.447478°N 122.159306°W﻿ / 37.447478; -122.159306
  
  The Varsity Theatre was a single-screen Mission Revival movie palace located on University Avenue in Palo Alto, California. The building is notable for its distinctive neon marquee and elongated, colonnade-lined courtyard.
  
  ## History
  
  Following its closure as a theater in 1994, the space was converted into a Borders Bookstore. The chain preserved the exterior and most of the original interior of the building. When Borders was liquidated in 2011, the building remained vacant until 2015. In 2015 Gensler renovated the building to accommodate HanaHaus, a community workspace, and a Blue Bottle Cafe.
  
  