1991

World Wide Web invented – Linus Torvalds introduces the Linux operating system – Susan Hammer replaces Tom McEnery as San Jose mayor – One Step Beyond reborn; Phantom nightclub opens – San Jose Museum of Art opens new wing

Nights of the Turntable

A few years ago, if the valley’s dance crowd was into anything more than cover bands, a trip to San Francisco was the only option. Today, the DJ scene has exploded, spawning a generation of urban dance clubs, an elite of mainstream beatmasters and a sprinkling of underground experimentalists. The opening of One Step Beyond brought the first genuine taste of big-city dance club style. Shortly thereafter, D.B. Cooper’s opened. Club Oasis on North First Street in 1987 accelerated the growth of downtown nightlife. These days, San Jose’s frenetic quest for urban identity has yielded no shortage of clubs. Carlos deVillalvilla, Jan. 10, 1991

Camera Obscura

For more than nine months, San Jose’s Redevelopment Agency has negotiated with American Multi-Cinema Inc. to build a multiple-screen, 3,000-seat movie house next to downtown’s Pavilion Shops, using $10.5 million in public funds. For some reason, no one outside of Redevelopment seems to know how the talks are proceeding. The notoriously close-mouthed agency refuses to discuss the deal, and it remains shrouded in mystery. Not even the people who will be most affected by AMC’s move downtown—Camera Cinemas co-owners Jim Zuur and Jack NyBlom—know what’s going on. “We’re really in the dark,” Zuur says. It seems Redevelopment can’t figure out how to bring AMC downtown without destroying a small, locally owned chain. Bob Hansen, Sept. 12, 1991

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