Downtown San Jose

Last updated

Downtown San Jose
SJPan.jpg
Adobe World Headquarters 1 2015-01-03.JPG
San Jose City Hall - panoramio.jpg
Downtown San Jose (30001966530).jpg
SAN JOSE CALIFORNIA BAYAREA01 (cropped).jpg
Clockwise from top: Downtown skyline from the West; San José City Hall, Hotel De Anza & Almaden Boulevard, Downtown skyline from the North, Adobe World Headquarters
Location map San Jose.png
Red pog.svg
Downtown San Jose
Location within San Jose
Coordinates: 37°19′55″N121°53′24″W / 37.332°N 121.89°W / 37.332; -121.89
Country United States
State California
City San Jose
ZIP Code
95110, 95112, 95113
Website https://sjdowntown.com/

Downtown San Jose is the central business district of San Jose, California, United States. Downtown is one of the largest tech clusters in Silicon Valley, as well as the cultural and political center of San Jose.

Contents

History

The Art Deco Medico-Dental Building was built in 1928. Multi-Unit (3029294372) (cropped).jpg
The Art Deco Medico-Dental Building was built in 1928.

The town was first settled in 1777. The area that now makes up downtown was first settled twenty years later, when the town of San Jose moved somewhat inland from its original location on the banks of the Guadalupe River. In 1850, San Jose incorporated to become California's first city and the location of California's first state capitol.

Despite widespread destruction caused by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, a number of neighborhoods around Downtown San Jose still retain their original, pre-1906 housing stock. These neighborhoods include the South University, Naglee Park, Hensley Historic District, Reed Historic District and Vendome neighborhoods.

Contemporary era

San Pedro Square is a popular dining destination and one of Downtown's oldest neighborhoods. Firehouse No. 1, San Pedro Square, San Jose (44518230154) (cropped).jpg
San Pedro Square is a popular dining destination and one of Downtown's oldest neighborhoods.

The downtown area was typical of a small, agriculture-based city of under 100,000 residents until city manager A. P. Hamann spearheaded aggressive expansion during the 1950s and '60s. As the city rapidly expanded into outlying areas, the downtown area entered a period of decline. In the 1980s, mayor Tom McEnery, whose family owned several buildings in downtown, initiated significant gentrification in the area.

The San Jose Redevelopment Agency, the largest such group in the state, would eventually become a key player in revitalizing the downtown area and, to a lesser extent, surrounding neighborhoods. In some cases, historic downtown buildings were bulldozed in order to make room for new hotels, office space, condominiums, museums, theaters and parks; to widen or re-align streets, and to build parking lots and garages.

As part of its apparent effort to stimulate economic growth and increase tax revenue within the downtown community, the San Jose Redevelopment Agency began encouraging builders to construct high-rise residential towers, and the agency offered subsidies and lifted the requirement to provide affordable units that were characteristic of other redevelopment projects throughout the city. [1] The agency's master plan has incorporated high-rise condominiums since 1980. [2] In 2008, the city's first high-rise project began selling units. [1] Construction or planning has begun on at least seven additional high-rise projects. [1] The agency states the high-rises will contribute to the creation of a more vibrant and well-to-do downtown culture. [1]

Culture

The Tech Interactive is dedicated to introducing the innovation spirit of Silicon Valley to the public. The Tech Museum of Innovation in Downtown San Jose.jpg
The Tech Interactive is dedicated to introducing the innovation spirit of Silicon Valley to the public.

Many of the 19th century buildings in central downtown appear on the National Register of Historic Places, in particular the area surrounding St. James Park, such as Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

Downtown San Jose's early 20th century housing is diverse and includes many smaller Victorian homes along with a few fairly large gingerbread or Italianate-style Victorians, Craftsman, Mission and California Bungalow architecture in the neighborhoods surrounding the downtown core. [3]

Downtown is home to many of the city's landmarks, including the San Jose Museum of Art, the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose, The Tech Interactive, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, the San Jose Repertory Theatre, the San Jose Stage Company, the historic De Anza Hotel, the Fairmont Hotel, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, the campus of San Jose State University and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library. The SAP Center, just west of Guadalupe Parkway, is also normally considered to be part of the downtown community.

Economy

View of the KQED Building KQED Building - 50 West San Fernando Street - San Jose - California (50530886698) (cropped).jpg
View of the KQED Building

Downtown San Jose is a major tech cluster of Silicon Valley. It is home to Adobe World Headquarters, Zoom HQ, BEA Systems HQ, and numerous facilities and offices of major tech companies, including Amazon Lab126 and Google. The San Francisco Bay Area's largest news organization, The Mercury News , is headquartered on St. James Park. Downtown San Jose has a large concentration of hotels and hospitality services in San Jose, including The Westin San Jose, the Hilton San Jose, Marriott San Jose, Sheraton San Jose, largely concentrated near the San Jose Convention Center.

In February 2018, San Jose's city council approved a stage of a sale of downtown property to Google for $67 million. [4] However, in April 2023, it was reported that Google paused on its West San Jose construction projects due to an economic slowdown. [5]

Downtown also is home to several important network service providers and Internet service providers, many of them located in Market Post Tower. Although the cost of office and technical space is relatively high downtown, this is offset by the low cost of peering and internetworking, an effect of proximity to other networking companies.

Many of the public areas of downtown San Jose are covered by a public, free, Wi-Fi network, including the areas surrounding Plaza de César Chávez and San Pedro Square. Downtown is also the hub of the VTA light rail system, and the home of the main campus of San Jose State University.

Panoramic Downtown San Jose.jpg
A panoramic view of Downtown. Plaza de César Chávez is in the center.

Education

Tower Hall at San Jose State University, the West Coast's oldest public university. Tower Hall - Morris Dailey Auditorium - San Jose State University.jpg
Tower Hall at San Jose State University, the West Coast's oldest public university.

Downtown San Jose is home to the campus of San José State University. SJSU is the founding campus of the California State University system and the oldest public university on the west coast of the United States. SJSU enrolls approximately 33,000 students.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, shared by the city of San Jose and San Jose State University, is located on the campus of San Jose State University in downtown San Jose. The King Library represents the first collaboration of its kind between a university and a major U.S. city, and has won numerous awards including the Library Journal's prestigious 2004 Library of the Year award, the publication's highest honor. [6] The library first opened its doors in 2003.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Jose, California</span> City in California, United States

San Jose, officially the City of San José, is the largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2022 population of 971,233, it is the most populous city in both the Bay Area and the San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland Combined Statistical Area—which in 2022 had a population of 7.5 million and 9.0 million respectively—the third-most populous city in California after Los Angeles and San Diego, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. Located in the center of the Santa Clara Valley on the southern shore of San Francisco Bay, San Jose covers an area of 179.97 sq mi (466.1 km2). San Jose is the county seat of Santa Clara County and the main component of the San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara Metropolitan Statistical Area, with an estimated population of around two million residents in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Jose State University</span> Public university in San Jose, California, U.S.

San José State University is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) system. The university, alongside the University of California, Los Angeles has academic origins in the historic normal school known as the California State Normal School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown New Haven</span> Neighborhood of New Haven in Connecticut, United States

Downtown New Haven is the neighborhood located in the heart of the city of New Haven, Connecticut. It is made up of the original nine squares laid out in 1638 to form New Haven, including the New Haven Green, and the immediate surrounding central business district, as well as a significant portion of the Yale University campus. The area includes many restaurants, cafes, theaters and stores. Downtown is bordered by Wooster Square to the east, Long Wharf to the southeast, the Hill neighborhood to the south, the Dwight neighborhood to the west, the Dixwell neighborhood to the northwest, the Prospect Hill area to the north, and East Rock to the northeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CEFCU Stadium</span> Stadium at San Jose State University

CEFCU ('sef-kyü) Stadium, formerly known as Spartan Stadium, is an outdoor athletic stadium on the west coast of the United States, located in the Spartan Keyes neighborhood of central San Jose, California. Owned by San José State University, the venue is the longtime home of Spartan football; it also hosts the university's commencement ceremony on Memorial Day weekend, and occasional high school football games. Known as Spartan Stadium for over eight decades, it was renamed in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown Atlanta</span> Neighborhood in Fulton County, Georgia, United States

Midtown Atlanta, or Midtown, is a high-density commercial and residential neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. The exact geographical extent of the area is ill-defined due to differing definitions used by the city, residents, and local business groups. However, the commercial core of the area is anchored by a series of high-rise office buildings, condominiums, hotels, and high-end retail along Peachtree Street between North Avenue and 17th Street. Midtown, situated between Downtown to the south and Buckhead to the north, is the second-largest business district in Metro Atlanta. In 2011, Midtown had a resident population of 41,681 and a business population of 81,418.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Bay, San Francisco</span> Neighborhood in San Francisco, California, United States

Mission Bay is a 303-acre (123 ha) neighborhood on the east side of San Francisco, California. It is bordered by China Basin to the north, Dogpatch to the south, and San Francisco Bay to the east. Originally an industrial district, it underwent development fueled by the construction of the UCSF Mission Bay campus, and is currently in the final stages of development and construction. It is the site of the Chase Center and Uber's headquarters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Center, Detroit</span> Cultural enclave and neighborhoods in Wayne County, Michigan, United States

New Center is a commercial and residential district located in Detroit, Michigan, adjacent to Midtown, one mile (1.6 km) north of the Cultural Center, and approximately three miles (5 km) north of Downtown. The area is centered just west of the intersection of Woodward Avenue and Grand Boulevard, and is bounded by, and includes the Virginia Park Historic District on the north, the Edsel Ford Freeway (I-94) on the south, John R Street on the east and the Lodge Freeway on the west. New Center, and the surrounding areas north of I-94, are sometimes seen as coterminous with the North End, while in fact separate districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilshire Center, Los Angeles</span> Neighborhood of Los Angeles in California, United States of America

Wilshire Center is a neighborhood in the Wilshire region of Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Detroit</span> Area of Detroit, Michigan, United States

Downtown Detroit is the central business district and a residential area of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Locally, downtown tends to refer to the 1.4 square mile region bordered by M-10 to the west, Interstate 75 to the north, I-375 to the east, and the Detroit River to the south. Although, it may also refer to the Greater Downtown area, a 7.2 square mile region that includes surrounding neighborhoods such as Midtown, Corktown, Rivertown, and Woodbridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cortez Hill, San Diego</span> Neighborhood in San Diego, California

Cortez Hill is a neighborhood located in the northeast part of Downtown San Diego, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown San Antonio</span> District of San Antonio

Downtown San Antonio is the central business district of San Antonio, Texas and the urban core of Greater San Antonio, a metropolitan area with nearly 2.5 million people.

Planning and development in Detroit since the late 20th century has attempted to enhance the economy and quality of life of Detroit, Michigan, United States. In 1970, the private group Detroit Renaissance began to facilitate development in the city. Its successor, Business Leaders for Michigan, has continued to facilitate development into the 21st century. Projects have included new commercial facilities, revitalization of neighborhoods, hospitality infrastructure, and improvements to recreational and public facilities, such as the QLine light rail project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capitol Mall</span> Major street in Sacramento, California

The Capitol Mall or Capitol Mall Boulevard is a major street and landscaped parkway in the state capital city of Sacramento, California. Formerly known as M Street, it connects the city of West Sacramento in Yolo County to Downtown Sacramento. Capitol Mall begins at the eastern approach to the Tower Bridge, and runs east to Plaza de California and the California State Capitol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Jose Convention Center</span> Convention center in Downtown San Jose, California, United States

The San Jose McEnery Convention Center is a convention center in Downtown San Jose, California. The 550,000-square-foot (51,000 m2) facility is the largest convention center in Silicon Valley. It is known for hosting high-profile technology conferences and events like the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference and Facebook F8, as well as non-tech events like FanimeCon and Silicon Valley Comic Con.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Bakersfield</span> Place in California, United States

Downtown is the central business district for Bakersfield, California. It contains several of the city's major theaters, sports complex, museums, and historical landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Liccardo</span> American politician (born 1970)

Samuel Theodore Liccardo is an American politician from California who served as the 65th mayor of San Jose from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Liccardo was elected mayor in November 2014. He was reelected in 2018 with 75.8% of the vote. As the leader of the California Big City Mayors Coalition, Liccardo advocated on statewide issues including homelessness and COVID-19 response.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rincon de los Esteros, San Jose</span> Neighborhood of San Jose in Santa Clara, California, United States

Rincon de los Esteros, also known as Innovation Triangle, the Golden Triangle, the Innovation District, or simply as Rincon, is a vast district of San Jose, California, making up a significant portion of North San Jose. The district has one of the largest concentrations of high tech company headquarters and campuses in Silicon Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hammer Theatre</span> Performance venue in San Jose, California, operated by San Jose State University

Hammer Theatre is a performance venue in Downtown San José. Located on the Paseo de San Antonio, the theatre is operated by San José State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paseo de San Carlos</span> Pedestrian paseo

The Paseo de San Carlos is a pedestrian paseo in Downtown San Jose, spanning across San Jose State University's campus.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Flannery, Colleen. January 14, 2008. "High Hopes for San Jose Residential Towers". California Real Estate Journal.
  2. Prodis Sulek, Julia. June 15, 2008. "Condo buyers' 'sexy views'". San Jose Mercury News, p. 1A, p. 17A.
  3. "Historic Districts and Conservation Areas". City of San José. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  4. Christopher Carbone (October 5, 2018). "'Greedy' Google: Community activists slam tech giant over planned San Jose mega-campus". Fox News . Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  5. Jennifer Elias (April 21, 2023). "Google's 80-acre San Jose mega-campus is on hold as company reckons with economic slowdown". CNBC . Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  6. John N. Berry lll (June 15, 2004). "Library Journal Library of the Year 2004: San Jose Public Library and San Jose State University Library". Library Journal. Retrieved January 11, 2010.

37°19′55″N121°53′24″W / 37.332°N 121.890°W / 37.332; -121.890