Downtown Historic District (San Jose, California) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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San Jose Downtown Historic District
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A historic commercial building in the San Jose Downtown Historic District.
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 Location in San Jose, California
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | San Jose, California |
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| NRHP reference No. | 83003822 |
| Added to NRHP | May 26, 1983 |
Imagine stepping back in time in the heart of San Jose, California! The Downtown Historic District is a special area, about the size of one city block. It's a historic place where old buildings tell amazing stories. You can find it between S. First Street, E. San Fernando Street, S. Third Street, and E. Santa Clara Street.
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Discovering San Jose's Historic Downtown
San Jose's downtown area has been a busy center for business and money for over 100 years. This makes its historic commercial district very important. It shows us a lot about the city's past and its amazing buildings.
This district has the most old buildings in downtown San Jose. These buildings are great examples of different styles from every time period as the city grew. It's the best place in Santa Clara County to see historic California business architecture.
The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's officially recognized as a special historic place. You can see buildings here in six different styles:
- Italianate
- Romanesque Revival
- Victorian
- Edwardian
- Neoclassical
- Mission Revival
- Spanish Colonial Revival
A Look Back at Downtown San Jose's History
After the Mexican–American War, San Jose was carefully mapped out. This happened in 1847 by Thomas Campbell and in 1848 by Chester Lyman. They used a grid pattern for the streets, following old Spanish paths. This street layout is still mostly the same today.
New American businesses started to grow in this mapped area. It was just east of the original town, or pueblo, from 1797. (The first pueblo from 1777 had to move because of big floods!)
In the 1870s and mid-1880s, the main business area moved north. It shifted along Market Street to the Santa Clara Street intersection. But by the late 1880s, Santa Clara and First Streets became the new center for downtown business. Early horse-drawn trains helped make this intersection important. They had tracks along both streets.
During this time, the Italianate and Romanesque Revival styles were very popular. Many buildings were designed by the best local architects. They were built for important people like James D. Phelan and the Auzerais family. Buildings like the Knox-Goodrich Building show how wealthy the area was. San Jose was a rich farming community at the turn of the century.
After the big 1906 San Francisco earthquake, many Victorian and Romanesque buildings were damaged. New Edwardian and Neoclassical buildings took their place. Also, the Mission Revival style became popular for smaller businesses. This was California's first unique architectural style. Spanish Colonial Revival also brought a new historic look to California.
In the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, downtown San Jose changed again. New growth happened west and south of the city center. This made the old downtown core less popular for new businesses. Not many new buildings were built until the 1960s. That's when government programs started to clear old blocks for new projects.
Famous Buildings in the Historic District
Many buildings in the Downtown Historic District are important landmarks. They show the different architectural styles over time.
Late 19th-century Buildings
These buildings show the styles popular in the late 1800s:
- Knox-Goodrich Building, built in 1889
- La Rosa Pharmacy, built in 1870
- Letitia Building, built in 1890
- Oddfellows Building, built in 1883 (Italianate style)
- Security Building, built in 1892 (Romanesque Revival style)
Early 20th Century Buildings
These buildings were constructed in the early 1900s:
- Landmark Square, built in 1907
- Bank of America building, built in 1926 – This was San Jose's first skyscraper, standing fourteen stories tall!
- Jose Theater (Mission Revival style)
- "El Paseo" shopping block, built in the 1920s (Spanish Colonial Revival style)
