Fairmont Plaza facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fairmont Plaza |
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| Former names | Knight-Ridder Building Silicon Valley Financial Center |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Architectural style | Postmodern |
| Location | 50 West San Fernando San Jose, California |
| Coordinates | 37°20′01″N 121°53′21″W / 37.3336°N 121.8892°W |
| Completed | 1988 |
| Owner | CBRE Global Investors |
| Height | |
| Roof | 79.55 m (261.0 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 17 |
| Floor area | 326,000 sq ft (30,300 m2) |
| Lifts/elevators | 6 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill |
Fairmont Plaza is a tall, 17-story building in downtown San Jose, California. It stands about 79.55 meters (261 feet) high. When it was finished in 1988, it was the tallest building in the city. Today, it is the sixth tallest building there. The famous architecture company Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed this building. It was once known as the Knight-Ridder Building.
Building History
Early Days and Construction
Fairmont Plaza was completed in 1988. At that time, it became the tallest building in San Jose. Before this building was built, two older buildings stood on the same spot. These were the Garden City Bank & Trust Building, built in 1909, and the American Trust Building from 1926. Both of these seven-story buildings were taken down to make space for the new Fairmont Plaza.
The Knight Ridder Era
In 1998, a large newspaper company called Knight Ridder moved its main office. They moved from Miami to this building in San Jose. Because of this move, the building was renamed the Knight-Ridder Building. This move showed that the company believed online news would be very important in the future.
Later, in 2006, another company called The McClatchy Company bought Knight Ridder. Even after this, the Knight Ridder sign stayed on top of the building for many years. It was finally removed in 2016.
New Ownership
In 2012, a company named CBRE Global Investors bought the building. They paid about 90 million US dollars for it.
