Hotel De Anza facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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De Anza Hotel
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| Location | 233 West Santa Clara Street, San Jose, California |
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| Built | 1931 |
| Architect | William H. Weeks |
| Architectural style | Art Deco, Mission/Spanish Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 82002266 |
| Added to NRHP | January 21, 1982 |
The Hotel De Anza is a special old hotel in San Jose, California. It has ten stories, which means it was once the tallest hotel in downtown San Jose! This was before bigger hotels like the Hilton and Fairmont were built.
The De Anza Hotel is famous for its cool design. It's one of the few buildings in San Jose that shows off the "Zig Zag Moderne" style, which is a type of Art Deco. Because it's so important, the hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 21, 1982. This means it's a protected historic building.
Hotel De Anza's Story
The idea for the De Anza Hotel came from local business people. They formed a group called the San Jose Community Hotel Corporation. This group spent three years planning the hotel. More than 200 local citizens helped by buying "stock," which is like investing money in the project.
The building was designed by architect W. H. Weeks. Carl Swenson was the main builder. Local leaders believed the hotel would be good for San Jose. They thought its modern rooms would help bring big meetings and events to the area. The building started on February 27, 1931. A man named Alexander Hart, who was the group's president, led the ceremony. Many important people from San Jose were there. The hotel was first going to be called "The San Jose Hotel." But they changed its name to honor Juan Bautista de Anza, a famous explorer.
Building Design and Look
The outside of the hotel has a tall, 10-story middle part. On each side, there's a 9-story section. These different heights, along with the building's zigzag roofline, make it look like it has steps. The first two floors hold the main lobby and a special upper floor called a mezzanine.
Most of the windows are simple, double-hung windows. But on the second floor, there's a row of 12 cool arched windows. You can see special patterns on the building's surface. There's a line separating the first and second floors. You'll also spot flower-like designs called "rosettes" on the second floor. Fancy Art Deco patterns decorate the top two floors. Some parts of the design, especially on the stepped roof, even look like they were inspired by the ancient Mayan people.
On the hotel's west side, you can see "Hotel De Anza" painted. There's also a picture of a diver. This shows there's a swimming pool behind the building in a small courtyard. The west wall also has a big painting by Jim Miner. It's called "Life Abundant in the Face of Death Imminent" and was finished in 2016. Drivers on West Santa Clara Street can easily see it.
Inside the Hotel
The inside of the De Anza Hotel is very special. The main lobby mixes Art Deco style with a lot of Spanish Colonial Revival designs. The lobby is two stories tall. It has big wooden beams on the ceiling with colorful flower patterns.
Other cool things inside include detailed wrought iron balconies. There's also a huge wrought iron chandelier hanging down. You'll see double arch doorways. To one side, there's a fireplace with a very tall cover that goes all the way to the ceiling. All the doors inside have their own colorful flower designs.
By the 1970s, the hotel was getting old and worn out. It was almost torn down! But the San Jose Redevelopment Agency stepped in and saved it. They helped rebuild the hotel. This reconstruction cost twenty times more than it did to build it originally.
Images for kids
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The De Anza Hotel in San Jose.
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Juan Bautista de Anza, the explorer the hotel is named after.
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Another portrait of Juan Bautista de Anza.
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