Showing posts with label downtown san jose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label downtown san jose. Show all posts

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Plaza de Cesar Chavez has some new amenities

Just in time for nicer weather, I noticed a few new features in Plaza de Cesar Chavez yesterday. There are two outdoor table tennis tables that look really nice along with fancy lounge seating. Several kids were already playing in the fountains even though it was not a very warm day.

The additions felt very welcome and will inevitably be popular with the college students that are moving into the former Fairmont Annex tower across the street. I also like that the colors chosen match and compliment The Tech Interactive museum.

Hopefully we'll see more surprises like this in parks throughout Downtown San Jose.



Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Latest news (and video) on Urban Putt - grand opening is later this week!

I know I'm promoting Urban Putt quite a bit, but I truly believe it is one of the most significant new businesses that I can remember in Downtown San Jose. 

Every one of the holes in the indoor golf course is unique, hand-built, and essentially a tribute to San Jose. Yes, they even have a replica electrical light tower inside the building. The level of craftmanship is off the charts.

For a quick preview of several holes, there is a 4 minute video by NBC Bay Area here.

The Silicon Valley Business Journal also has a story up with 13 photos.

Last but not least, the Mercury News has their own article here.

I'll get a chance to preview it first-hand at the media preview tonight. I can't wait and am already planning my second and third visits.

The official grand opening is Thursday, Feb 29th and Urban Putt is located at 201 S. Second St. in the former Camera 12 building. Scott's Seafood is next door.




Friday, February 23, 2024

Has Google forgotten about Downtown San Jose?

The short answer is... no.

If Google had no plans to execute on their vision for Downtown West near Diridon, they would have immediately halted all work on their real estate holdings in San Jose. Instead, they are still making small updates and preparations. For example, a former Orchard Supply Hardware at 720 West San Carlos is being bulldozed over the next couple months to make way for future construction.

The eventual goal is to build 7.3 million SQFT of office space, 4,000 residential units, 500k SQFT of retail, 300 hotel rooms, and 15 acres of open space in Downtown West. Google wants to employ as many as 20,000 workers in San Jose.

Source: The Mercury News



Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Downtown San Jose's Urban Putt - Latest Updates

Urban Putt is now scheduled to open February 29th. To get super excited, you must watch the 3 minute video on their old Kickstarter page with a preview of what Urban Putt is planning. This is my most anticipated new San Jose entertainment venue for 2024.

As someone who grew up going to Golfland in San Jose, Milpitas, and Sunnyvale, I was definitely intrigued when I learned about a new miniature golf course coming to the heart of Downtown San Jose. I believe that Urban Putt will be the first in Downtown history.

It will feature courses inspired by the Winchester Mystery House, an interactive version of Downtown San Jose, a Shark that will try to eat your ball, a submarine, a crashed UFO, and all sorts of other unique courses filled with mechanical gizmos. The venue will also serve up craft cocktails and whimsical food. For more info, check out the description below and their website here.



From the Kickstarter page:

This isn't your grandfather's mini-golf. 

This is miniature golf reimagined: an immersive, cutting-edge course, located in the heart of San Jose. Combining high artistry and a serious commitment to fun (and powered by a gaggle of mechanical gizmos), this 18-hole indoor miniature golf course will amaze and entertain. Conceived and built by the same team that created the wildly popular Urban Putt venues in San Francisco and Denver, Urban Putt San Jose is slated to open in late 2023/early 2024.

So what can you expect on the course? A crashed UFO, a submarine inspired by Jules Verne's Nautilus, a hole inspired by the Winchester Mystery House, an interactive version of downtown San Jose, a shark that will try to eat your golf ball, and even an old-school circuit board you putt through. Oh, yeah... and lots of man-made mountains towering over the entire expanse. Built by artists, craftspeople, designers, wood- and metalworkers, theatrical prop masters, programmers, and more, Urban Putt is looking to deliver next-level fun. 

The space itself is, in a word, breathtaking. Urban Putt San Jose is envisioned as an immersive experience, transporting you into a futuristic urban environment, where technology and entertainment collide. Designed by architect Chris Holzwart of holzarchitecture, the 13,000-square-foot site draws you through the front doors and down into a new world. The cylindrical dining room acts as the hub of the operation, with massive swooping openings on all sides that allow visitors to enter the mini-golf course or the private mezzanine viewing deck beyond. The design motif is a study in swoops, radiuses, and circles. Everywhere you look there are walls, fixtures, even the smallest details, that pay homage to the circle, a playful nod to the golf ball itself. Strategically placed portholes in the walls give visual hints to what lies beyond, whether viewed from the majestic front entrance or from the comfort of the mezzanine. Elsewhere, perforated metal walls and dividers (there are those circles again!) appear throughout the space. Overhead, in the main dining/drinking area, a six-foot-diameter polished orb floats overhead, honeycombed with cutouts and gears, to further reinforce the look and feel of the venue, while visually referencing the mechanical wonders that populate the course. Even the bathrooms -- with their glossy penny tile walls -- are showcases that give a nod to the ubiquity of the circle in our design.

And then there are the tables and bar surfaces. On the ground floor and mezzanine, four enormous community tables -- made of two-inch thick clear epoxy with thousands of golf balls embedded in each -- are custom-made conversation pieces. The bar tops and drink rails are similarly sensational and unconventional: slabs of highly polished concrete, smooth to the touch, with subtle curves at the edges and endpoints. It's a design that evokes wonder and joy, and may even leave you wondering, How did they do that? 

Speaking of the bar, our custom-built 40-foot-long bar top is a work of art in its own right, even featuring a "time machine" (non-functional, at least so far; but if anyone can create a working time machine, it would be Urban Putt's mad scientists). With a full slate of creative cocktails, locally sourced beers, and a passel of imaginative mocktails, Urban Putt's bar will be a must-visit in Downtown San Jose as well as a terrific location for post-work happy hours.

Meanwhile, the restaurant, helmed by noted San Jose chef Chad Ferry, will offer everything from out-of-the box shareables (grilled corn topped with Flamin' Hot Cheetos, anyone?) to hand-made pizzas and full sit-down dinners. We are particularly excited by Chef Chad's dessert menu, with Ice Cream Nachos, S'more Sliders, and even a flotilla of floats, some made with stout, for those who like their sweets with an alcoholic zing.

For partygoers, the mezzanine, which can hold 120 patrons, offers a bird's-eye view of the entire course, bar, and dining area. The "Mezz" can be divided into multiple configurations and has its own bathrooms and private bar, making it a premium location for private events, from company team building to birthday parties, bachelor parties, even weddings (Urban Putt founder Steve Fox is a Universal Life officiant who has performed nine weddings and is eager to oversee more of them).

We are in the home stretch right now, and need just a little help to push us over the top. The Kickstarter funds will be used to finish the grand finale hole (a design inspired by the dodecahedron) and the outer space hole. This is getting exciting; we can't wait to show everyone what we've been working on for the last two years.

Friday, February 9, 2024

Illuminated performance art sculpture coming to Second St. in Downtown San Jose

A new digital art project will be on display in Downtown San Jose 24 hours per day until June. Called Dream Club Lab, it is the first of many art lighting installations designed to fill gaps in Downtown San Jose and energize districts.

In addition to lighting there will be live video, kinetic sculptures, and robots that do a little performance between 5-11pm from Thursday to Sunday. I can't wait to see what this actually looks like.

I posted the full text from the Downtown Dimension newsletter below. This is absolutely the right directions for our arts scene and I can't wait to see more projects like this in the future!


Project to contribute to San Jose’s vibrancy and inspire onlookers

A large and never-occupied storefront space has morphed into the first of many art lighting installations intended to energize downtown San Jose’s urban cityscape.

Dream Club Lab, a collaboration by installation artists Elaine Buckholtz and Ian Winters, is commissioned by the San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA) and San Jose Downtown Property Owners to support their vision of a vibrant downtown for everyone. The artists turned the empty 9,000-square-foot space at 72 S. Second St. into a light and video installation with roving robots that roam the space with live video, feeds and kinetic sculptures.

Unveiled this evening, Dream Club Lab can be viewed 24 hours daily through June. Special video and performative robot activations will take place from 5 to 11 p.m. each Thursday through Sunday.  

SJDA is heeding its long-term objective to improve the quality of life of residents and visitors. One strategy is to follow the guidelines of the property owners’ multi-year Comprehensive Downtown Lighting Plan, which calls for more activations that support downtown’s night-time economy.

“We believe that by increasing foot traffic in our district, we can create more opportunities for our members to connect with potential customers, clients and collaborators,” said Alex Stettinski, CEO of the Downtown Association. “One avenue to increase foot traffic is to improve the spaces between already lit businesses, which is the bread and butter of street life programming.”

The lighting projects are receiving additional funding from the Knight FoundationAdobePacific Gas & Electric Co. and the Office of San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. “Turning the lights on” is one of Mahan’s mantras for the city.

“In true Silicon Valley spirit, this activation takes a vacant storefront and turns it into an innovative attraction,” Mahan said. “We need more projects like this one as we work to create a safer, cleaner, cooler San Jose.”

The Mayor also noted that the addition of electricity and internet to the space for the art installation enhances future leasability.

Buckholtz and Winters drew from their experience as lighting and video designers for the stage to create a cityscape fantasy space to inspire passersby to meet, discuss, invent, test ideas, and ponder downtown’s future and path to improvement.

“Everyone will react differently and take away something different,” Winters said. 

Buckholtz and Winters, partnering as Nighthouse Studio, altered their Dream Club Lab concept to respond to the spatial considerations of the entire space. Some viewers said the art installation harkens back to the nightlife vibes of yesteryear, the artists added.

Though lights inside the space will stay on day and night, late afternoon sunlight results in a burst of motion and color reflecting off the curtains, the artists noted.

“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know San Jose,” Buckholtz said. “The city has an amazing warm spirit, and it is dynamic and down-to-earth.”

Dream Club Lab is wedged between The Improv comedy club and The Loft restaurant, across the street from San Jose Bar and Grill and Nova Nightclub. That part of South Second Street is most busy Thursday through Sunday nights. 

Dream Club Lab kicks off a series of illuminated art pieces planned by SJDA. A second installation is scheduled for later this year. The works are meant to be portable so that they can be moved to other locations.

Source: Downtown Dimension

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

New university opening in Downtown San Jose with business and tech degrees

Here is a story I did not see coming. California Miramar University is planning to open a campus in Downtown San Jose's SoFA District. The University will operate out of 505 S. Market St. in a two-story building formerly occupied by Xactly.

California Miramar University will offer Bachelor's Degrees in data science and business management. More importantly, they will offer a Master's Degree in AI. 

San Jose's ambition is to be the global AI capital. Already there are plans to incubate 30-40 AI startups in Downtown San Jose. It makes sense to develop talent in San Jose Universities and then keep that talent in the area to foster a complete AI ecosystem. It's not just software, the headquarters for the leading companies that create AI hardware are all within 10 miles of Downtown San Jose (Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Google, etc).

Tuition at California Miramar University is expected to range from $11-12k per year, which is surprisingly affordable for higher education.

Source: FOX2 KTVU





Saturday, February 3, 2024

VTA abandons eminent domain plans that would have derailed a high-rise project

Given the likelihood of more delays and cost overruns, VTA wisely dropped plans to drop eminent domain proceedings for a prime site near the Downtown San Jose BART station. The land they were trying to forcefully acquire is between 17 and 31 East Santa Clara Street.

Proposed for this site is the Eterna Tower, a 26-story residential high-rise with 200 residences in a very central part of Downtown San Jose. Unfortunately this project is still at risk as the capital market landscape greatly changed since the tower was first proposed and delayed by the VTA's actions.

At this point, there is so much risk in the BART project that large parcels of prime land should not be held hostage for something that is at best 14 years away. There are plenty of options for subway entrances and exits throughout Santa Clara Street.

Source: The Mercury News




Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Where is this in Downtown San Jose?

Again, this has been a crazy week. There is a lot of great news over the past few days including a brand new college coming to Downtown San Jose--just not enough time to post about it. So for today I just have a quick fun post. 

Where was the photo below taken from?

Hint: it's one of my favorite places to grab a bite. Answer is below.


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Answer: SoFA Market Courtyard

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

San Pedro Square in Downtown San Jose is officially closed to cars... permanently

In a move that will delight pedestrians and Downtown San Jose advocates, San Pedro Square will officially become a pedestrian mall between West Santa Clara Street and St. John Street. It was first closed to traffic for an extended period to provide more room for outdoor diners during COVID and helped dozens of businesses to survive. After the pandemic, few people seemed to miss the ability to drive through the street.

Turning this area into a permanent pedestrian mall will allow even more activation up and down the street. It was already the most thriving district in Downtown San Jose, due in a large part to the San Pedro Square Market. Now the possibilities to add more businesses in the parking garage or even temporary popups down the middle of the street will help take the district to the next level. 

Improvements such as enhanced lighting and more public art are already in discussions with property owners in the area.

Source: SVBJ



Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Urban Putt has a new grand opening date - February 8th

The hottest new minigolf place in the Bay Area is opening up in Downtown San Jose in a couple weeks. They have some of the most unique holes you can imagine with nods to Silicon Valley and unique interactive elements. The Winchester Mystery House, Sharks, a submarine, and a UFO are all items you'll find throughout the venue. When you're done, there are craft cocktails and unique food items to try out. It's one of the most exciting new entertainment options Downtown in years and is actually the first minigolf place I can remember in the area.

Opening day is February 8th starting at 4pm and it's located at 201 South 2nd Street (the old Camera 12 Movie Theater). For more info head to their website over here.



Saturday, January 20, 2024

New food hall is officially open in Downtown San Jose

A new "cloud kitchen" is now open on Santa Clara Street called the Downtown Food Hall. The concept is optimized for take-out food and delivery services like Doordash, but there will be a dine-in option for all of the eateries there.

One of the first restaurants to have their soft opening is Halal Taqueria, and anywhere from 11 to 19 more will soon follow. For more information on what's coming, head over here.

Source: NBC Bay Area



Saturday, January 13, 2024

Sonic Runway

One of the most interesting and dynamic public art installations in San Jose lights up the block in front of the San Jose City Hall from 5pm to midnight every night. It creates a visualization of the speed of sound and was originally featured at Burning Man. You can park for free for 90 minutes at the 4th Street Garage and enjoy it all the way until January 1st, 2028.



Friday, January 12, 2024

Content 16.2

The latest issue of Content Magazine is about to drop (Silicon Valley's top publication on local arts and culture). This issue will come with a limited edition flexi disc vinyl record from Needle to the Groove, as long as you preorder or subscribe by January 31st.

To top it off, they will do a Pick-Up Party in partnership with Creekside Social on February 22nd at 20 Barack Obama Boulevard in Downtown San Jose. Subscribers always get some sort of perk at these parties--often a free cocktail, apps, or other goodies.

Here are some of the people featured in the upcoming issue:

Musician - Amara 林 | Videographer - Victor Aquino | Photographer - Britt Bradley | Rapper - Chow Mane | RecordLabel - Discos Resaca Collective | Dancer - Srividya Eashwar | Artist - Girafa | Rap Crew - Kid Lords | Photographer - Josie Lepe | Artist - Julie Meridian | Record Shop and Label - Needle to the Groove Records | Illustrator - Shaka Shaw | 2024 San José Creative Ambassadors - Dancer - Alice Hur - Artist - Pantea Karimi - Artist - Deborah Kennedy - Artist - Rayos Magos - Storyteller - Yosimar Reyes

To learn more or subscribe, head over here.




Thursday, January 4, 2024

Iconic San Jose tower will be converting offices to homes

Demand for office space is low and housing is high, which will likely lead to several office to housing conversions throughout San Jose. One of the most interesting proposals is by the owners of the historic "Bank of Italy" tower in Downtown San Jose. The building was San Jose's original high rise, and the company that built it eventually became Bank of America. It was actually the tallest building between Los Angeles and San Francisco between 1926 and 1970... 44 years.

The latest proposal is to convert the 13-story office building to between 125 and 150 homes across at least 11 of the floors, in addition to doing significant interior and exterior renovations. The attic below the spire and cupola would also be used to support the residential component (perhaps as amenity space). The plan also references a 1,400 SQFT lower penthouse and 900 SQFT upper penthouse. It's not clear exactly where those would be--if they are part of the tower component above the attic or the terraces along the side.

Dining and retail spaces are also earmarked for the project, including one with a 2nd floor terrace which you can see in the 2nd and last images below. I'm reminded of the old Scott's Seafood location. This could be a really unique spot for a restaurant overlooking Fountain Alley and First Street!

It also looks like they want to add some dynamic lighting elements to the top of the tower, which would be a nice bonus for the project. Hopefully they can get this completed before the market shifts again.

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Breeze of Innovation Updates

Urban Confluence has been collaborating with Plaza de Cesar Chavez stakeholders on building a world-class landmark for the city in the heart of Downtown San Jose. The goal is still to place the winning concept, Breeze of Innovation, somewhere in Plaza de Cesar Chavez. In 2024, the organization will share an updated version of their vision--which was teased in the email below from Steve Borkenhagen. He's the Executive Director for the project (side note that he is also one of the key people responsible for the San Pedro Square Market's success and has owned several restaurants Downtown).

Some of the updates to the project will include elements that will dramatically honor Cesar Chavez and elevate San Jose events of all kind. The email specifically mentions Christmas in the Park and the San Jose Jazz Festival. I'm really excited to learn more about the possibilities of how Breeze of Innovation can further activate the park and add a new defining element to the Downtown San Jose skyline.

If you want to contribute to the project, the link is in the message below.


Dear Friend, 

Creating a dynamic city center involves lots of blood, sweat, and tears. In 2023, we’ve worked hard to collaborate with our fellow Plaza de Cesar Chavez stakeholders on plans to dramatically improve the most historic piece of property in San Jose. In 2024, we want to take the next step.

Great parks are the secret sauce for successful downtowns around the world.  For more than two centuries, Plaza de Cesar Chavez has been waiting for us. This is our chance to finally take Downtown San Jose to the next level by working together with our city's diverse and amazing citizens for the greater good. 

Along with many others who are deeply committed to Plaza de Cesar Chavez, we will reveal our shared vision for the park in the next six months. This vision will include Breeze of Innovation, elements to dramatically honor Cesar Chavez, and vastly improved park infrastructure that will amp up and elevate events of all kinds -- including Christmas in the Park and the San Jose Jazz Festival.

The mission for 2024 is tightly focused; we plan to join with the family of Cesar Chavez, concerned citizens, park event producers, and neighbors to begin to dynamically improve Plaza de Cesar Chavez and maximize the joy experienced by all park visitors.

Downtown leader Gary Dillabough says: “Sometimes to create an exceptional place, you need a catalytic event or a catalytic project. Our belief is that the Breeze of Innovation is that project.”

Will you please continue to support our game-changing project for downtown San Jose? 

Your donations will help us create this inspirational vision for Plaza de Cesar Chavez. Please donate HERE or by mailing a check to Urban Confluence Silicon Valley, P.O. Box 720813, San Jose, CA 95172.

Your financial support is deeply appreciated.

Please call Steve Borkenhagen any time with questions and comments.

Happy New Year!

Urban Confluence Silicon Valley

Executive Director Steve Borkenhagen
Steve@UrbanConfluenceSiliconValley.org

Please take a moment to watch this video of Mayor Matt Mahan as he discusses Breeze of Innovation. 

Friday, December 29, 2023

Last chance to see the holiday projections at St. Joseph's Basilica this season

Right next to Christmas in the Park is a really cool projection-based light show at St. Joseph's Basilica. You can get a gist of it from the video below, but I was watching it for a solid 10 minutes. Lots of families taking photos in front of it. If you haven't seen it yet, there are still a few days before it's taken down until the 2024 holidays.

I'm hoping to see more art projects like this throughout San Jose. It really adds to the holiday atmosphere Downtown, which is already at an 11 out of 10.



Thursday, December 28, 2023

New Years Eve options in Downtown San Jose

There is a New Years event for everyone in Downtown San Jose this year. If you have kids, there are "Noon Year's Eve" events at the Children's Discovery Museum and 3Below Theatre & Cafe. If you like fine dining, Rollati and The Fountain have you covered. 

If you want to party there are at least a dozen night clubs doing events Downtown in just about every genre you can think of from house music to Cumbia to Bollywood. Then if you're not hung over you can do the San Jose Bike Party New Year's Day bike ride at noon on the 1st.

The SJDA has put together a handy list of all the events going on over here. Have fun and stay safe!





Friday, December 22, 2023

The story behind San Jose's oldest building

SJtoday has a great overview of the Peralta Adobe, the oldest structure in San Jose. The inconspicuous building now sits in the middle of the San Pedro Square Market and occasionally public tours are offered of the historic structure. It's over 200 years old and predates even San Jose's existence as a city.

For the quick history of the building that you can use to impress your friends over beers next time you're at the Market, head over here.





Thursday, December 21, 2023

11-story building coming to San Jose's "Downtown West"

Not every tower has to hit maximum height. This proposal at Delmas and San Fernando would occupy a small amount of space where a convenience store and taqueria currently operate out of a 2,305 SQFT single-story building. 

The proposal would have 80 residential units in an 11-story building and 1,355 SQFT of ground floor retail which the businesses at the current location would occupy after construction is complete. I'm not sure if this is tall enough to technically call a high-rise, but it does have a striking and unique design by Downtown San Jose standards.

At least 20% of the units would be affordable housing. The building would be an easy walk to Diridon and has a VTA Light Rail station across the street. It's also minutes away from the Adobe World Headquarters and proposed San Jose Google campus.

Source: SVBJ



Thursday, December 14, 2023

More details emerge about "San Jose's Downtown Food Hall" on Santa Clara Street

A few tidbits are starting to leak out for one of San Jose's most mysterious projects--a food hall backed by the co-founder of Uber in the old Hank's Downtown Furniture retail spot. The location can support up to 26 kitchens and there will be a central ordering area for walk-ins. However, it will be optimized for to-go orders and deliveries.

Some of the restraunteur-oriented advertising for the project highlights that there are 1.1 million residents, 647,000 worker, and 44,000 students within a 15 minute drive. All of the order pickup and processing can be handled by the hall instead of the individual business.

The restaurants lined up so far include:
  • Forza Italia Kitchen
  • Y-Linh Sandwiches
  • Sophia's Sweets
  • Silk Road Kitchen
  • Cosmic Cuisine Halal,
  • Mercy Mediterranean
  • Monosushi
  • TeaZeer
  • Sam & Curry
  • Azuma San Jose
  • SLOBSTER
  • Cinco Milpas
Some of the menus are even already available over here. Even more interesting, several of the restaurants are slated to open at the end of December. This will be one project to keep an eye out for. You'll be able to access it at 82 E. Santa Clara Street.