Google restores and adapts old part of downtown San Jose village

SAN JOSE — Google has been working to salvage the complete historic building by salvaging portions of the old building within the transit village footprint of downtown San Jose, the search giant.

The tech giant provided the public portion of the now-closed Patty’s Inn, whose roots as a watering hole in downtown San Jose date back to the Great Depression.

Google also offers a salvage section of the former Sunlite Bakery Bread Depot building, rescuing the ornate entrance to the old building and preserving the entrance elsewhere in the company’s project footprint.

The old Hellwig Iron Works, located at 150 South Montgomery Street, across from the bakery site, will be preserved and created as a key component of Google’s new Downtown West district, which will include office buildings, residences, shops, restaurants and hotel facilities. will be reused. Spaces, entertainment centers, culture loops.

Bob Staedler, principal executive of land use consultancy Silicon Valley Synergy, said: “Releasing these salvage items to the public requires considerable time and energy. This effort should not be taken for granted.”

One of the many documents created in connection with the Downtown West proposal is some in the footsteps of a game-changing project in which the search giant will eventually employ 20,000 to 25,000 tech workers. It dealt with Google’s plan to preserve important buildings in

The former Hellwig Iron Works building, built around 1935, is one of the buildings expected to be reused as it stands, although some additions to the structure may be made.

After the steelworks closed, Navlet’s flower shop and taiko performance studio also operated in the distinctive brick building.

A Google spokesperson said: “150 South Montgomery Street, last occupied by San Jose Taiko, is being repurposed for adaptive reuse.

According to documents filed with city officials, the Hellwig Steelworks will likely be expanded as part of the reuse of the building.

City documents indicate that “the addition and adaptive reuse of one or more buildings to accommodate new artistic and cultural uses” is envisioned as part of the future of the Helwig structure. It has been.

Among other historic or noteworthy buildings that have been retained, adaptively reused, or relocated:

• Kearney Pattern Works and Foundry at 40 South Montgomery Street, built in 1922. The historic portion of the building will be relocated approximately 30 feet to the south. “Once relocated, the building will be expanded and adaptively repurposed to accommodate new retail, cultural, arts, educational, and/or other positive uses,” the city report said. and has a new frontage on Montgomery Street. The non-historic portion of this building on South Autumn Street will be demolished.
• The San Jose Water Works building at 374 West Santa Clara Street, built in 1934. The building has been preserved and renovated.
• Stephens Meat Co. “Dancing Pig Billboard”. Google has removed and preserved the iconic sign that has been pinned near the Diridon Station and SAP Center for decades. The sign was temporarily placed in San Jose Historical Park, but will eventually find a permanent long-term home at the Downtown West Project.
• Sunlight Bakery at 145 South Montgomery Street, built in 1936. Google decided to rescue the building’s modern-style entrance and relocate it to another location in the company’s new traffic-oriented district.

Additionally, Google will preserve a prominent but non-historic building developed by local real estate agent Chuck Toeniskoetter at 450 West Santa Clara Street in San Jose.

At an event in San Jose in April 2022, Kent Walker, global affairs president of Google owner Alphabet, said the office building will be “the cornerstone of the developing Downtown West district.” said. bay area.

In Staedler’s view, preserving so many historic and existing landmarks will help Google’s new neighborhood blend into existing neighborhoods on the western edge of downtown San Jose.

“This demonstrates our commitment to respecting San Jose’s historic elements while making way for the next evolution of the Diridon Station area,” Staedler said.