Downtown Santa Clara, CA

by | Oct 20, 2025 | General, History of Silicon Valley | 0 comments

Downtown Santa Clara CA 1960 surrounded by orchards.

Downtown Santa Clara, California Historical Timeline

Downtown Santa Clara refers to the historic commercial and civic core of Santa Clara, California, centered around Franklin Street, the historic train station, and the private college that became Santa Clara University. Once a vibrant hub of commerce and community life, the area was dramatically altered by the 1906 earthquake and mid-20th-century urban renewal. This timeline outlines key developments and sets the stage for a renewed, historically grounded central business district.[1]

History

Santa Clara’s downtown emerged in the 19th century near Mission Santa Clara de Asís, with Franklin and Main Streets forming the commercial heart. By the early 20th century, the area featured Victorian storefronts, civic buildings, and public gathering spaces.[2]

In the 1950s and 1960s, much of the historic downtown was demolished under federal urban renewal programs. City officials, citing blight, pursued redevelopment plans that replaced historic structures with modern buildings and parking lots. The decision remains controversial for erasing much of the city’s architectural heritage.

Downtown Santa Clara CA

Downtown Santa Clara CA 1919

Please see sources used at bottom of this timeline.  Pictures of historical and current use will soon be added. Pictures used is altered with colorization from original black and white pictures from multiple sources’..

Timeline of Significant Events

  • Before 1777 – Indigenous peoples lived, worked, and gathered throughout the area [See Santa Clara Wikipedia page].
  • 1777 – Mission Santa Clara de Asís founded by Spanish missionaries [City of Santa Clara, CA government website]. [1]
  • 1852 – Santa Clara incorporated as a town; downtown begins to develop around Franklin Street [Santa Clara City Library resource].[3]
  • 1850s – Town site surveyed by William Campbell into 100-yard-square lots, granted to citizens with a three-month building requirement. A schoolhouse, church, hotels, and mercantile businesses followed. Twenty-three houses were imported from Boston [Santa Clara City History].[1]
  • Late 1800s–Early 1900s – Downtown flourishes with 1–3 story buildings, general store, a bakery, hotels, a streetcar line, and landmarks like the Santa Clara Theater and Town Hall. The area hosts parades and community events. [3]
  • Early 1900s – Victorian-era architecture defines the commercial core. Agriculture and manufacturing industries cluster around the train station. In 1920 the transition of government and to a City Hall and an installation of a  city clock that was a gift to the city by a four generation orchard family. The Citizens from Reclaiming Our Downtown in 2016 asked what happened to the city hall clock watching the demolition video and found the fourth generation orchard family who gave the clock to the city as a gift. The clock was returned to the family. The new post office opened in 1933. [Santa Clara, CA City Library and Reclaiming Our Downtown Facebook group][3] [4]
  • 1930s–1950s – Rapid transformation: [1]
    • From orchards to suburbs
    • From mission town to modern city
    • From agriculture to technology Santa Clara retains elements of its past, but by the late 1950s, the seeds of Silicon Valley are planted [City of Santa Clara, CA Website].
  • 1957 – City Manager Lloyd Brady, hired from Monrovia, CA [Monrovia, CA newspaper],[5] proposes the “Franklin Facelift” to preserve select downtown buildings. Brady worked with Mayor of Santa Clara, CA Frank Bucher and the 1955 City Council. William P. Kiely [5/59], W. J. Nicholson, Victor Salberg, Anthony Toledo, Frank Bucher, Joseph Rebeiro [1957], Frank Barcells. [City of Santa Clara, CA council history] [6]
  • 1960–1965 – Federal urban renewal funds used to demolish much of downtown [Reference from Mercury News, and Santa Clara Journal].
    • Aug 10, 1960 – U.S. Gives Santa Clara $2,702,372 for renewal grant.[27]
    • Sept 27, 1960 – Controversial City Council vote approves demolition despite 82.7% of surveyed business owners opposing it. Citizens walk out after police remove business owner Bill Wilson from the podium. Councilmember James Viso motions to proceed [Mercury News, Santa Clara Journal].Councilmembers Viso, Simons, Dullea, Rebeiro, Talia, and Mayor Levin approve the plan. Councilman Austen Warburton dissents.[7]
    • 1961– City Manager Brady resigns amid accusations and files a lawsuit alleging political retaliation simultaneously of the citizens lawsuit.  [Santa Clara Journal, Feb. 14, 1962].[8]
    • 1961 – Citizen lawsuit challenges the scope of demolition and use of federal funds. The court limits redevelopment to original “facelift” funding constraining broader plans. The city clears land but fails to rebuild a cohesive downtown, contributing to a decades-long vacuum [Mercury News].[9]
    • 1963 – New City Hall opened on 1500 Warburton Ave.[3]
    • 1965 – Demolition of an eight-block grid (Benton, Lafayette, Madison, Homestead) completed. Historic buildings like the City Hall, Franck Building and Santa Clara Theater are razed. Only the two-block Franklin Mall is built; most businesses do not return due to high land costs [Mercury News, Santa Clara Journal]. [Video of city hall torn down][3] [10)
  • 1969 – Mission Revitalization Project near Santa Clara College results in the loss of multiple homes between Liberty and Benton Streets, east of Lafayette. Project led by Leo A Daly Company Planning Consultants [1969 Council minutes, Daly Co. plan, Dec. 14, 1969].[3]
  • 1970s–1990s – Redevelopment yields low-density commercial buildings and surface parking lots, diminishing community identity. After seven failed attempts citizens begin to coalesce around a vision to restore the central business district. [3]
  • 1975
    • The city struggles to attract developers; only one proposal advances.
    • “The acreage has been vacant since the 1960s, largely because of the city’s contractual obligations to the prior developer. It has only been within the last month that the city has been in position to convey a clear title 1975 to the land..” [Santa Clara Sun][11]
    • Councilmember James Viso purchases the vacant property.[12]
    • A second wave of disappointment follows when redevelopment promises from multiple developers fail to materialize. A front-page article in the Santa Clara Sun (Dec. 1977) features a photo by Edward Souza of the 7.6-acre site left empty for years. [11]
  • 1986 – The City Council approves Prometheus Real Estate Group’s proposal to build Benton Park Place [Mercury News, Jan. 15, 1986].
  • 1996 – The Gateway Santa Clara revitalization plan is introduced. The Santa Clara, CA City Planning Commission advocate for the project. Unlike Mountain View’s adaptive reuse of historic buildings, Santa Clara’s plan calls for new structures designed to appear old. The plan ultimately fails [Mercury News, May 28, 1996].[13] [1]
  • 2000–2001– The City and Redevelopment Agency fund a second phase of revitalization, including landscaping, signage, and parking improvements in the Franklin Square area (formerly Franklin Mall).
    • Rod Diridon Jr. chairs the Santa Clara Downtown Revitalization Committee another failed plan. (1997–2004) source.[14]
  • 2016 – Reclaiming Our Downtown forms as a grassroots citizens group. Founded by Rod Dunham, fourth generation Santa Claran and native Santa Claran Dan Ondrasek, the movement began with five residents meeting at a Peet’s Coffee. Within a year, membership grew to 2,000; today, it exceeds 4,500 members. Santa Claran Linda Mello was instrumental with this growth through her and Dunham’s Reclaiming Our Downtown Facebook page. The newspaper article, Can it be restored? [The Mercury News By Scott Herhold, May 24, 2017]. [15].The first newspaper article written by Scott Herhold after he ran a pair of stories of the best and worst decisions of local governments in Silicon Valley. Demolition of Downtown Santa Clara ranked top of “The worst local decisions in last 50 years.”
  • 2017-2018 – Reclaiming Our Downtown forms a research team led by Donna West and Mary Grizzle uncovered that 87% of citizens wanted the Downtown over other city projects. The team also contacted multiple cities nationwide to identify the best practices in returning vibrant downtowns; four emerged: [4]
    • Form diverse community task force.
    • Hire an excellent urban planner.
    • Develop a Precise Plan.
    • Fortify it with a Form-Based Code
  • 2017 – The Old Quad Residents Association’s president, Adam Thompson, helped shift community support for the Prometheus Real Estate Group’s Benton Street project in return for a concession from Prometheus on Park Central Apartments located in the site of the original Downtown. Prometheus granted the city the rights to the original path of Downtown’s old Franklin and Washington Streets. [16]
  • 2018 June 25 Downtown Precise Plan Revitalizing the Downtown letter from the City Manager Santana City Council approved first funding with a budget of $400,000, on June 12, 2018 Council Meeting..[17]
  • 2018 December 4 Downtown Community Task Force (DCTF) was approved by the City Council at their December 18th meeting [City planning web page]  [City planning web page]  The Downtown Community Task Force (DCTF)[18]
  • 2018 December 20, 2018 The first DCTF meeting occurred on Thursday, December 20, 2018.Task Force includes representatives from the Old Quad Residents Association, Reclaiming Our Downtown, Santa Clara University, the Historical and Landmarks and Cultural Commissions and Silicon Valley at Home. There were two citizen led meetings in 2018 before the hiring of the urban planning team in 2019. First Task Force members: Adam Thompson, Dan Ondrasek, Butch Coyne, David Warne, Soli Cayetano, Ana Vargas-Smith, Debra von Huene, Matthew Reed, Rob Mayer,  Chan Thai and Atisha Varshney were added in 2021 because two members Warne and Cayetano departed. Two new members have been added by the City of Santa Clara, CA  in 2025, [19][18]   
  • 2019 October 30, 2019 The first meeting between the Downtown Community Task Force (DCTF), WRT and Sargent Town Planning after the contract was approved by city council. [20]
  • 2021 Residents (citizens) ask for funding of Form Base Code, and Objective Design Standards.  After citizen research and a joint city meeting with the City Council, Planning Commission, and the Task Force in Sept 2021, the City Council approved additional funding of form base code on September 28, 2021. [18] [19]
  • 2021 November 17, 2021 Assemblymember Alex Lee Honors the Unsung Heroes of Assembly District 25 the citizens of Reclaiming Our Downtown Honoree. Assembly member Alex Lee press release.[21]
  • 2021 Reclaiming Our Downtown receives California American Planning Association Award of Merit for a Grassroots Initiative [22]
  • 2021 Reclaiming Our Downtown receives Northern California Chapter APA Association Award of Merit for a Grassroots Initiative [22]
  • 2022 Residents asks and receives funding of new study for City Hall to return to Downtown Santa Clara, CA on Franklin Street in May 2022..[23]
  • 2023 On December 5, the City Council unanimously adopts the Downtown Precise Plan and Form-Based Code, developed over 4.5 years with extensive citizen input. The plan includes the city’s first form base code, including objective design standards with the goal of restoring a vibrant, pedestrian-oriented downtown. This vote was a turning point after six decades of stagnation. [19]
  • 2024 – 2025 Since the approval of the Downtown Precise Plan, the delay of putting the Downtown Precise Plan out for proposal citing high construction costs and financing difficulties as major obstacles. Reclaiming Our Downtown, members of the DCTF, OQRA and citizens asked the city for immediately request bids from developers for the first two Downtown blocks (known as Blocks A and B) to better understand the land’s true value and what is achievable. Blocks A and B contain critical elements to activate the entire downtown development, and developers will not come forward until there is a city issued Request for Proposal. There is also deep concern that these critical blocks may be a part of negotiations by Santa Clara City Management for another, unrelated deal.[24]

Current State

Thousands of Santa Clarans have contributed volunteer hours to bring the current Downtown Plan to life. The community now looks to city management and staff to implement it faithfully. As one citizen advocate says: “At this writing, it is up to the citizens of Santa Clara, city management and council together to go forward and fill the dreams of 85% of citizens.” [19]

Notable Landmarks Old Quad Residents Neighborhood still visible

  • Downtown Historic Train Station – Oldest Train Station west of the Mississippi
  • Historic Federal Post Office (1930)
  • Franklin Mall – A pedestrian corridor from the urban renewal era
  • Plaza Park and Mission Library
  • Santa Clara Women’s Club Adobe – One of the few surviving 18th-century structures
  • Mission Santa Clara de Asís – A spiritual and historical anchor
  • Morse Mansion
  • Carmelite Monastery

 

Do you like this Santa Clara, CA city and community historical timeline shared? Please Share with your friends, Comment and Talk with us below! Sign up for our newsletter in the sidebar. Do you want to be one of the personal history feature articles? Click to our Contact page directly about your feature.

Editor’s Note:  Please see the resources used below.  Thank you to the following information sources from historic archives and current newspaper articles and pictures and are used with permission from Donna West. Please contact me for permission to use. Comments are welcome..

References

References are from newspaper archives, past paper copies of Council meeting minutes, Downtown Precise Plan Task Force minutes

    1.  “City of Santa Clara, CA government website City History”. City of Santa Clara, CA government City History. July 25, 2025. Retrieved 7/25/205) 
    2.  “Early Town History Downtown Santa Clara, CA”. Early Town History Downtown Santa Clara, CA. 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
    3.  “City of Santa Clara City Library Central Park”. City of Santa Clara City Library Central Park. 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
    4.  Dunham, Rod (2025-07-25). “Reclaiming Our Downtown Santa Clara, CA”. Reclaiming Our Downtown Santa Clara, CA. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
    5.  City Mgr Brady Ends Service as City Manager lists Accomplishments, Daily News-Post and Monrovia News-Post, Monrovia, CA, Saturday, March 9, 1957, Front Page, Accessed Jul 22,2024
    6.  “City of Santa Clara, CA Prior Council list”. City of Santa Clara, CA government former council listing. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
    7.  Urban Renewal Project Approved By City Councilmen In 6-1 Ballot, By Linn Brown, Santa Clara Journal, Santa Clara, CA, Friday, January 27, 1961 Last accessed 2018
    8.  Brady Resigns Santa Clara Manager Out, By Dick Cox, San Jose Mercury, Sept 29, 1961. Accessed Jul 24, 2024
    9.  S.C Renewal Blocked Temporarily By Court, San Jose Mercury News, San Jose, CA Friday, March 24, 1961
    10.  “Santa Clara City Urban Renewal: Home Movie Clips 1963 – 1966”. Santa Clara City Urban Renewal: Home Movie Clips 1963 – 1966. 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
    11.  New Interest blooms in SC’s downtown, By Carolyn Leal, Photo By Ed Souza, The Santa Clara Sun, Tuesday, Dec 6, 1977
    12.  Former councilman’s low bid takes urban renewal land, By Mike Myslinski, Photo By Ed Souza, The Santa Clara Sun, Tuesday, Dec 26, 1978
    13.  SANTA CLARA REGRETS RAZING ITS CENTRAL, By Tom Schmitz, The Mercury News, San Jose, CA May 28, 1996, page 1A
    14.  Diridon Jr, Rod (2025-07-25). “Rod Diridon Jr Service Santa Clara Downtown Revitalization Committee, 1997 – 2004: Founding Chair”. Rod Diridon Jr Service Santa Clara Downtown Revitalization Committee, 1997 – 2004: Founding Chair. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
    15.  Herhold, Scott (May 24, 2017). “Santa Clara downtown: Can it be restored? The Mercury News, San Jose, CA. By Scott Herhold”. The Mercury News. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
    16.  Herhold, Scott. “A step to revive Santa Clara’s downtown Adam Thompson’s idea could be a crucial cornerstone in the effort to restore the old city cent”. Mercury News August 3,2017. Retrieved 7/26/2025.
    17.  Santana, Deanna (7/26/2025). “Letter to the Community Regarding the Downtown Precise Plan”. City of Santa Clara CA. Retrieved 7/25/2025.
    18.  “Downtown Community Task Force (DCTF), City of Santa Clara, CA”. Downtown Community Task Force (DCTF), City of Santa Clara, CA. 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
    19.  “Downtown Precise Plan, City of Santa Clara, CA”. Downtown Precise Plan, City of Santa Clara, CA. 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
    20.  “WRT LLC and Key Consultants Sargent Town Planning for Form Base Code”. WRT LLC Projects Downtown Santa Clara CA Precise Plan. 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
    21.  Lee, Alex (7/25/2025). “Assemblymember Honors the Unsung Heroes of Assembly District 25”. Assemblymember Alex Less. Retrieved 7/25/2025.
    22.  “Northern Section 2021 Awards announced California chapter American Planning Association Grassroots Initiative Award of Excellence: Rebuilding Downtown Santa Clara”. American Planning Association Northern Chapter. 7/25/2025.
    23.  Hase, Grace (7/26/2025). “Santa Clara residents look to move city hall back downtown Reclaiming Our Downtown members argue relocating city hall could help revitalize the area”. The Mercury News. Retrieved 7/26/2025.
    24.  Cannestra, B. Sakura (7/26/2026). “Downtown Santa Clara revitalization slow to start”. San Jose Spotlight. -Post
    25. Monrovia News-Post, Monrovia, CA Friday, February 8,1957 Front Page, Accessed Jul 22,2024
    26.  Brady Takes Over Duties in Santa Clara, Daily News-Post and Monrovia News-Post, Monrovia, CA, Tuesday, March 19, 1957, Front Page,  Accessed Jul 22, 2024
    27. U.S. Gives Santa Clara $2,702,372 for Renewal, San Jose News, Wednesday, August 10, 1960

 

 

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *