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Re: San Jose's Light Rail after 25 years----inefficient etc
Author: Drew Jacksich
Date: 12-29-2012 - 15:42
We never went Valley Fair, McWhorter's did (still may have been McWhorter-Young at first). Don Lindsay stuck it out at 77 S. First, partly (I think) because of his lease with building owner Morris Grant. He did consider moving over to Park Center Plaza (McWhorter's, after Elmer Young went his own way)had a place at Market & San Fernando. When Elmo Ferrari became part owner in late 1975, the downtown store was doomed and closed in July of 1976. By that time, we were out on Coleman Ave. In a little case of DeJaVue, One Workplace (the direct descendant of Curtis Lindsay, Inc. is in the process of leaving Milpitas for the corner of DeLaCruz and Martin.
My mother was working for Hart's in the mid and late 60's. Alex had plans for a new downtown store but could not get the money and went to Westgate which did nothing but draw business away from their Sunnyvale store. Toward the end, it was still called Hart's but had been bought out by some company in Southern California.
It always seemed to me the big issue downtown was parking and the reaction to the installation of parking meters. The city built the parking garage where Firehouse #1 had been as well as the Greyhound depot but it didn't help. The first break in downtown was the loss of Sears in 1954 when they went to Race & San Carlos St. on the old O'Connor site. Imagine, Sears moved in where I was born. Also, Valley Fair, at least the original plant, was in San Jose---The Emporium was in Santa Clara across Redwood Ave (& Webb's Photo)from VF. Also, VF was built where there were a lot of Kaiser homes were located, not orchards.
Carol L. Voss Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Drew Jacksich Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It does not serve the airport because the
> original
> > planning fell victim to the long held fantasy of
> a
> > revival of downtown as some sort of
> > entertainment/high end retail/up scale dining
> > area. As I said before, the fact that then
> mayor
> > Tom McHenry's family has significant property
> > holdings down there was a major factor. Other
> than
> > office space, downtown San Jose died in the
> 1950's
> > and NOTHING is going to bring it back.
> >> Drew Jacksich
> >
> > Life long San Jose resident and distressed
> about
> > it.
> >
> Actually, Drew, it was the Alex Hart's and other
> major merchants in downtown San Jose in the '50's
> that shot themselves in both feet when they
> refused to let Macy's come to town so the city of
> Santa Clara said "HEY!! Macy's!! we love you" and
> thus was Valley Fair born and downtown San Jose
> turned to desert. Those who ultimately didn't move
> to Valley Fair (and IIRC both Lindsay's your
> former employer and McWhorters decamped to Valley
> Fair) moved across the street to Town and Country
> village, now the scene of Santana Row. And when
> they finally started to build the light rail
> through what was left of down town, the final coup
> de gras was delivered.
> Sad.
> C.
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
My mother was working for Hart's in the mid and late 60's. Alex had plans for a new downtown store but could not get the money and went to Westgate which did nothing but draw business away from their Sunnyvale store. Toward the end, it was still called Hart's but had been bought out by some company in Southern California.
It always seemed to me the big issue downtown was parking and the reaction to the installation of parking meters. The city built the parking garage where Firehouse #1 had been as well as the Greyhound depot but it didn't help. The first break in downtown was the loss of Sears in 1954 when they went to Race & San Carlos St. on the old O'Connor site. Imagine, Sears moved in where I was born. Also, Valley Fair, at least the original plant, was in San Jose---The Emporium was in Santa Clara across Redwood Ave (& Webb's Photo)from VF. Also, VF was built where there were a lot of Kaiser homes were located, not orchards.
Carol L. Voss Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Drew Jacksich Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It does not serve the airport because the
> original
> > planning fell victim to the long held fantasy of
> a
> > revival of downtown as some sort of
> > entertainment/high end retail/up scale dining
> > area. As I said before, the fact that then
> mayor
> > Tom McHenry's family has significant property
> > holdings down there was a major factor. Other
> than
> > office space, downtown San Jose died in the
> 1950's
> > and NOTHING is going to bring it back.
> >> Drew Jacksich
> >
> > Life long San Jose resident and distressed
> about
> > it.
> >
> Actually, Drew, it was the Alex Hart's and other
> major merchants in downtown San Jose in the '50's
> that shot themselves in both feet when they
> refused to let Macy's come to town so the city of
> Santa Clara said "HEY!! Macy's!! we love you" and
> thus was Valley Fair born and downtown San Jose
> turned to desert. Those who ultimately didn't move
> to Valley Fair (and IIRC both Lindsay's your
> former employer and McWhorters decamped to Valley
> Fair) moved across the street to Town and Country
> village, now the scene of Santana Row. And when
> they finally started to build the light rail
> through what was left of down town, the final coup
> de gras was delivered.
> Sad.
> C.
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
