Features & Columns

Valley Moderne

A new book and tour by Heather David revels in the region's best examples of midcentury modern buildings
SLEEK CHIC: The San Jose Water Company building is part of Heather David's self-driving tour of local midcentury modern architecture.

'WE WELCOME you to the first-ever tour of Modern San Jose. This tour centers on the Stevens Creek–San Carlos corridor, one of the main arteries leading to and from the city's downtown core.

"The area was aggressively developed in the '50s and '60s and is home to Stevens Creek Auto Row, the region's first suburban shopping center, Valley Fair and some of San Jose's most notable modern architecture."

So begins Heather David's first official driving tour of ignored San Jose buildings and signage. On Saturday, Oct. 9, people will explore masterpieces like the Burger Barn behind Valley Fair—one of the last former Red Barn Restaurant buildings still actually in use as a restaurant.

Attendees will investigate celebrated architectural landmarks of San Jose's underbelly like the Century 21 Theater (1964), the mothership in a series of Vincent Raney–designed Bay Area dome theaters. The tour will also inspect the Flames eatery (formerly Bob's Big Boy) on Winchester, a prime example of "Coffee Shop Modern."

Since the nearby stretch of Stevens Creek and San Carlos contains perhaps the most concentrated assemblage of old-school neon signage still remaining in San Jose, David's tour will also include drive-bys of signs at Westside Billiards, Western Appliance and Orchard Supply Hardware. Participants will receive documentation for the entire program, including notes and histories of each building.

David, a local technical recruiter, recently unleashed a glossy book, Mid-Century by the Bay, documenting similar historical attractions throughout the Bay Area—many of which no longer exist. We see roadside motels, tiki bars, space-age architecture from the '50s, defunct racetracks, kooky restaurant architecture, zoos, old airport photos and more.

The legendary San Jose amusement park, Frontier Village, graces the back cover. Inside are pictorials of the San Jose Water Company Building at Bascom and San Carlos, the Babe's Muffler statue and classic neon signage from Stephen's Meat Products. Yeah!

David's fascination began with her website, www.svmodern.com, and grew into a book. "For a number of years, I had been complaining to my husband about buildings disappearing and signs disappearing and how no one seemed to care," she told me. "One day my husband said, 'Why don't you stop complaining about it and do something.' That's when I started working on the website. The book began as a side project, then became my obsession."

Now she is organizing a tour, and just from this author's conversations over many years, I can safely say she is not the only one fixated with retro-kitsch signage. At least in my case, there exists a holy thirst for the marginalized leftovers ignored by the rest of the valley. In these days, when 99 percent of new buildings are bastions of blandness or hideous cookie-cutter condos or standardized strip malls catering to the Jamba-Juiced masses, somebody needs to highlight what interesting buildings we actually have left.

"To me, midcentury architecture symbolizes innovation, and more importantly, optimism," David said. "At the time of its creation, the future seemed to have no limits. I wonder what today's architecture says about our societal values? Take, for example, the design of the former Stickney's Restaurant at Stevens Creek Plaza and compare it to the design of the Cheesecake Factory at Valley Fair, which now sits in its place." Amen.

David insists she is not a "rabid preservationist." Simply, the more that people are exposed to what interesting buildings we have left, the more they will be inclined to fight against the blandification of our landscape.

"I'd like to create a heightened sense of awareness about this type of architecture and perhaps, a greater sense of appreciation," David explained. "If we can preserve a few of these structures for future generations to enjoy, that would be fantastic."

For Tour info: [email protected]