Bo Town, a permanently closed Chinese and Vietnamese seafood restaurant, is slated for demolition ahead of a new mixed-use property in downtown San Jose.
On Tuesday, San Jose City Council members unanimously approved a 30-story mixed-use structure that will replace the historic building at 409 South 2nd Street, which formerly housed Bo Town restaurant from the early 1990s to 2019.
The building itself is much older and dates to 1967, according to San Jose Historic Resources Inventory. Among its prominent features is its mid-century architectural design known as Googie. The style is best known for drawing inspiration from the space age along with its dramatic and futuristic facades. The historic San Jose building was designed by architect David Smith and has a Googie-style roof with sharp zigzag design.
Real estate developer Westbank Corporation will need to demolish the former restaurant space for the upcoming mix-use structure, but plans to rebuild a new restaurant in its place that is anticipated to resemble the appearance of Bo Town, Silicon Valley Business Journal reports. Bo Town’s original freestanding sign will also be preserved, San Jose Spotlight reports.
The billion-dollar mixed-use structure, with a slated 540 residential units and 5,491 square feet of retail space, will be named The Orchard. San Jose council members also unanimously approved two other mixed-use structures called SuZaCo and Icon/Echo that together would add additional office space, retail and residential units to the downtown area.
Bo Town was the site of banquets and celebrations before it shuttered in 2019. The restaurant had a hefty menu filled with a selection of fried rice dishes, noodle soups and seafood specials. It’s unclear what led to the closure three years ago.
The building was first home to a location of the controversial restaurant chain Sambo’s in 1967, which later drew public uproar due to its racist name. When the chain eventually filed for bankruptcy and subsequently shuttered locations across the country, China Station Restaurant moved to the 409 South 2nd Street outpost in the early 1980s. Bo Town became the new tenant by 1991.
Bo Town, a permanently closed Chinese and Vietnamese seafood restaurant, is slated for demolition ahead of a new mixed-use property in downtown San Jose.
On Tuesday, San Jose City Council members unanimously approved a 30-story mixed-use structure that will replace the historic building at 409 South 2nd Street, which formerly housed Bo Town restaurant from the early 1990s to 2019.
The building itself is much older and dates to 1967, according to San Jose Historic Resources Inventory. Among its prominent features is its mid-century architectural design known as Googie. The style is best known for drawing inspiration from the space age along with its dramatic and futuristic facades. The historic San Jose building was designed by architect David Smith and has a Googie-style roof with sharp zigzag design.
Real estate developer Westbank Corporation will need to demolish the former restaurant space for the upcoming mix-use structure, but plans to rebuild a new restaurant in its place that is anticipated to resemble the appearance of Bo Town, Silicon Valley Business Journal reports. Bo Town’s original freestanding sign will also be preserved, San Jose Spotlight reports.
The billion-dollar mixed-use structure, with a slated 540 residential units and 5,491 square feet of retail space, will be named The Orchard. San Jose council members also unanimously approved two other mixed-use structures called SuZaCo and Icon/Echo that together would add additional office space, retail and residential units to the downtown area.
Bo Town was the site of banquets and celebrations before it shuttered in 2019. The restaurant had a hefty menu filled with a selection of fried rice dishes, noodle soups and seafood specials. It’s unclear what led to the closure three years ago.
The building was first home to a location of the controversial restaurant chain Sambo’s in 1967, which later drew public uproar due to its racist name. When the chain eventually filed for bankruptcy and subsequently shuttered locations across the country, China Station Restaurant moved to the 409 South 2nd Street outpost in the early 1980s. Bo Town became the new tenant by 1991.