Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
questions to ask.
-Who are the stakeholders? (i.e. Parks and Rec. for St. James Park)
-Who does this place matter to?
-What agendas are at work? What happens here already?
-Politics?
-Full diagrammatic/architectural renderings (blue-print/measurements)
KNOW WHAT YOUR WORKING WITH!
(hey guys! lets all do a little research on our own, and come together next Tuesday)
the presentation
Monday, February 21, 2011
my site discription
Saint James Park Full Site Description
This is saint James is a park is block size fits about a good 500 people on the grass area.
The Santa Clara superior court and the San Jose post office and the trolley station are by the park. There is also a San Jose athletic club. There is parking across the street from the park and a block away there is also a garage parking and are some restaurants in Santa Clara.
St. James Square Historic District
The district was listed on the National Register of
Historic Places in 1979 and became a City Historic
District in 1984. It is composed of St. James Park itself
and nine Classical style structures that face the park.
These structures are the Old Main Post Office, Santa
Clara County Court House, Letcher Garage, First
Church of Christ Scientist, St. Claire Club, Scottish
Rite Temple, First Unitarian Church, Eagles Hall, and
the Trinity Episcopal Church.
Because the Square is the only public square left in
the City and because the important structures, which
face the park, represent excellent examples of civic
design from the decades between the 1860s and 1930s,
the district was included in the National Register of
Historic Places.
Originally laid out in 1848 by Chester Lyman, the plan
of St. James Park was revamped to include a pathway
design and fountain in 1868. It has undergone a variety
of changes since that time. The original fountain, which
was a central point in the layout of walkways through
the park, was removed during the bisection of the park
by Second Street in 1955
Emile's Restaurant & Emile Mooser
The parking lot attached to the restaurant formerly known as Emile's was founded by its namesake Emile Mooser in 1973 under the name "Emile's Swiss Affair" after two prior restaurants ("Archie's Steakhouse" and "Elias", a Greek restaurant) had closed their doors. The restaurant specialized in Swiss, Italian, and French cuisine, and was a powerful force for fundraising for multiple charities and causes.
In December of 2010, however, Emile pleaded No Contest to possession of child pornography, and faces three years in prison. The owners to whom Emile had sold the restaurant in 2006 sued him as well, claiming misrepresentation and concealment of information. In the remaining two or three months, the restaurant and adjacent parking lot have been vandalized and mostly neglected for a great deal of time, likely due to the association of the name to the debacle. The space that was once bright at night is now dark even during the day.
22. ST. JAMES PARK
St. James Park and its environs were the heart of 19th century San Jose. While the Plaza had been the center of an older Latino settlement, St. James Park and its surrounding buildings reflected the aspirations of an emerging American city. Plotted by Chester Lyman in his 1848 survey, the park evolved over the next half century as the focus of many of San Jose's most important civic and religious buildings. It remains the city's most significant urban open space.
While the site had been considered as a possible future plaza by Spanish and Mexican authorities, it was not formally developed until after the U.S. takeover. In the years following the official survey, the park served a variety of purposes but remained unlandscaped until 1868. With the building of what is now Santa Clara County Courthouse, the park came of age as a grand public open space. A major landscaping plan was initiated and the square became known as St. James Park.
Throughout the late 19th century and early 20th century, the park took on increasing importance. Major public and private buildings – the Post Office, several churches, club and lodge headquarters – were built along its perimeter and it became a site for public gatherings and demonstrations. Major labor rallies took place in the park in 1931 and 1933. California's last lynching occurred here in 1933 – John Holmes and Thomas Thurmond, accused of kidnapping and killing the son of the Hart Department Store president, were taken from the county jail by a mob and hanged. Monuments commemorate speeches made here by President William McKinley and Senator Robert Kennedy, both assassinated shortly after their visits to San Jose.
In 1955, the character of the park was altered when it was bisected by North Second Street. The gracious scale of the surrounding buildings remains intact, and the park is a welcome counterpart to San Jose's busy downtown.
Full Site Description & History
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Saint James Park- 3rd & Saint James
&
South 1st Metro Parking Enclave
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Why?
We feel that both of these sites have a great possibility for an interactive installation. Both spaces allow for the public to interact and participate in the space comfortably. They also bring life to a space that is normally dead.
Saint James Park- 3rd & Saint James
a venue with a bad name deserves positive life
South 1st Metro Parking Enclave
the natural darkness compels the need for light
located on South 1st. between William and Reed St. , sandwiched between San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles and the METRO headquarters
The enclave has a vast entrance, large enough for cars to enter. The space is approximately 30 paces wide, and 65 paces deep. The North wall is 1 story and the opposite South wall is 2 stories high. The ground is typical asphalt covering with parking slots painted out.