Boys & Girls club office moves to downtown San Jose, seeking urban site
SAN JOSE — Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley has signed a lease to shift the offices of its local headquarters to downtown San Jose, bringing jobs and potential restaurant and retail patrons to the city’s urban core.
The youth services group, which is the Silicon Valley chapter of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, has signed a lease for office space on the upper floor of a two-story building at the corner of West San Fernando Street and South First Street.
The organization’s South Bay chapter is looking forward to its location in what’s becoming an increasingly vibrant part of the city’s downtown district, according to Steve Wymer, chief executive officer of Boys & Girls Clubs Silicon Valley.
“I’m excited about the energy in downtown San Jose,” Wymer said. “Everywhere I go downtown I see people who are making things better for our community.”
Downtown San Jose’s merchants and the city’s political leaders are hoping the municipality’s urban core can mount an economic rebound in the wake of the business shutdowns that the coronavirus outbreak unleashed.
The organization’s new office is at 15 West San Fernando Street in what’s known as the Wilcox Building. The structure was built in 1867, faced demolition in 2002, and was rescued from the wrecking ball by city redevelopment officials.
In 2007, a group headed up by Bay Area real estate executives Jim Salata, Mark Cardosa and Mark Ritchie bought the building and launched a wide-ranging renovation and restoration of the historic structure.
The owners have landed leases with high-profile merchants for the building’s ground floor such as Rookies Sports Lodge at 99 South First Street and Mezcal Restaurant at 25 West San Fernando Street.
In early April, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley is slated to move into the second-floor space, which totals 5,800 square feet.
“Our team has toured the location and it’s a beautiful space,” Wymer said. Like the other chapters of the national organization, the local group provides after-school voluntary activities for young people.
A growing number of merchants are flocking to this section of South First Street near San Fernando Street.
“We can get lunch or dinner downtown and be more in the heart of where we think the really cool next chapter of San Jose is emerging,” Wymer said.
Elyse restaurant, Angkor Chef, Angelou’s Mexican Grill, Egghead Cafe, Paper Plane and Still OG & Alter Ego are among the dining or drinking establishments that have decided to set up shop on South First Street near San Fernando Street.
“This is another activation in downtown San Jose,” said Salata, president of Garden City Construction. “That corner, that part of First Street, is undergoing a real transformation right now.”
The youth organization intends to bring 35 employees to the new downtown San Jose office, according to Wymer. Outside of the staff in the headquarters office, the Silicon Valley chapter has 340 employees in the various clubhouses around Silicon Valley.
“They were looking mainly downtown for the new location,” Salata said. “They toured two or three properties, and this really fit their needs. They wanted to be where all the restaurants are located.”
Ritchie Commercial real estate brokers Pat Cisneros, Julie Mercik and Alexandra Stein arranged the leasing transaction for the youth organization.
The youth services organization believes that it can contribute to an upswing in downtown San Jose’s fortunes.
“We need a really good vibrant downtown core,” Wymer said. “We want to do what we can to help. But this move is also going to be great for us.”