top of page

The Endangered 8: 2023 

San José's Most Threatened Architectural and Cultural Landmarks

Milligan Lot & Forman's Arena

Location:

405-447 W. St. John Street

Date:

Built c. 1860, 1926

Architect:

N/A

Threat:

Redevelopment

A rare Civil War-era cottage, a former Depression-era boxing venue, and a fragile creekside habitat could all be bulldozed by the City to construct overflow surface parking for the SAP Center, years (if not decades) before the arena’s current parking capacity is impacted by Google’s now-paused Downtown West redevelopment. 405 W. St. John Street is a remarkable c.1860 cottage and likely one of the oldest surviving homes in central San Jose. Next door, the National Register-eligible Forman’s Arena hosted weekly boxing and wrestling bouts from 1926 through the late 1930s. Despite the area’s over-abundance of vacant lots and the uncertain timeline of any new construction, the City is proceeding with demolition plans without considering viable preservation alternatives.


MEDIA COVERAGE


KTVU Fox 2: "Preservationists angry historic San Jose buildings to be demolished for parking lot," June 24, 2023


Mercury News: "Plan to demolish historic San Jose sites for temporary SAP Center parking draws outrage," June 23, 2023

Learn More and Take Action!

bottom of page