Santana Row derives its name from Frank M. Santana, who served on San Jose's planning commission in the 1950s, who is also the namesake for the area's Frank M. Santana Park. The site was previously a Town and Country Village shopping center, which was the site of the firstChuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre from May 1977 to February 1985.
On August 19, 2002, during construction, the largest building at Santana Row (Building 7, "Santana Heights") caught fire.[1][2] Embers caused at least 15 smaller fires nearby, and a nearby apartment complex had 39 units destroyed, resulting in 132 people losing their homes.[3] It was the largest structure fire in San Jose's history, with damage estimated at $129 million.[4]
The 42-acre "village within a city" was developed as a luxury, mixed residential and shopping district between 2001–2002, for a cost of $450 million and was at the time regarded as "the most ambitious project of its kind in the United States".[5] In 2010, it was called "an arguably successfulmixed-use development".[6]
Santana Row continued to expand in 2016.[7] A population of 24,196 live within a one-mile radius of Santana Row.[8]
Santana Row offers a mix of brand name shops, local boutiques,[9] restaurants, 36 establishments serving food,[10] nine spas and salons, a theater, and a hotel.
Several large-scale anchor retailers line the property's frontage onStevens Creek Boulevard.
The collaborative design effort earned Santana Row two major awards, the CELSOC Engineering Excellence Award in 2004, andBuilder Magazine's Project of the Year in 2003.
The design team, including SB Architects, BAR Architects, Steinberg Architects and landscape architects The SWA Group and April Philips Design Works, worked on behalf of the project developers,Federal Realty Investment Trust.