Downtown Demolition will Give Arts Center Room to Grow

A trio of city-owned buildings on the south end of downtown will be demolished over the next few months, making room for a future culture and arts center and transitioning into a public park area around the current

“They’re putting in a green belt, which will be fantastic,” said Kevin Heath, board president of the Gilroy Arts Alliance. “When you start to walk down Monterey, you’ll look right back to the demonstration garden.”

The Gilroy City Council approved the demolition of the unused, century-old buildings at 7347, 7353 and 7355 Monterey St. on Monday, a proposal that first went before the Historic Heritage Committee in 2009.

The extra review, including a vote from the city Planning Commission this month, was mandated because of the location in the Downtown Historic District.

Located between Porcella’s Music and the current arts center, the three vacant buildings have housed tenants such as a craft shop, Chinese restaurant and a bar over the years, according to city materials.

Unreinforced masonry makes them susceptible to earthquake damage, and renovations to the aged structures would be extremely expensive, said David Bischoff, city planning and environmental programs director.

The Historic Heritage committee found that while the buildings were from a historic era, there were not of particular historic value and did not add to the aesthetics of the downtown district. An archaeologist will inspect the buildings for artifacts and remain on-site during the demolition, Bischoff said.

The council is expected to vote on a contractor for the work on Aug. 1, with demolition beginning shortly thereafter, said David Stubchaer, city operations manager.

While the duration of the demolition is hard to predict, arts alliance board members said they hoped to have the work completed by the reopening of the center in September.

The interim center will be undergoing a series of renovations over the next two months, Heath said. Aided by a $100,000 donation from the Gilroy Foundation and the Christopher family of Christopher Ranch, the center will open its exhibits in September with a custom marquee from Young Signs, new flooring, a paved parking lot and improved lighting.

“The timing of this is perfect,” said Heath, noting that the center would be closed for renovations during the demolition.

The demolition is not entirely straightforward, Stubchaer said. One building has a basement, and another shares a wall with Porcella's. Workers will have to approach the shared wall with greater caution.

The arts alliance and center has a history of using open space in innovative ways. Former board president Sylvia Myrvold cited the partnership with the Gilroy Demonstration Garden and farmers market on the site and the possibility of using the additional space to host future events and fundraisers. 

“Our main objective is to build the community so that when the permanent center is built, that community is already there,” she said.

Right now, there are no funds or specific timelines for the construction of a purpose-built arts center, though it is a long-term goal for the city, said Stubchaer.

In the meantime, the interim center, opened last September in a former Salvation Army site, has played host to the arts alliance and proved to be very popular since its inception, said Heath.

“To have all of this happen in our first not-even-full year—this just doesn’t happen,” Heath said, “There are so many people who are supporting us.”