Real Estate
Santa Clara Demolished Its Downtown In '64. Now, A Woman Wants The Promised Rebuild
"They spent the money on buying other properties, the redevelopment money, and never rebuilt the downtown," said Mary Grizzle.
July 10, 2025
Santa Clara knocked down most of its core buildings 60 years ago, but nothing has been done in downtown since. And one crusading woman is sick of waiting.
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In the 1960s, with the Space Race capturing people's imaginations, modern design was all the rage. So, like a lot of cities, Santa Clara decided, out with the old and in with the new.
It was 1964 when the wrecking ball began tearing apart downtown Santa Clara, transforming what had been, for generations, a quaint city center into the dream of a modern, high-rise, futuristic utopia. But at some point, that dream ended, and the city forgot about its grand vision.
Find out what's happening in Milpitasfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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