Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Downtown San Jose is Getting Illuminated!

Here is a nice little Christmas present for all those that live, work, or play in Downtown San Jose. Two highway underpasses are about to get painted in LED artwork, which you can see below. The first is the main gateway to the Downtown San Jose core--where 87 passes over Santa Clara Street. This important area connects the HP Pavilion and Diridon Station with the rest of Downtown. Right now, it's pretty gloomy and can feel less than inviting if you are walking by yourself. However, that is about to change. Tons of LED lights donated by San Jose-based Philips Lumileds are going under the overpass along with colorful paint that will pop when hit by the lights.

The second underpass is the where 87 passes over San Fernando Street. This project is a bit more modest but the effect is the same. Artists are taking a gloomy overpass and turning it into an attraction. The photo shows blue and green lights, but with LEDs there is always a possibility of making the lighting dynamic.

All of this is made possible by a program called Illuminating Downtown, which received a $600k grant from ArtPlace America and other contributions from the SJDA. These first two lighting projects should be complete by fall 2013. I believe there will be two other areas that are getting lit as well, but am not 100% certain about that. In addition, they are also talking to high-rise residential apartment owners that are looking to illuminate their buildings (The 88 did a GREAT job with this and Axis isn't too shabby either).

I think this is a big step towards making San Jose look like the capital of Silicon Valley. Personally, I can't wait to see these two projects completed. This is showing that Downtown San Jose is moving in the right direction when it comes to public art and creating a more inviting atmosphere. Growdwerx is also doing a great job when it comes to lighting up parts of Downtown.

2013 is going to be a great year!

Source: SVBJ

Highway 87 & Santa Clara Street


Highway 87 & San Fernando Street


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13 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 26, 2012 at 10:43 AM

    Neat. I'm not the biggest fan of the 87/SC display, but I do like the 87/SF underpass look. In both cases, it will be an enhancement to DT.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousDecember 26, 2012 at 5:59 PM

    If you've ever been to / seen downtown Miami at night it is really beautiful. Buildings are lit with lights and overpasses have led lighting on the sides. I believe simply making downtown San Jose more colorful will draw more crowds to it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sad JoseDecember 28, 2012 at 10:24 AM

    They're doing this all over the country. It's not unique to San Jose. They're doing this on the Bay Bridge. Can San Jose ever be a trend setter, not a follower?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joshua SantosDecember 28, 2012 at 10:49 AM

      I don't know how you can complain about getting this versus getting nothing at all?

      Delete
    2. BobDecember 28, 2012 at 2:43 PM

      So should SF not build the Golden Gate bridge since NYC already has the famous Brooklyn Bridge? Why should SF be a follower?

      Get a hold of yourself Sad Jose. Who cares if the Bay Bridge do it? That's SF/Oakland's issues, not ours.

      Side note: Josh, you know your blog is hitting the big time now that trolls are starting to appear on here. Good luck getting rid of them :P I just hope to God this blog doesn't turn into a mini San Jose Inside...

      Delete
    3. Joshua SantosDecember 28, 2012 at 3:22 PM

      The thing about San Jose Inside is that nobody is really defending the city there, I don't think we will ever have that problem.

      Delete
    4. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2013 at 9:14 PM

      For the Sad Jose guy, the Bay Bridge lights project is temporary and would be up for only 2 years while the SJ projects would be permanent. San Jose has been lighting different places for years now so it's not new. Ie The 88, Axis, Adobe, Casino M8trix, new Led lights throughout San Jose for streetlamps and pedestrian lamps and the list goes on and on! Don't worry about the trolls Josh, they are there to dampen things while sitting behind their crappy monitors. They have nothing to do. Us citizens are actually going out and exploring things outside of SF, ie Walnut Creek, San Jose, Oakland, Fremont, Los Gatos and beyond. It's not always about SF and if they wanna talk about SF, go to and SF blog and leave this blog alone. - Bay Area Resident

      Delete
  4. AnonymousDecember 28, 2012 at 5:46 PM

    The lights on The 88 are terrific, but the lights on Axis are a seizure inducing mess. It's just embarrassing.

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  5. BobDecember 29, 2012 at 12:08 AM

    I agree with Anon above. It is a seizure inducing mess. However, to me the worst thing about it is that it's too tiny.

    If you have seen the Matrix lately, now THAT is how you do seizure inducing light show :) It looks messy, but MAGNIFICENTLY messy. And for that, I give the Matrix major kudos! I love it!

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    Replies
    1. Joshua SantosDecember 29, 2012 at 12:13 AM

      Have to agree on Matrix, I'm actually a big fan of what they did and hope to see more buildings like it. Have to give Matrix extra kudos for making the whole building green and red for Christmas.

      Delete
  6. espressophileDecember 29, 2012 at 9:31 AM

    The post states that the displays are coming but then shows photos of the displays themselves. Are these artists' renditions or are the lights currently up?

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    Replies
    1. Joshua SantosDecember 29, 2012 at 11:58 AM

      These are renders, the art project won't be completely until 2013.

      Delete
  7. Sirens SoundsJanuary 24, 2013 at 12:54 AM

    I am thoroughly convinced in this said post. I am currently searching for ways in which I could enhance my knowledge in this said topic you have posted here. It does help me a lot knowing that you have shared this information here freely.

    ReplyDelete

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