Spartan Keyes is a neighborhood of central

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

, located just south of

Downtown San Jose Downtown San Jose is the central business district of San Jose, California. Downtown is one of the largest tech clusters in Silicon Valley, as well as the cultural and political center of San Jose. History The town was first settled in 1777. T ...

. Spartan Keyes is home to a notable community of artists, art studios, and galleries. The neighborhood is home to the south campus of

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

and is one of central San Jose's historic neighborhoods, made up of late 19th and early 20th century architecture.

History

Old San Jose Home of Benevolence 2 (cropped)

Spartan Keyes Neighborhood Action Center

The neighborhood is made up of late 19th and early 20th century residences, former canneries and warehouses, and other noteworthy historic structures. The neighborhood is predominantly

Chicano Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity for many Mexican Americans in the United States. The label ''Chicano'' is sometimes used interchangeably with ''Mexican American'', although the terms have different meanings. While Mexican-American ident ...

/ Mexican-American. Rail tracks were laid through the district in the late 1860s and the area came to house numerous canneries and processing companies supporting the

Santa Clara Valley The Santa Clara Valley is a geologic trough in Northern California that extends 90 miles (145 km) south–southeast from San Francisco to Hollister. The longitudinal valley is bordered on the west by the Santa Cruz Mountains and on the east ...

's burgeoning agricultural industry at the time. Local landmarks including the former

American Can Company The American Can Company was a manufacturer of tin cans. It was a member of the Tin Can Trust, that controlled a "large percentage of business in the United States in tin cans, containers, and packages of tin." American Can Company ranked 97th amon ...

factory and the JTR Distributors warehouses were built to support these industries. The Old Home of Benevolence, at the corner of 11th and Martha, was built by the Ladies' Benevolent Society in a

Spanish Colonial Revival architecture The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In th ...

in 1924.

Geography

Spartan Keyes is located south of

and east of

Washington-Guadalupe Washington-Guadalupe is a neighborhood of central San Jose, California, located just south of Downtown San Jose. It is one of San Jose's most historic Chicano/ Mexican-American districts. The area is a designated historic conservation district. T ...

. The neighborhood's eastern border is made up of Coyote Creek and

Kelley Park Kelley Park is a city park in San Jose, California, United States. Location and facilities Kelley Park is bounded by Story Road (on the northwest), Senter Road (on the southwest), Roberts Street (on the northeast), and Yerba Buena High School a ...

Arts

The area is notably home to a community of artists, art studios, and galleries. Many former warehouses and factories have been converted into art studios and galleries, such as Citadel Art Studios and Art Ark. The

San José State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

Foundry and its art program are also located in the area.

Landmarks

* CEFCU Stadium, home of the San José State Spartans *Bestor Art Park *Old Home of Benevolence

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

Orphanage is Converted to Homes
/ref> *Old American Can Company Factory

References

External links

Neighborhoods in San Jose, California Chicano and Mexican neighborhoods in California {{SanJoseCA-stub