City Heights at Pellier Park | San Jose, CA

Downtown San Jose's core held room for more people to live close to its streets, offices and civic life. On West St. James Street, Barry Swenson Builder saw the opportunity to answer that need with a residential tower, one that would bring 124 homes into the heart of the city and give the skyline an iconic new presence.

The ambition came with real challenges. Parking, residences and a strong architectural identity all had to share a single urban site. The answer was a base that wraps around the entire building, integrating above-grade parking with the tower, while Type IA construction carried the homes upward. BDE Architecture was retained for the Design Development phase and led the project through Construction Administration, guiding the client's vision from coordinated drawings to completed building.

Today City Heights is crowned with an aluminum sunshade system and clad in glass fiber reinforced concrete panels. Ground-level and penthouse lofts take advantage of double-height windows, and residents enjoy unit decks, a fitness room and a tenant community space, a vertical neighborhood that adds daily life to downtown San Jose.

Address: 175 W St James St, San Jose, Ca, 95110

Client: Barry Swenson Builder

Number of Units: 124

Construction Type: IA

A tall, illuminated residential building at dusk with palm trees nearby.
A tall high-rise apartment building illuminated at dusk, with palm trees and other buildings in the background.
A tall, modern hotel building at night, illuminated with bright lights, with a statue of horses in the foreground and palm trees nearby.
Living room with beige sofa, green and floral armchair, glass-topped coffee table with candles and a magazine, large windows with city views and gold curtains, dining table with placemats and chairs, hardwood floor and orange rug.