Fact Brief: Is San Jose’s downtown plaza the city’s oldest public space?

Yes.

San Jose’s soon-to-be-renamed César Chávez Plaza is the oldest public space in the city. The plaza was built in 1797 as part of Pueblo de San Jose and has been in continual use to this day. 

The plaza has been home to significant cultural and political seats of power. In 1849, California’s first capitol was located at the eastern edge of the park. Later in the 1870s, the plaza’s surrounding area was home to one of San Jose’s first Chinatowns until it burned down in 1887. Then in 1889, the plaza was home to San Jose City Hall, until its demolition in 1958. In 1993, the plaza was given its current name. 

On Sept. 2, the parks and recreation commission will recommend a name to the City Council, after city leaders voted to strip the late labor leader’s name from city-owned sites due to sexual abuse allegations.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

San José Spotlight partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Sources

• Web Archive San Jose's City Hall
• San Jose.com Plaza De Cesar E Chavez
• NBC Bay Area Last day to weigh in on new name for San Jose's downtown plaza