Google’s downtown San Jose neighborhood preserves historical structures

SAN JOSE — Google intends to rescue and preserve several big reminders of San Jose’s industrial past as part of its plan to develop a transit-oriented new neighborhood on the western edges of the city’s downtown area.

An old bakery, 19th-Century Victorian bungalows, a long-time ironworks, a century-old foundry, a historic utility building, and a famed “dancing pig” sign will be all preserved fully or in part by Google as it develops its Downtown West village near San Jose’s Diridon train station.

Google is planning to develop a transit village that will include office buildings, homes, affordable housing, hotel rooms, shops, restaurants, entertainment hubs, cultural centers, and parks — yet the tech titan won’t simply bulldoze a wide swath of downtown along the way to its project.

The search giant instead aims to carefully preserve in an array of ways at least a half-dozen buildings, either completely or big sections of the structures and will deploy them as active sections of the transit village where people can engage in activities or viewing.

And the well-known Stephens Meat sign with its dancing pig will be preserved.

Among the building structures that Google plans to rescue:

— San Jose Water Building at 374 W. Santa Clara St. The building is at a gateway from the core of the downtown area to the Downtown West development. The building will be preserved at its location.

— Kearney Pattern Works & Foundry at 40 S. Montgomery St. For a century, the foundry fashioned precision products for an array of industries from canneries and semiconductor giants. Portions of the building and some of its equipment will be preserved.

— Hellwig Ironworks at 150 S. Montgomery St. The building will be retained at its current location and may gain an iconic modern addition.

— Victorian-era bungalows at 559, 563, 567 W. Julian St. will be relocated to South Autumn Street. The bungalows were built in the 1800s.

— Sunlite Bakery at 145 S. Montgomery St. The building’s archways and arched entrance will be preserved and relocated within the project.

— Stephens Meat Products sign, also known as the dancing pig sign. It will be relocated on-site along a public right of way.

As many as 20,000 Google workers are expected to be employed in the Downtown West development, which is poised to dramatically change downtown San Jose over the years-long development span of the project.