{"nrhp_refnum":"03000989","name":"Twohy Building","other_names":["El Paseo Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"210 S. First St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Jose","county":"Santa Clara County","state":"CA","lat":37.33301863300005,"lon":-121.88762384399996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-10-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five-story, C-plan commercial building at 210 South First Street in downtown San Jose, California, built in 1917 and clad in ivory-colored glazed terra cotta over a reinforced concrete frame. It was designed by local architect William Binder.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building embodies the distinctive characteristics of an early 20th century Classical Revival commercial building under Criterion C. It is a remarkably intact example, and most neighboring buildings from the era have been demolished. It is now the only building of its type in the vicinity.","narrative":"Rising five stories at the corner of South First Street and Paseo de San Antonio in downtown San Jose, this commercial building was completed in 1917 to designs by local architect William Binder. Its reinforced concrete frame is covered in ivory-colored glazed terra cotta, and its Classical Revival detailing includes a base-shaft-capital composition, rope-and-tulip panels, dentils, egg-and-dart moldings and an enriched metal cornice. Inside, the lobby retains marble floors and walls, and the upper hallways keep marble wainscoting, mosaic tile floors and many original doors. It was built for Judge John W. Twohy, whose family ran a railroad and heavy construction firm. Much of the surrounding blocks of comparable buildings were demolished in redevelopment, leaving this one as a rare, well-preserved example of early twentieth-century commercial architecture. A certified rehabilitation completed in 2002 converted the upper floors to 36 residential lofts while retaining original features such as doors, stairs and lobby finishes.","period_of_significance":"1917","architect_builder":"Binder, William","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"A certified rehabilitation completed in December 2002 converted the upper-floor offices to 36 residential loft-type units, with commercial storefronts at street level.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:29.647728-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/03000989.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000989/7d987aa687-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000989/7d987aa687-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Gerosch","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Twohy_Building_as_of_2012.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Gerosch</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Twohy_Building_as_of_2012.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861807","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twohy_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55757598"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/santa-clara-county/twohy-building-03000989/"}