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Overview

San Jose's Saint James Hotel was in operation in 1875 and likely earlier than this. Before 1900, it was one of San Jose's more luxurious hotels, along with the Hotel Vendome and the Auzerais House. The hotel stood on North 1st Avenue opposite Saint James Square, which occupied a parcel bounded by North 1st Street on the west, East Saint James Street on the north, North 3rd Street on the east and East Saint John Street on the south. The hotel occupied the southwest corner opposite the park and was later replaced by San Jose's Main Post Office. The Saint James Hotel occupied various buildings and locations from the 1870s until the 1930s.

Building History

In 1890, The Saint James Hotel #1 was one of thirty hotels listed in the San Jose, California, City Directory, 1890, (p. 59), operating on North 1st Street opposite Saint James Plaza. Tyler Beach was its proprietor.

Building Notes

The Saint James Hotel also was a well-known, upper-crust hotel operating in New York, NY. This establishment opened in 01/1859. The blog "Daytonian in New York," said of this hotel: "In 1859 Broadway near Madison Square saw the opening of two magnificent new hotels. Amos R. Eno opened his Fifth Avenue Hotel, which engulfed the block front from 23rd Street to 24th, on August 23, 1859. But his was not the first. By January that year another white marble had opened, the St. James. The six-story Italianate structure, run by E. E. Balcolm, was a block to the north, at the southwest corner of 26th Street. Critics had warned that high-class hotels this far uptown would be doomed to failure. Instead the St. James and the Fifth Avenue Hotel set a trend and within the next three decades Broadway north of 23rd Street would be lined with upscale hotels." (See Daytonian in Manhattan blogspot.com. "The Lost St. James Hotel--Broadway and 26th Street," published 04/27/2015, accessed 11/20/2023.) In addition, a posh hotel establishment in London's Mayfair district opened in 1857, the "Saint James Club." Both Kansas City, MO, and New Orleans, LA, also had hotels called the "Saint James" in 1875.

In about 1885, the Saint James Hotel #1 was a wood-frame building three stories tall. It had Italianate trim above the windows, a dentilated cornice and a central pediment, also dentilated. On either side of the central pediment, two-story oriel windows projected from the front facade. The first floor of the building was devoted to storefronts, the upper two accommodated guest rooms.

Alteration

The Saint James Hotel #1 underwent renovation in 1875. A classified advertisement in the San Francisco Chronicle read: "“Saint James Hotel, San Jose, will be leased to a desirable tenant for a term of years. The [unreadable] house is now undergoing repairs, and will be completed August 1st; will contain 70 rooms, with all the modern improvements of a first-class house; situated on First street, in front of St. James Park. For terms, etc., call on or address Tyler Beach, San Jose, or 117 Pine street, San Francisco.” (See “St. James Hotel, San Jose classified advertisement,” San Francisco Chronicle, 07/22/1875, p. 2.)

The Saint James Hotel #1 was enlarged by 1890.

Demolition

The Saint James Hotel #1 was razed to make way for the Saint James Hotel #2.

PCAD id: 24882