The historic Lyndon
Building was once the home of the San Jose Mercury News, then known as The
San Jose Times. The Times was owned by J.J. Owen, the driving force
behind the construction of a 282-foot light tower at the intersection of Santa
Clara and Market Streets. The Electric Tower was the first structure of its
kind, preceding the Eiffel Tower by many years. However, the Electric Tower was
also the center of controversy, as migrating birds crashed into it and surrounding
farmers complained that their chickens refused to roost because of the light
that beamed from the structure. The Tower eventually fell due to heavy winds in
1915.
From the 1800's well
into the middle of the 20th Century, Santa Clara Street was the bustling center
of California's first capital city, serving as the main passageway to the
Mission at Santa Clara. For the early Spanish settlers, as well as townspeople,
it became a hub. Next to the Lyndon building, in the basement of what is now AP
Stump's Restaurant, were the famous wine cellars of Paul Masson. Masson, who
began the world-famous commercial wine business in this valley, held the only
liquor license in the United States during Prohibition for what he deemed
"medicinal" champagne.
The Lyndon Building sits
squarely in the block owned by The Farmers Union Partnership, operated in the
1940's and 1950's by John P. McEnery and philanthropist, Robert F. Benson. It
was originally a grower's cooperative and bank serving the old agrarian valley
since 1874. They fought hard to maintain San Pedro Square as a lively area, as
the downtown was slowly dying after World War II. The rapid suburbanization of
the valley put inexorable pressure on the old commercial and spiritual center
of the Santa Clara Valley, the Valley of Heart's Delight. In the 1970's, the
McEnery family began the difficult transition of the area into a San Pedro
Square Restaurant Row. Tom McEnery became mayor of the city in the 1980's and
his administration led the revitalization of the lively downtown that is
evident today.
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