SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — What was once a historic hotel in downtown San Jose has now been transformed into university dorms, and on Thursday, San Jose State University celebrated the opening of Spartan Village on the Paseo.
San Jose State University President Cynthia Teniente Matson said the project was approved less than a year ago.
“This is unlike anything San Jose State has ever built before, and the speed and scale of its completion is unprecedented,” Chancellor Teniente Matson said.
Within four months of starting construction, SJSU converted the south wing of the Signia by Hilton (formerly the Fairmont) into student housing.
The 13-storey (11 floors are residential) luxury hotel tower will house 700 undergraduate students.
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The suite’s name is still on the door.
The desk, wardrobe and bed are new, but the sofa and other furniture have been retained from the Signia.
We spoke to housing advisor Paloma Hubbard.
“The curtains are definitely like really nice blackout curtains. Now I can see the whole city and I can see the hills. It’s a lot calmer,” Hubbard said.
“This is a hotel room” is what you’ll hear as you step into the marble bathroom.
Housing advisor Aniket Sheth said the moment he opened the door he realised the room and bathroom were spacious.
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“It has its own bathroom, a shower with a glass door, a bathtub and a large sink,” Sheth said.
Spartan Village on the Paseo is the area’s largest property converted from commercial space to housing since the pandemic.
State Assemblyman Ash Kalra spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“This is a national model, and certainly a statewide model for what can be done to provide adequate housing for students in extremely expensive areas, particularly at San Jose State, which for many years has had the highest student homelessness rate of any California state university, and efforts like this are turning that around,” Kalra said.
Local and state officials are being credited with funding the project and completing it on time.
Several speakers said the support of state Sen. David Cortese was invaluable.
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“We all have to work together like this. As long as we’re all working together like this, the possibilities are endless,” Cortese said.
He said Spartan Village at Paseo is different from other student housing projects in the Bay Area.
“Most of us have been to San Francisco and seen the integration of universities in the San Francisco inner city, and this is better than any other integration,” Cortese said.
The first students will move in on Friday, and 124 low-cost beds will be available for students who need assistance.
We spoke with Charlie Faas, SJSU’s vice president for administration and finance and CFO.
“This will be a great opportunity to have a more urban lifestyle downtown, but still have a safe campus environment,” Faas said.
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