School of Arts and Culture, La Placita

City: San Jose
Size: 10,500 square feet
Service: Conceptual Design
Client: The School of Arts and Culture
Project Types: Mixed-Use/Multi-Family, Civic

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This community revitalization project has a modern design with a traditional feel

This multi-phased project for the School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza is part of a redevelopment effort expected to revitalize this East San Jose neighborhood. Design inspiration came from TOPA Architecture’s extensive outreach to the local community to engage them in the design process. An emphasis was placed on the representation of local culture, resulting in a design utilizing a Mexican color palette and scaling the building mass into micro-components creating a “small town” feel.

A 6,700 square-foot extension of the school into long-time vacant retail space for a 200-seat Black Box theater and cafe. The remodel is expected to provide local jobs and a place for social and cultural activities. The remaining building is being renovated for Gardner Healthcare Services.

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Our staff and partners enjoyed working with Ramiro and his team, finding them easy to communicate with, open to trying new things, and responsive to feedback from all of the project participants. Topa is a reliable, flexible, and community-minded firm that helped downtown San Jose realize a wonderful project.

Scott Knies, CEO
San Jose Downtown Association

Father Joe Kim

TOPA has gone way beyond my expectations in the quality, response, and most importantly execution. They are a team-minded group and have been great to work with contractors and clients alike. If you want to get anything done in a timely manner that involves permits, go with TOPA.

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Saint John Vianney Parish + School

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