The Endangered 8: 2025
San José's Most Threatened Architectural and Cultural Landmarks
Learn More and Take Action!
View a summary of campus buildings proposed for demolition and renovation
Attend PAC*SJ's upcoming SJSU Modernism walking tour on Oct. 26th
Read PAC*SJ's Master Plan EIR comment letter (3/3/2025)
Learn more about Midcentury Modernism in San Jose
SJSU Campus Modernism
Location:
SJSU Campus
Date:
Built 1952-1960s
Architect:
Various
Threat:
Replacement
In May 2025, the California State University Board of Trustees approved a new San José State University campus master plan calling for the demolition of more than a dozen Modernist structures on campus, including the Music Building (1952), Science Building (1955), Administration Building (1957), Dudley Morehead Hall (1957), and Instructional Resource Center (1957). These buildings, along with others threatened with significant alteration, represent a distinctive era in the postwar evolution of the SJSU campus, with architectural designs inspired by the Bauhaus movement once synonymous with progress and innovation. Just as the SJSU’s Spanish and Romanesque Revival-style Tower Hall (1910) was once viewed as obsolete and nearly demolished, these Modernist buildings deserve a second chance to be preserved and incorporated into the next phase of campus growth.
MEDIA COVERAGE
"From Bauhaus to Brutalism, Exploring Modernism at SJSU," Metro Silicon Valley, 9/10/2025
"San Jose State's modernist buildings on latest 'Endangered 8' list," Mercury News, 8/15/2025 PDF