Built by the Freemasons in 1927 as San Jose's Masonic lodge, it was a masterpiece of design and a centerpiece of the then -Tony St. James Park neighborhood. Along with the old downtown post office, the later-demolished Gothic city hall, the historic courthouse trinity Episcopal Church, and other historic structures that predated it, it was a major attraction for our out-of- town visitors, writers and photographers describing the best attributes of San Jose. By 1977, having been damaged by several earthquakes and needing deferred repairs, it was focused by the city to close until repairs could be effected. When the masons obtained cost estimates, they found the huge repair costs prohibitive ( about $ 500,000 - imagine that! ) A decision was made to build a new temple in a different location, and to sell the existing one to be demolished and replaced by a modern office building.

Fortunately , some alert members of the San Jose chamber of commerce were able to quickly lobby the city and federal governments to designate the building as a historic landmark, thus preventing it’s demolition-at least until it could be proven that no beneficial be found for it. For the next three years, a chamber for committee studied various ideas from private and public developers and agencies. Finally, in 1980, the owners of the venerable Oakland Athletic Club, a family-owned enterprise with a great history over two generations, proposed to convert the building to a first rate athletic club and social facility, retraining it’s historic façade and the traditional qualities of it’s remarkable interior – a challenging undertaking.

After two years of design and planning discussions, architectural plans and approvals, and extensive renovation and construction, the building was finally given a re-birth as the San Jose Athletic Club, which opened in November of 1981. Then considered the Premier Club of it’s type in all of silicon valley, it’s quickly attracted a premium membership of downtown business and professional people, and became the most popular venue for upscale social events and weddings in downtown San Jose.