When it opened, Santana Row was described as a $450 million, 42-acre “village within a city”, and as the most ambitious project of its kind in the United States. Planners praised its main street; critics noted that it was private, high-end and three miles from downtown. Architecture critic Alan Hess wrote that if you scratch Santana Row you still find a mall, but praised it for creating a living neighborhood. Hotel Valencia still calls the Row Silicon Valley’s mixed-use “village within a city”.
Questions people ask
Is Santana Row a mall?
It is a mixed-use district: shops and restaurants on a street, with apartments, condominiums, offices and a hotel.