Can a big block party bring life back to downtown San Jose?

Eric Glader dreams of seeing a massive crowd of people streaming into downtown San Jose’s Historic District next Thursday where they would eat, mingle and listen to music at a “block party” the nonprofit he runs — Urban Vibrancy Institute — is organizing. The idea is a simple one, he says: Create a fun time to showcase the area’s businesses for residents, office works and city employees.

“It’s a great way to celebrate these businesses and support those that really need us for survival,” he said. “We can’t get complacent. We have to keep our foot on the gas. We have to lean in where we can lean in.”

The May 18 party, which starts at 5:30 p.m., is the first in a series planned around downtown. This one focuses on the Historic District, roughly bounded by the First and Second Street corridors between Santa Clara and San Fernando streets, which includes Fountain Alley, Post Street and the Bank of Italy building. The Urban Vibrancy Institute, which brought live music to downtown venues with its Every Thursday program last year, again is arranging for the tunes while downtown restaurants are hoping the crowds show up hungry for a bite.

Of course, one evening of partying by itself isn’t going to bring back the vibrancy of downtown San Jose, which like other city centers has struggled with getting people to return in the post-pandemic world. And it’s even worse in San Jose, which shows only about 39% of office workers returning as of May 8 — the lowest among big metro areas in the United States, 10 percentage points below a 10-city average and about 6 percentage points lower than San Francisco.

There are nearly 50 eateries and businesses in the Historic District alone, and they’ve seen business shrivel since 2020 — especially during the workday. Some downtown spots like San Pedro Square Market are doing better, but the Historic District was practically deserted during the lunch hour on Friday. And if people run into trash on the sidewalk or feel unsafe because of a person shouting profanities on the corner, they’re just going to stay away.

But Glader is optimistic that bringing a critical mass of people downtown — even for a one-night block party — will let them find new places like Good Times wine bar or CreaTV’s Open San Jose, a community hub that includes the Works and Chopsticks Alley art galleries.

“If we collaborate and continue to push forward, I think we are going to see some wonderful things,” he said.

A block party might be a good first step toward that goal. We’ll find out May 18.

EVENING OF HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE: I’ve raved already about the amazing restoration of Faber’s Cyclery on South First Street — a yearslong effort to bring back the 140-year-old building devastated by a 2013 fire. So I was glad to hear the Jim and Suzanne Salata and the Garden City Construction team will be receiving the Outstanding Building Restoration award from the Preservation Action Council at next week’s Preservation Awards Night at History Park.

They are among the dozen awards that will be presented for distinguished service or building restoration at the Santa Clara County Preservation Alliance’s second annual event on May 19, right in the middle of National Preservation Month.