News

Toeniskoetter Construction is proud to be part of creating a new home for SPUR San Jose, a century-old non-profit organization aimed at promoting good planning and good government in the Bay Area through research, education and advocacy. The 1,660 square-foot site—located at 76 South First Street in San Jose—is the first SPUR office outside of San Francisco since the organization was founded in 1910.  View photos of their new space here. 

SPUR San Jose opened a new office in San Jose in 2012, but has had to borrow programming space and conference rooms until now. SPUR has been relying on generous partners to host events and to conduct programming aimed at informing citizens about important issues facing the nation’s 10th largest city. SPUR needed a location in downtown to conduct public programs, charrettes, meetings, and exhibitions—events it was unable to do without a venue of its own.

“SPUR San Jose has the leadership that will take this region forward, but they didn’t have the physical space for their meetings to happen,” said Dan Amend, President of Toeniskoetter Construction. “So to be a part of creating that space is something we’re really proud of.”

The office, located in a nineteenth century building owned by Barry Swenson Builder, was converted into a contemporary urban environment designed by Gensler. The existing core characteristics, such as an exposed brick wall and fluted column detailing, were kept and modernized with the use of glass walls and new flooring.

“Public engagement and visual transparency through the space were the key drivers that inspired the design,” says Tracey Ariga, Designer for corporate interiors at Gensler. “Creating an office space that feels like a public space was a fun challenge to tackle.”

One of the goals of the project was to create a more open setting. Toeniskoetter Construction took out framed booths, a demising wall, and worked with One Workplace to install glass walls.

“This whole project has been such a pleasant experience for all of us involved at SPUR,” said Leah Toeniskoetter, Director of SPUR San Jose. “The staff at Toeniskoetter Construction really understood our vision of an open and urban environment, and made it become a reality. We are passionate about our work and what we are doing for the community, so to finally have a space to call home, where we can solve problems that affect so many people in this city, is really fulfilling.”

Toeniskoetter Construction, which donated time as the general contractor on the project, worked with many partners (see list below).

“We believe in SPUR and what they are doing for the Bay Area, so we worked very hard to round up several of our contractors to donate time,” Amend said. “We were very pleased to see everybody come through for a great, community-oriented project.”

“It was very important for us to work with a general contractor that values quality and community involvement, and Toeniskoetter Construction possesses both those characteristics,” said Leah Toeniskoetter. “We believed in their strong roots in the Bay Area and that they are truly dedicated to the future of San Jose.”

Thank You to Our Partners

●   John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

●   Barry Swenson Builder

●   Gensler

●   Adanac Fire Protection, Inc.

●   Borelli Investment Company

●   Berliner Cohen

●   COG

●   Creative Window Interiors, Inc.

●   Elements Manufacturing

●   Interface, Inc.

●   KBM Workspace

●   LC Interiors, Inc.

●   Maharam

●   One Workplace

●   Phalanx Plumbing, Inc.

●   Pivot Interiors

●   Pro-Tech Painting, Inc.

●   Regional Mechanical, Inc.

●   Roldan Construction, Inc.

●   Serrano Electric, Inc.

●   SIMS Metal Management

●   VKK Signmakers, Inc.

●   West Coast Contract Flooring, Inc.