SAN JOSE — Frank Taylor’s name may be absent from its buildings, but his “mammoth influence” is tattooed across downtown and northern San Jose as leaders past and present mourned his passing Monday.
Taylor, 87, was the former longtime head of the San Jose Redevelopment Agency for two decades and is considered by city and business officials as one of the most critical visionaries for growing the tax base and transforming downtown with major projects that have become pillars in the community.
“Frank Taylor had a vision — one that shaped every corner of downtown San Jose,” said Mayor Matt Mahan. “His leadership brought together the city’s redevelopment agencies into a unified force, paving the way for landmarks like the McEnery Convention Center and the Children’s Discovery Museum. His work helped shape downtown San Jose into the urban center of Silicon Valley. We honor his legacy by continuing to build a downtown that welcomes growth and innovation.”
Taylor, a Boston native, was integral in growing the Redevelopment Agency into a billion-dollar enterprise that spanned the mayoral reigns of Janet Gray Hayes, Tom McEnery, and Susan Hammer before he was pushed out by then-Mayor Ron Gonzales in 1999.
But while Taylor never ran for public office, McEnery said he became one of the most impactful forces in the city and was one of the “four or five most influential people in the evolution of what San Jose is today.”
Taylor left San Jose with his wife in the late 2000s to be closer to family in Oregon, where he lived until his death.
His indelible legacy and reputation as “the consummate builder” includes major projects like the SAP Center, McEnery Convention Center, the Fairmont Hotel — now known as the Signia Hotel — the Tech Interactive and Children’s Discovery Museum. Before adding those community assets, the city did not have the same quality attractions, prompting residents to travel elsewhere.
“He was a visionary of what downtown San Jose could be with an unrelenting drive to set up the future of downtown San Jose and its best possible outcome,” said Bob Staedler, a land-use consultant and former Redevelopment Agency real estate/portfolio manager. “He was a masterful politician who was able to work with various councilmembers and had a desire to make downtown and industrial areas the bedrock of San Jose.”
Besides his role in spurring the development of the downtown core, McEnery — who built a close personal relationship with Taylor — said that Taylor’s influence extended beyond that and shaped how business got done in San Jose.
McEnery said developers controlled the city from the 1940s through the 1960s and referred to the city managers as “errand boys for the development community.” During Taylor’s tenure, McEnery said the redevelopment agency leader played a massive role in returning decision-making to the people even while placing a tremendous emphasis on building.
“He stood up to developers and always said, “We’re building buildings for the next generations, not just doing it to please ourselves,” McEnery said.
Instead, Taylor focused on high-quality materials and designs, building a sense of place and ensuring that growth made the city better and provided what its residents deserved.
While Taylor was often asked if San Jose was trying to mimic other metropolitan cities, McEnery recalled him saying it was all to ensure San Jose was “a good city.”
“He didn’t just build to see if we could build as large as Los Angeles or surpass San Francisco,” McEnery said. “It was so we could afford things like police officers and parks and recreation staff. It was not without mistakes, but we always made mistakes moving in the right direction.”
While taken aback by the news of his passing, Staedler remembered how Taylor pushed back against the then-Fairmont Hotel’s plan that initially called for six-story development, saying, “No, we’re a high-rise.”
He and McEnery also laughed at Taylor’s love of palm trees, which he was often teased about, and how they have become a staple downtown.
“When we sent postcards around the country, people would know we were warm,” Staedler said. “It just showed that he was dogmatic to no end, pushed staff to do their very best and was a taskmaster who really cared about urban form and design.”