December 9, 2014 – A big bright red sign went up on the Abbott Square entrance to the Museum of Art and History in downtown Santa Cruz this week, signaling the beginning of a year-long project to turn it into a vibrant culinary and artistic destination reminiscent of the beloved Cooper House that was torn down after the Loma Prieta earthquake.
“It’s going to transform downtown Santa Cruz to have a creative town square and gathering place,” said museum director Nina Simon, who is leading the project. While still in the planning stages, the project vision calls for a marketplace with four to seven food and drink vendors surrounding the square, two food trucks and outdoor café seating for as many as 200 people.
“We want the food to be representative of the Santa Cruz area and celebrate local farms and chefs,” Simon added.
The ambitious $3 million project was put out to bid last September and eight applicants submitted proposals. To carry out their vision, the board overseeing the project with Simon selected John McEnery IV of San Pedro Square Properties in San Jose in November. Negotiations are currently underway with McEnery and he will come back with specific plans when the board meets on January 12.
“I’m interested in this project for a couple of reasons,” said McEnery, “I have seen, firsthand with the development of my public market project in San Jose, the San Pedro Square Market, as well as other great public markets I studied nationwide, Pike Place in Seattle, Granville in Vancouver, Faneuil Hall in Boston and the Ferry Building in San Francisco, the incredible transformative power they have in their respective communities. These projects have become the de-facto ‘public squares’ of eras past—and the twist that I try to provide is a focus on a central gathering spot for community life to flourish based around food and entertainment.”
McEnery—nephew of former San Jose mayor Tom McEnery—adds that he also has deep family roots in Santa Cruz County and went to school in Rio del Mar and Aptos. “Santa Cruz is very much woven throughout my family’s history and ingrained into our consciousness,” he said. “It would give me great pride to be able to build my second public market here.”
To make way for the Abbott Square project, VinoCruz wine shop and tasting room is slated to close at the end of the year. Owner Steve Principe says he’s not sure yet whether he will relocate the business.
Other food and drinks businesses will go into the ground floor of the office building adjacent to the square.
The historic Octagon Building—all that’s left of the original Cooper House complex—is part of the project. Currently operated under a long-term lease by Lulu Carpenter’s coffee house, it’s not yet certain what will happen to that property.
The project includes about 10,000 sq ft of indoor space and 10,000 sq ft of outdoor space, which will also host art installations and on-going performances.
“I believe in order for these types of projects to succeed they need to be ‘of the community.’ It needs to be homegrown and a point of pride,” said McEnery. “There is an abundance of riches in Santa Cruz County with close to 700 farms covering approximately 50,000 acres and I plan to take advantage of that.”
“I also hope to be working solely with the talented cooks and chefs in the area, giving them an opportunity to use their talents and ambitions in their own ways, they may have only dreamed of, ” he added.
To brighten up the somewhat dark and cavernous square, plans call for building facades to be clad in reflective stainless steel to mirror the artwork and add light.
Project leaders also hope to add parking for two food trucks in front of Abbott Square along Cooper Street. The Santa Cruz City Council is expected to discuss permitting the trucks when they meet in January.
If all goes according to schedule, the food trucks are expected to be in place early next year, art installations will go up by summer and the food marketplace will open in the latter half of 2015.
About the author
Deborah Luhrman is publisher and editor of Edible Monterey Bay. A lifelong journalist, she has reported from around the globe, but now prefers covering our flourishing local food scene and growing her own vegetables in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
