REPORT TO HISTORICAL AND LANDMARKS COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Public Hearing: Consideration of an Environmental Impact Report for the demolition of historically significant properties and the new construction of a data center at 1200-1310 Memorex Drive
Report
BACKGROUND
Skybox Development LLC filed an application on August 8, 2019 proposing to demolish the existing industrial buildings on-site and to construct a new four-story data center at 1200 Memorex Drive. The 9.18-acre subject project site was developed with three buildings: a three-story, approximately 350,037 square foot building, a two-story, approximately 45,986 square foot building, and a one-story, approximately 2,944 square foot building. The buildings are concentrated in the northwestern portion of the site adjacent to Memorex Drive and consist of a mix of architectural styles and materials typical of light industrial warehouse uses, including cinderblocks, stucco, and large windows.
The property was developed in 1961, with additions constructed in 1964 and 1966, as the first world headquarters of Memorex Corporation, one of the many electronics start-up companies that catalyzed the Santa Clara Valley's transformation into "Silicon Valley" during the postwar era. As a multifaceted industrial campus including a manufacturing plant, research and development facilities, and administrative offices, the subject property conveys popular trends in industrial development during the postwar era. Memorex Corporation holds particular significance within the context of the development of the modern electronics and computer industry due to its early innovations in the field of peripheral computer equipment. In 1968, while still headquartered at the subject property, Memorex released the first independently produced hard disk drives that were compatible with IBM computers. Memorex Corporation's development of the first IBM-compatible hard drive had a significant impact on the early electronics industry, and the...
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