Hotel De ANZA, San Jose 1942
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Pictorial maps on menu covers were highly fashionable as a way of promoting certain destinations and entertaining diners in the 1940s.
This detailed map shows the advantageous location of the Hotel De Anza in San Jose, California, near transport routes to destinations such as San Francisco, Sacramento and Santa Cruz. A copy of the menu and map could be obtained by asking a waitress.
The Hotel De Anza broke ground in 1931 thanks to an ingenious idea by the local business community who felt a modern hotel would benefit San Jose and bring more visitors to the area.
Planning took three years and the money to build it was raised by issuing shares via the San Jose Community Hotel Corporation to more than 200 prominent local citizens and businesspeople.
Henry Weeks (1864–1936), an early 20th-century architect who designed hundreds of buildings including many schools, banks, and libraries, was brought on board.
He created a stylish Art Deco building featuring a 10-story central section flanked by a 9 -story section on either side. This three-dimensional shape along with the building’s zigzag parapet gave it a stepped appearance.
At the time, the hotel was the tallest hotel in San Jose’s business district and the property’s size is highly exaggerated on the map, towering above all other buildings. Note too, that the unknown artist also helpfully included the way first-time visitors should pronounce San Jose - ‘San Hosay.’
The hotel was initially to be called the San Jose Hotel but was changed to Hotel De Anza in honor of the Spanish military commander and explorer Juan Bautista De Anza (1736-1788).
In 1775-76, he led a group of more than 240 people from Mexico to the San Francisco Peninsula, and they established the first European settlement in San Francisco.
In 1982, the hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This Art Deco gem in downtown San Jose still flourishes today under the ownership of IHG Hotels& Resorts and its famous 25ft ‘Diving Lady,’ painted in 1951 to advertise the hotel’s outdoor heated pool and its rooftop neon sign remain prominent local attractions.
Each order includes a print of the interior menu.
All printed in USA.
