Agnews Today: The Legacy

Sun Microsystems bought the main parcel of Agnews’ historic building complex in 1996. They restored four of the main structures on Palm Drive: the clock tower, the auditorium, the superintendent’s residence, and an administration building. Sun established their corporate headquarters here and created a 14-acre park for local residents. The park incorporated the historic buildings and many heritage trees.

The Martinson Child Development Center and the Emergency Housing Consortium’s Family Living Center occupy facilities on another portion of the Agnews property. The latter uses cottages that were moved from the former hospital complex. The Rivermark Planned Development Master Community stands on the remaining portion of the State surplus land. It consists of nearly 3,000 housing units, a library, shopping center, hotel, and other commercial and civic services.

Sun Microsystems’s “newest campus in Santa Clara…combines preservation carefully balanced with innovative technology.”

Sun Microsystems, press release on August 23, 2000. . This historical marker is in Agnew in Santa Clara in Santa Clara County California