builder filesfile 25 of 42condos built here c. 1990s–2010sboyenga team at compass
Barry Swenson condos
Barry Swenson founded his San Jose building company in 1961, carrying on a family construction business his grandfather started in 1926. Most of its work is apartments, offices and mixed-use buildings, but it also built and sold downtown San Jose condos, including City Heights and Skyline at Tamien Station. Here’s what the records confirm and what the homes resell for.
- builder
- Barry Swenson Builder, now Swenson
- founder
- Barry Swenson, 1961
- family
- construction business started by Carl Swenson, 1926
- base
- San Jose
- builds
- mostly apartments, offices and mixed use
- today
- led by Case Swenson, per the company
- listings say
- “Barry Swenson,” “City Heights”
- sales on record · live…
- median $/sq ft, last 2 yrs…
- for sale now · live…
- condos at City Heights, per the company124
where they are
Swenson-built homes in our area
From the company’s announcements, trade press and local reporting; listing-only credits are marked.
| community | city | years | homes | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Heights | San Jose | 2007 | 124 | 175 W. St. James St. downtown: flats and loft-style condos, which the company called downtown’s first high-rise residential tower, per its 2007 announcement. |
| Skyline at Tamien Station | San Jose | 2008; condo sales from 2014 | 115 | 1375 Lick Ave beside light rail: an 11-story tower built by Barry Swenson Builder, rented at first and sold as condos from 2014 with Swenson as co-developer, per trade press. |
| The Plaza | San Jose | 2000–2001 (listings) | 56 | 30 E. Julian St.: condos and a few townhomes; listings credit Swenson. |
| San Pedro Square condos and townhomes | San Jose | 1991 (listings) | — | San Pedro Circle and Quailbrook Ct; listings credit Swenson. |
| Home of Benevolence conversion | San Jose | about 2000 (listings) | — | 516 Martha St, a 1924 Spanish Colonial Revival orphanage building converted to homes; a listing says Barry Swenson redeveloped it. |
| West San Jose townhomes | San Jose | 2010 (listings) | — | Hummingbird Pl and Mockingbird Pl; listings say built by Barry Swenson. |
Swenson entitled two more downtown condo towers, Park View Towers and North San Pedro Tower 3, and sold both sites in 2017 before building. Axis, The 88 and 188 W. St. James are by other developers. Its Santa Cruz projects are outside our area.
the homes
What the homes are like
From the company, trade press and listings.
- towers
Downtown towers
City Heights and Skyline at Tamien are high-rise condo towers near downtown and light rail.
- reuse
Old buildings, new homes
Listings credit Swenson with converting the 1924 Home of Benevolence building on Martha St to homes.
- approach
Design, develop, build
The company says it designs, develops and builds its own projects.
- tenure
Rentals that became condos
Skyline at Tamien was rented first and sold as condos from 2014, per trade press.
- myth check
Not every downtown tower
Several downtown San Jose condo towers are by other developers, so check the builder on the title report.
the sales ledger
Every recorded Swenson sale
Each dot is a sale whose listing names Barry Swenson or one of its confirmed towers, City Heights and Skyline at Tamien. Hover a dot for the address, date and price.
- sales on record…
- median price…
- median $ per sq ft…
- latest sale…
one recorded salemedian for the yearprice per sq ft = sale price ÷ listed living area
| sold | address | price | $/sq ft | bd / ba | sq ft |
|---|
The ledger counts sales whose listing names the builder or one of those two buildings. Sales come from the MLS records available to us and include every sold listing whose description names the builder, so a few homes may be labeled by the listing agent rather than confirmed from tract records. Sold data is shown with the listing brokerage. Price per square foot uses the living area in the listing. Ask us for a full comparable-sales report on any address.
on the market
For sale now
Active listings whose description names Barry Swenson, City Heights or Skyline at Tamien.
Checking active listings…
owning one today
Owning one today
- High-rise HOAsAsk for the budget, reserve study, insurance, minutes and any special assessments, and how elevators and building systems are funded.
- Balcony inspectionsCalifornia requires condo associations to inspect balconies and exterior stairs. Ask whether the building’s inspection is done.
- Converted historic buildingsA converted historic building can carry extra rules for exterior changes, so check with the city before planning work.
the nerd check
Buying or selling one
What we check when you buy
- Which building?We confirm the building, floor and plan, which set the comparables.
- HOA reviewWe read the budget, reserves, insurance and minutes before you commit.
- Building systemsWe ask about elevators, roofs and plumbing risers in the reserve study.
- The right comparablesWe compare against recent sales in the same building first.
How we market one when you sell
- Name the buildingBuyers search for City Heights and Skyline at Tamien by name, so we lead with them.
- Show the viewWe photograph the views and light that set high-rise homes apart.
- Prep with a planOur Prep Lab budgets repairs and refresh before you list.
- Price from real salesWe price from recent sales of similar homes nearby.
questions
Questions we hear
Who is Barry Swenson Builder?
A San Jose firm Barry Swenson founded in 1961, continuing a family construction business his grandfather Carl started in 1926, according to San Jose Spotlight. It now goes by Swenson and builds mostly apartments, offices and mixed-use projects.
Which condos did Swenson build?
City Heights at 175 W. St. James St. (2007) and Skyline at Tamien Station at 1375 Lick Ave. Listings also credit it with The Plaza on E. Julian St., San Pedro Square townhomes and the Home of Benevolence conversion.
Did Swenson build Axis or The 88?
We found no record that it did; those towers are by other developers.
What should I check when buying in a high-rise?
Read the HOA budget, reserve study, insurance and minutes, ask about special assessments and the balcony inspection, and compare against recent sales in the same building.
sources
Sources
Local reporting, trade press and company pages, checked October 2026.
- San Jose Spotlight: Barry Swenson (2025)Founding in 1961 and family historysanjosespotlight.com/a-true-icon-san-jose-developer-philanthropist-dies-at-85/
- Swenson: aboutThe company today (company)www.swensonbuilders.com/about
- Bisnow: Skyline at Tamien Station (2014)11-story, 115-unit tower and condo saleswww.bisnow.com/news/san-francisco/commercial-real-estate/pools-out-for-summer-16375
- Connect CRE: entitled sites sold (2017)Park View Towers and North San Pedro Tower 3www.connectcre.com/stories/chinese-developer-picks-up-entitled-sites-from-swenson/
- MLSListings: The Plaza listing30 E. Julian St. (listing)about.mlslistings.com/property/ML82019265
- California Civil Code § 5551Balcony and exterior stair inspections for condominiumscalifornia.public.law/codes/civil_code_section_5551
builder files
Every builder file, by era
Bars show the years each builder was building here. See all builders or the home styles field guide.
- Fernando Nelson1880–1920s
- Gellert (Sunstream)1922–1972
- Birge Clark1922–1970s
- Stoneson1920s–1960s
- Doelger1927–1960s
- McKeon1927–early 1970s
- Gardner Dailey1930s–1960s
- William Wurster1930s–1960s
- Rousseau1931–1933
- Bohannon1936–1955
- Cliff May1950s
- Stern & Price1951–1953
- Mackay Homes1950s
- Mardell1955–1959
- Hayman Homes1960s–1970s
- Ditz-Crane1962–1984
- Brown & Kauffmann1960s–1981
- Bahl1968–1986
- Ponderosa Homes1970s–1990s
- Shapell1971–2000s
- SummerHill Homes1976–today
- Pinn Brothers1976–today
- Robson Homes1989–today
- Pacific Peninsula Group1989–today
- Barry Swenson Builder1990s–2010s
- Classic Communities1990s–2010s
- Warmington1990s–2020s
- DeNova Homes2000s–today
- City Ventures2011–today
- Trumark Homes2012–today
- Dividend Homes2010s–today
- KB Home1980s–today
- Brookfield1990s–today
- Pulte Homes2000s–today
- Shea Homes2000s–2010s
- Lennar2000s–today
- Toll Brothers2000s–today
- Taylor Morrison2007–today
- D.R. Horton2010s
- Tri Pointe Homes2012–today
- K. Hovnanian2014–2018
- Meritage Homes2010s
talk to a property nerd
Own a Swenson-built home?
We can value it against recent sales in the same building and get the HOA paperwork in order. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
