Swenson Builders’ founder, Barry Swenson, dies at 85

Acclaimed San Jose developer and owner of the building company Swenson Builders Barron Barry Swenson died on Saturday at the age of after a lifetime of constructing a great number of of the South Bay s the majority iconic buildings Swenson s legacy is tied to the skyline of San Jose where he constructed and renovated selected of its majority of iconic buildings including San Jose City Hall the Civic Center the San Jose Mercury News headquarters and Hotel de Anza which solidified the company s reputation for high standards and construction innovation I m one of those guys who can make a bar of soap last a year I don t waste anything Swenson frequently mentioned in his life according to the company s website Swenson s family could not be promptly reached for comment on Sunday Building upon the groundwork laid by his father s building company in the first half of the th century Swenson forged his own company Barry Swenson Builders in where it grew to prominence together with the buildings that adorn San Jose s skyline These efforts were part of a larger plan by Swenson to shape San Jose as an attractive destination for businesses and the public according to Swenson Builders website Jesse L Nickell III former senior vice president of Barry Swenson Builders mentioned Swenson was a judicious businessman a loyal leader and a man of the Earth Nickell and Swenson worked together rebuilding dozens of Santa Cruz homes after the Loma Prieta earthquake because they both held Santa Cruz would come back better than before I worked with Barry for years and I would say as a leader his optimism was infectious He was giving generous and was a loyalist with all those around him Nickell explained Bay Area News Group on Sunday I m sad to see Barry leaving us and going to the other side Swenson s portfolio spans residential condos and senior apartments commercial buildings for top companies and mixed-use urban shopping centers In the s Swenson developed a new design approach for structural concrete buildings in the Bay Area with the introduction of Landmaker He received the patent for this approach in He loved to hunt and pull vegetables from the garden and eat things fresh and unadulterated He loved good Irish whiskey and was the salt of the Earth Nickell stated He is a brother I will miss