Downtown Murals
Murals of DTSJ
A Colorful Journey Through the City
Downtown San Jose is a vibrant hub of creativity, where artists turn streets and alleyways into bold, expressive public art. Each mural reflects the city’s diverse culture, history, and community spirit.
From abstract designs to powerful messages, these works transform DTSJ into an open-air gallery—inviting everyone to explore, connect, and experience the city through art.
Homage
Location: 115 E Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Chris Duncan & Paul Urich
Year: 2003
Curated by Cherri Lakey, this mural was among the first artworks to adorn the front of City Hall. It stands as a powerful symbol of resistance, reminding those who contributed to the building’s construction of the community’s unity and strength through the depiction of the Black Power Salute.
Panda Mural
Location: 99 S First St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: PMBQ Studios
Year: 2015
A 200-foot-long mural captures a delightful scene of pandas and a variety of other animals engaged in interactions. During the creation of this artwork, the P.M.B.Q. artists enthusiastically engaged with the downtown community. Every brushstroke, from the initial primer to the final sealing coat, was infused with love and appreciation. It was of utmost importance to the artists that this positive intention remained a constant thread throughout the project.
Life Abundant
Location: 233 W Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Jim Miner
Year: 2016
The mural is inspired by the Egyptian Art Deco interiro od the Hotel De Anza. The cornucopia is a nod to San Jose’s root in argiculture. The woman portrayed in the mural is holding a basket full of fruit and vegetables and it says “Vida Abundante”.
Hillside
Location: 81 W Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Lacey Bryant
Year: 2018
This is a 6-panel figurative mural depicting symbolic landmarks specific to San Jose, such as the Electric Light Tower and Low rider car.
SoFA Crosswalks
Location: San Salvador & 1st, San Jose, CA 95112
Artist: Scape Martinez & Ennis Flint
Year: 2019
As an element of the Downtown Street Life Plan (DSLP), Crosswalk contributes to the San Jose Downtown Association’s vision and comprehensive roadmap for enhancing street life and implementing placemaking improvements in downtown San Jose.
El Paseo Court Mural
Location: 40 S First St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Jim Miner
Year: 2019
This is a site specifc mural, the aritst created the design to compliment the architectual design of the apartment building. The mural is located in the back parking lot, facing 1st street.
Labor Of Our Fruit
Location: 4 N Second St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Patrick Hofmeister
Year: 2020
The Honeybee parallels the story of the immigrant. Not native to California, the Honeybee was introduced to San Jose, and thereby California, by Christopher A. Shelton in March 1853. The Honeybee catalyzed California agriculture and proved how invaluable immigrants, no matter their size, stature, or from where they come, can revolutionize the world for the better.
Malama Aina, "Care for the Land"
Location: 86 N Market St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Taylor Reinhold
Year: 2023
This mural on the side of Mommy’s Banh Mi (86 N. Market St.) shares the powerful message Mālama ʻĀina — “care for the land.” Completed shortly before the devastating Maui fires in 2023, the artwork honors Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage by celebrating cultural traditions, achievements, and resilience. Created by artist Taylor Reinhold, the mural was brought to life with support from Made Fresh Crew teammates Erik Smiley and Casey Landaker of Santa Cruz.
Orchestria Palm Court
Location: 27 E William St, San Jose, CA 95112
Artist: Mately Hurd
Year: 2025
In collaboration with Orchestria Palm Court Restaurant and artist Matley Hurd, placed on a beautifully ornate venue known for its turn-of-the-century fixtures, intricate vintage décor, and carefully curated American fare with Art Nouveau influences, this mural project seeks to enrich the cultural fabric of the neighborhood. Beyond its role in deterring graffiti, the artwork highlights the historical significance of the site, celebrates its architectural and artistic character, and serves as a catalyst for community engagement.
World Cup 2026
Location: 25 E Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Francisco Ramirez
Year: 2025
As 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches, a vibrant new mural by Francisco Ramirez is taking shape, celebrating soccer’s deep cultural roots and community spirit in downtown San Jose. Blending iconic players with everyday fans and neighborhood games, the piece highlights how the heart of the sport lives beyond the stadium. More than public art, it stands as a powerful symbol of belonging and shared anticipation for the global stage ahead. (Part of San Jose Downtown Association’s Love DTSJ program).
Shark's Tooth Crosswalks
Location:
Artist: Jimmy Fonseca
Year: 2026
Installation of custom Sharks Tooth crosswalks using preformed thermoplastic at two locations in San Jose, CA. The design celebrates San Jose Sharks fans by honoring the iconic power play chomp tradition dating back to the 1990s with bold teal, black, and white patterns. These vibrant, shark-tooth motifs create a playful and immersive streetscape that celebrates the city’s passionate hockey culture while enhancing pedestrian safety and visibility.
Abundance is Constant
Location: 83 S Second St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Andy Gouveia
Year: 2008
In Andy Gouveia’s mural, a tribute is rendered to what he defines as “the three distinct phases of San Jose and the valley’s history”—encompassing the Ohlone Indian era, the agricultural peak, and the present and future identity as a tech hub, representing the ongoing transformation into a technological oasis.
Paseo Crosswalks
Location: Paseo de San Antonio on 3rd & 4th St, San Jose, CA 95112
Artist: Corinne Takara
Year: 2015
As a component of the SJDA’s Downtown Street Life Plan (DSLP), Crosswalk contributes to the vision and strategic roadmap for enhancing street life and implementing placemaking improvements in downtown San Jose.
Afternoon
Location: 92 N Almaden Blvd, San Jose, CA 95110
Artist: Sainer
Year: 2016
While strolling along St. John Street and Almaden Boulevard in San Jose, one can admire the captivating mural “Afternoon” by Sainer, illustrating the tranquil moments shared by a boy and his grandmother on a beautiful afternoon.
Celebration Under Water
Location: 198 W Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Harumo Sato
Year: 2018
California-based Japanese artist Harumo Sato created a colorful abstract mural on the side of the 35-year-old Dac Phuc Vietnamese restaurant. Sato’s work is known for being playful, joyful, and energetic, and she designed this piece to move beyond narratives of challenge and hardship, revealing that there is is more beneath the surface and so much everyday joy that we often take for granted.
El Paseo Court Mural
Location: 40 S First St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Jim Miner
Year: 2019
This is a site specifc mural, the aritst created the design to compliment the architectual design of the apartment building. The mural is located in the back parking lot, facing 1st street.
Qmunity & Pride Post Street
Location: 65 Post St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Houyee Chow-Jimenez, Nick Ybarra & Van Pareno
Year: 2020
The district painted these murals to showcase LGBTQ diversity, expression, talent, history and cultural arts, said Nathan Svoboda, president of the Project MORE Foundation, one of the groups behind the creation of the district. Qmunity also will promote LGBTQ and ally businesses, organizations and residences.
Nuestra Ofrenda
Location: 499 S Market St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Roberto Romo & Francisco Ramirez
Year: 2021
This mural, dedicated to the generous donor families of San José and inspired by local heroes Nancy Yahayra Gutierrez and Brandon Castellanos, honors Hispanic donors who have saved countless lives. Their portraits frame a ceramic milagro heart, created by Higher Fire artists, capturing their spirit through vivid imagery. At its center, a hummingbird hovers before a marigold, symbolizing rebirth and the Aztec tradition of honoring the departed. Pink dots scattered across the mural evoke pollination and the enduring gift of life, marking the legacy of organ donors.
Threads Woven
Location: 12 N San Pedro St, San Jose, CA 95110
Artist: Jimmy Fonseca
Year: 2024
Muralist Jim Fonseca, known professionally as Jimmy Paints, was selected from a group of curated artists Local Color submitted to SJDA. His design, entitled Threads Woven, fuses inspiration from Mexican sarape blankets with his signature geometric style to create a series of vibrant color combinations. Once completed, the mural will cover over 12,000 square feet of asphalt. SJDA conceived the project as a public art piece that would be completed with community participation.
Romance
Location: 75 Post St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Danny Feliz Hanson
Year: 2025
“Romance” is a colorful street mural on Post Street in the heart of San José’s LGBTQ-centered Qmunity District. Artist Danny Feliz Hanson painted this expansive 416-foot mural, which features a pair of dancing unicorns surrounded by swirling, vibrant colors. As a queer artist, Hanson shared that she wanted to incorporate an abundance of rainbow hues into the design to reflect joy, pride, and community.
Welcome 2 San Jose 2026
Location: 12 E Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Carlos Ortiz
Year: 2026
Part of SJDA’s Love DTSJ program
What you are, I once was; What I am, you shall be
Location: 489 S Market St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Stephanie Azevedo
Year: 2015
Stephanie Azevedo crafted this mural as a tribute to California, incorporating symbolic iconography such as hair, water, skull, and scarcity to address the ongoing drought situation.
Hart's Mural
Location: 194 W Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Roan Victor
Year: 2016
This site specific mural depicts a woman relaxing with her dog in a pasture of green. Reminding us to take our furry friends out to socialize at the local dog park!
Bunnie Reiss Mural
Location: 211 S First St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Bunnie Reiss
Year: 2017
Bunnie’s work is heavily influenced by her Eastern European background, with its tradition of folk art, bright colors and community engagement. Her brightly colored folk murals decorate many countries and can be found all over the world such as Los Angeles, Mexico, Italy, Paris, India, Philippines, Detroit, Milwaukee, New York, San Francisco and now San Jose!
100 Block
Location: 320 S First St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Collective
Year: 2019
This collaborative mural is made up of 100 individual squares all uniquely designed by 100 individual local San Jose artists, demonstrating the city’s diversity.
San Jose Logo
Location: 97 E Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Alyssa Wigant | RyanDoodies
Year: 2019
The City of San Jose commissioned Alyssa Wigant for her first large-scale mural project, designed to bring color and vibrancy to downtown. The piece features San José’s new logo surrounded by vibrant plants and flowers. Wigant completed the project with support from graphic designer Ryan Ruiz.
Alebrijes
Location: 25 W San Fernando St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Francisco Franco
Year: 2020
The title of this work is an homage to the brightly-colored genre of Oaxacan-Mexican folk art, originating from fever-induced dreams of Mexican artist Pedro Linares, in the early 20th-century, a central feature of the imagery contained in the mural. Franco works with a deep sense of responsibility to his traditional Mexican artistic roots, while focusing on giving back to the community through his mural work.
Lilies at Market Square
Location: 111 N Market St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Jet Martinez
Year: 2022
The purpose of this mural was to cover a plain white blank wall that was seen as an opportunity to create something beautiful for both the tenants at Market Square and the community at large.
Space Jellyfish (CEO Noodle House)
Location: 130 E Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95112
Artist: Jessica Cao
Year: 2024
The mural is being painted by local artist Jessica Cao and it exemplifies the growing importance of relationship marketing in the arts. By focusing on the aesthetic enhancement of the area, this project aims to build meaningful connections with local businesses and the community, improve foot traffic and help revitalize the neighborhood.
Chase Bank San Jose (VTA Vacant Building)
Location: 55 W Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95113
Artist: Fernanda Martinez
Year: 2025
The San Jose Downtown Association partnered with VTA, and artist Fernanda Martínez to transform the exterior of the Chase Bank Building through a vibrant repainting and cohesive signage design. Known for her expressive, nature-inspired work and masterful use of color, Fernanda based her palette on the Historic District brand guidelines, reinterpreting its established colors through a bold, site-specific lens. Her intuitive style brings a dynamic sense of vibrancy and depth to this downtown enhancement.
100 Sharks
Location: Sharks Wy
Artist: Jimmy Fonseca
Year: 2026
“100 Sharks,” is a major new public art and augmented reality (AR) project. This innovative collaboration will transform the pedestrian experience between San Pedro Square and the SAP Center, creating a vibrant, connected corridor now being called “Sharks Way.”
Led by the San Jose Downtown Association in partnership with artist Jim Fonseca, ’27 BFA Studio Art, (known as Jimmy Paints), the City of San José, Office of Cultural Affairs, San José State University, and the San Jose Sharks, the project entails the installation of 100 artistically painted shark murals along the pathway. The sharks will appear to “swim” in the direction of the SAP Center, creating a dynamic visual narrative that builds excitement and guides visitors toward events. This installation is a continuation of the community-focused vision for the area, turning a simple sidewalk into an engaging public destination