Published Sunday, March 4, 2001, in the San Jose Mercury News
Business association carries on dream of vibrant Centerville
BY [55]DENNIS ROCKSTROH
Mercury News
At first, Bruce E. Young, proprietor of Bogie's pet store, was cool to
the idea.
``You're the unofficial mayor of Centerville,'' I told him.
Young didn't want to take the credit for pursuing the dream of turning
the old Fremont community's downtown into a latter-day Pleasanton, Los
Gatos or Willow Glen with book stores, coffeehouses and restaurants
with white tablecloths.
After all, there are the old-timers who have spent more than a decade
struggling to transform an abandoned auto row into an elegant downtown
that would attract strollers, families, lovers and hey, maybe even
poets and artists.
Maybe the old-timers, such as Lisa Banaag of the Depot Cafe, or Dirk
Lorenz at Fremont Flowers, Gary King at Tri-City Properties or Greg
Ross at Centerville Presbyterian, would be the real unofficial mayors,
he suggested.
``Hey, aren't you the president?'' I asked him.
``Well, yes,'' he admitted.
``That's like mayor. Maybe better,'' I said.
So Young, the new president of the Centerville Business Association,
as of Saturday, humbly accepted the proffered title of unofficial
mayor.
Now he's going to clean up this town.
It has been about a dozen years since Fremont's auto dealers began to
abandon Centerville for a remote outpost on the south side of town.
And it's been a struggle for the business community and the city to
bring the old Centerville downtown back to life.
But it's been done before in Fremont, a city formed by the merging of
five communities in 1956. Already the old downtowns of Mission San
Jose, Irvington and Niles are starting to show signs of new life after
years of renovation.
Centerville is next.
``There's been a lot going on, and it's just staring to show,'' said
Young from his ``city hall'' pet store office across the street from
where Fremont Ford was when it was in Fremont. Now it's in Newark.
``It's slow progress,'' hizzoner said. ``But I'm going to keep pushing
everyone in the same direction. In time, this is going to be the place
to be.''
The centerpiece of the refurbished downtown is already in place -- the
Centerville train station.
The new downtown will emanate from it, Young said.
The new sidewalks are half-finished. A new shopping center is on the
drawing boards; the old buildings on the west side of Fremont
Boulevard across from the fire station are scheduled to get facade
face-lifts.
A new plaza named after the late Mayor Bill Ball will be constructed
across from the train station.
``It all takes time,'' cautioned Young, who used to work in San Jose.
He said the redevelopment of Willow Glen's downtown took about 20
years. That's about how long it's going to take the new Centerville to
emerge, hizzoner said.
Centerville was the hub of old Washington Township, made up of what
became the cities of Fremont, Union City and Newark.
In the mid-19th century, Centerville grew out of the crossroads built
by farmer John Horner to link his land with the wharves at Union City
and Newark.
Horner built storage and repair sheds for his agricultural vehicles
and a town was born.
The first inhabitants at the crossroads village were members of the
Lloyd family, who pitched a blue canvas tent there from which the
family served refreshments to workers and passers-by. Later, travelers
spent the night in the tent.
A town of hotels, restaurants and businesses grew there, was destroyed
by fire in 1906 and was rebuilt.
So renovation and renewal is old hat at Centerville.
The most recent revival has been going on for a dozen years.
``We've got a lot of things going,'' said Young.
I told him that back in 1988, I breathlessly reported that the plan
for Centerville called for ``an upscale shopping area where moneyed
Fremont residents can buy expensive clothes, shoes and accessories or
dine at a fine restaurant.''
``Still going to happen?'' I asked.
``The vision is still there,'' he said.
_________________________________________________________________
Contact Dennis Rockstroh at drockstroh@sjmercury.com or (510) 790-7304.
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