Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Everything at Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe is served in takeout containers.
Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe
The fried green tomato sandwich comes on jalapeño cornbread toast.
Café Reconcile
BBQ shrimp braised in beer are a popular menu item.
High Hat Cafe
The pastries at Lagniappe Bakehouse are worth waking up for.
Lagniappe Bakehouse
Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
15 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
16 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
17 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
18 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California San Jose IBM Building 025

IBM Building 025

A lonely monument to the original Silicon Valley tech campus.

San Jose, California

Added By
Anne Ewbank
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  Anne Ewbank for Atlas Obscura
  Anne Ewbank for Atlas Obscura
  Anne Ewbank for Atlas Obscura
  Anne Ewbank for Atlas Obscura
  Findingbalance18 / Atlas Obscura User
  Findingbalance18 / Atlas Obscura User
  Findingbalance18 / Atlas Obscura User
  Findingbalance18 / Atlas Obscura User
  Anne Ewbank for Atlas Obscura
  Anne Ewbank for Atlas Obscura
  Anne Ewbank for Atlas Obscura
  Anne Ewbank for Atlas Obscura
  Anne Ewbank for Atlas Obscura
  Anne Ewbank for Atlas Obscura
  Anne Ewbank for Atlas Obscura
  Anne Ewbank for Atlas Obscura
  Findingbalance18 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

On March 8, 2008, a fire consumed IBM Building 025. Now, in a parking lot in south San José, between a Lowe's and an AutoZone, a tiny monument memorializes what was once Silicon Valley's pioneering tech campus.

Built in 1957, the campus was the design of the architect John S. Bolles. Under the mandate of IBM's president, Thomas J. Watson, Jr., he was instructed to blend "architecture, landscape and art into an employee-friendly environment," notes an explanatory display sign.

If that sounds familiar, it should: many a Silicon Valley tech campus uses those same elements to inspire their employees. Notable muralist Lucienne Bloch designed ceramic mosaics that suggested computer punch cards to cover wide swaths of the buildings, and brick structures with floor-to-ceiling glass windows were connected by patios and walkways.

The environment seems to have proved a creative one.  Engineers at the research laboratory within IBM Building 025 developed "flying head" disc drive technology, making real-time processes such as online shopping and Internet communication possible. IBM proudly hosted Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev at the campus in 1959. Reportedly unimpressed with the technology on display, he instead fell in love with the company's self-service cafeteria. 

But by 1996, Building 025 stood empty. The company gradually shifted its employees elsewhere. In 2003, Lowe's Home Improvement decided to build a store on the site of the former campus. Local preservationists protested, and the building stayed in limbo until the fire settled the matter once and for all. Lowe's funded the tiny memorial, with its brick walls and steel trellises clearly calling back to the lost laboratory, and both their own big-box building and the nearby AutoZone are covered in Lucienne Bloch-style mosaics. 

 

 

Related Tags

Technology

Know Before You Go

The small pavilion commemorating IBM Building 025 is between the Lowe's and the AutoZone.

Community Contributors

Added By

Anne Ewbank

Edited By

Findingbalance18

  • Findingbalance18

Published

July 29, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
IBM Building 025
5550 Cottle Rd
San Jose, California, 95123
United States
37.253588, -121.801631
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Center of Santa Clara Valley

San Jose, California

miles away

Communications Hill Grand Staircase

San Jose, California

miles away

Grave of Bert Barrett’s Left Arm

San Jose, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Jose

San Jose

California

Places 25
Stories 5

Nearby Places

The Center of Santa Clara Valley

San Jose, California

miles away

Communications Hill Grand Staircase

San Jose, California

miles away

Grave of Bert Barrett’s Left Arm

San Jose, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Jose

San Jose

California

Places 25
Stories 5

Related Stories and Lists

10 Places to See Silicon Valley History IRL

List

By Anne Ewbank

Related Places

  • A display at the Gasworks Museum.

    Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland

    The Gasworks Museum

    Former coal-powered facility turned museum.

  • Annapolis, Maryland

    Governor Calvert House’s Hypocaust

    A rare 18th-century heating system tucked inside a historic colonial home.

  • Datenträger (Data Carrier).

    Lübeck, Germany

    ‘Datenträger’ (‘Data Carrier’)

    Rusted humanoid clutching a laptop and trailing cables.

  • The ‘E Pluribus Unum’ Mural at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point campus.

    Stevens Point, Wisconsin

    ‘E Pluribus Unum’ Mural

    This massive 286,200-tile mosaic was the largest mural of its kind in the United States and is an early example of computer-generated art.

  • Vienna, Austria

    Computer und Gaming Museum Wien

    Housed in a former air raid shelter, this museum is dedicated to the history of computing and video games.

  • Zuse Computer Museum

    Hoyerswerda, Germany

    ZCOM Hoyerswerda

    A unique museum that explores the history of computing and digital culture in East Germany.

  • The museum includes tools like ink blocks and iron letterpresses, and even a foot-operated press called a Heidelberg Press that was used to print money.

    Old Homosassa, Florida

    Old Mill House Gallery & Printing Museum

    Explore the history of printing in this unique museum owned by a longtime printer.

  • A Kansas memorial honors Jack Kilby, the inventor of the microchip.

    Great Bend, Kansas

    Jack Kilby Square

    In this rural town square, a unique statue honors the inventor of the microchip.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.