Fresh details are emerging about a $100 million ultra-prestigious retail destination in Silicon Valley that is being developed by Stephen and Jared Silver, father and son owners of Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry.
The 35,000 square foot Middle Plaza will be a mega-emporium of multibrand retail and branded boutiques, all built around a townhouse concept that will offer 5-star hotel style hospitality.
It is slated to open in the autumn.
Once open, it is expected to be as much of a draw to the tech billionaires of Menlo Park, Silicon Valley and the Bay Area as Rodeo Drive is to the UHNWs of Beverly Hills.
“Middle Plaza marks the next chapter in the evolution and growth of Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry,” says Jared Silver. “With the help of our brand and local project partners, we will create a new standard of experiential luxury retail and dining in the Bay Area.”
The project was first conceived back in 2018 as a partnership between the Silver family, the late real estate mogul John Arrillaga Sr. and Stanford University as a project to improve the local community by creating a new cultural, entertainment and retail hub in the heart of world-leading technology companies and venture capital firms.
Bay Area architect Jon de la Cruz was hired to design a destination over three floors.
The ground floor will host six to seven monobrand boutiques: one dedicated to Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry and others for its partners including a new Bulgari boutique concept and a number of independent watchmakers including MB&F, H. Moser & Cie and Roger Dubuis.
Up one floor will be a 4,000 square foot space with its own terrace presenting watches and jewelry from the likes of MESSIKA, Hermes, Urwerk, Greubel Forsey, Laurent Ferrier, Bovet, Ressence, Louis Erard and Arnold & Son.
A third-floor penthouse will host Stephen Silver’s high jewelry salon and a new corporate headquarters.
Middle Plaza will also be home to multiple dining experiences, including restaurateur Ayesha Thapar’s newest culinary experience, called Eylan, a highly anticipated encore to her Michelin-acclaimed Cal-Indian fusion Palo Alto-based restaurant named Ettan.
Architect Mr de la Cruz says the spaces for shopping and dining should be as luxurious as the goods you purchase and the food you eat.
“Working with the Silvers to create this environment brings a new aesthetic to shopping in Menlo Park. As a San Francisco native, we worked to make sure the identity of the Bay Area compliments this new upscale retail space, making it both luxurious and local,” he adds.
