02/14/2026
No doubt February has you seeing hearts in a lot of different places, but our favorite has to be the famous Hart's Department Store logo 💌
For over a century, Hart's served as one of downtown's major department stores. If you've ever driven southbound on Highway 87, you may remember a time when the Hart's logo was visible on its former warehouse building. While the original has since been painted over, Hart's heart has been preserved by Hart's Dog Park, where the original logo was incorporated into the park's sign. If you think there's more to the story than a logo, you're correct!
Hart's was founded in 1902 by Alex Hart, Sr., who had previously owned a dry goods store in San Jose. The Hart's Department Store inventory was far more varied; one could pick up a baseball bat, handkerchiefs, clothing, and toys on a single shopping trip.
Following the very public death of Brooke Hart, the family's eldest son, Alex Hart Jr was sent to San Rafael Military School, later attending Santa Clara University. Alex Jr. pursed a career as a composer for Paramount Pictures until his father's death in 1943, whereupon he returned to San Jose to run the family department store. After Hart's closure, Alex ran the I. Magnin jewelry department at Valley Fair mall.
Alex Hart Jr. was a beloved local business owner, and is well-remembered for his generous support to the local community, donating his old family home to the YMCA, supporting organizations like San Jose Symphony and Santa Clara Youth Center, and sponsoring the first traffic light in San Jose for safe street crossings.
Slide 1: Hart's Dog Park sign. Photo by Victoria Lopez
Slide 2: Hart's Department Store, 1924
Slide 3: West Santa Clara Street near Market Street, 1959
Both from the San Jose Chamber of Commerce Collection, History San José
Slide 4: Portrait of Alex Hart, Jr., circa 1960. From the History San José Photographic Collection, History San José
Sources:
bayarea.com, "Unearthing San Jose’s Sordid Past"
magazine.scu.edu, "Alex J. Hart"
aliveeastbay.com, "The Hart Kidnapping and Midnight Lynching," by Anita Venezia
sanjose.org, "Hart's Dog Park"
