Menlo Park's $100 million mixed-use Middle Plaza, led by Stephen and Jared Silver, brings a retail renaissance to Silicon Valley.
Fine timepieces from Louis Erard
Five years ago, Stephen and Jared Silver, along with the late John Arrillaga, had an outsized vision for Menlo Park. “We agreed that the Middle Plaza development should answer the local community’s need for a new gathering space and destination that remains locally grounded yet rivals the world’s great shopping cities,” says Stephen, CEO and chairman of Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry (shsilver.com).
Stephen and Jared Silver
Think 35,000 square feet of redevelopment with renowned boutiques, Michelin-star restaurants and eclectic spaces created by acclaimed designers. It’s Silicon Valley’s answer to Rodeo Drive, and it opens this fall.
To bring the vision to life, Jared, president of Stephen Silver Fine Fine Jewelry, recruited iconic Bay Area interior architect Jon de la Cruz (dlcid.com) to design different experiences on each floor of the three-story development. The ground floor will hold up to seven boutiques, including Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry and some of Switzerland’s most exotic watchmakers like MB&F (mbandf.com), H. Moser & Cie (h-moser.com) and Roger Dubuis (rogerdubuis.com).
Gourmands also will find a new concept from Michelin-starred chef Ayesha Thapar. Her new resto, called Eylan, is a highly anticipated encore to the chef’s Cal-Indian fusion restaurant, Ettan, in Palo Alto.
Clockwise from top right: 14K yellow gold paperclip link necklace; 57-carat mint tourmaline bracelet; pink tourmaline ring. Clockwise from top right: Colombian emerald ring; pink tourmaline bracelet; 5.25-carat black opal ring; pink sapphire diamond-drop earrings; 35.12-carat emerald earrings.
“Middle Plaza marks the next chapter in the evolution and growth of [our brand],” says Jared, “With the help of local project partners, we’ll create a new standard of experiential luxury retail and dining in the Bay Area.”
The Plaza’s second floor features a 4,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry showroom with a world-class selection of watches and jewelry. Patrons will discover brands like MESSIKA (messika.com), Urwerk (urwerk.com), Greubel Forsey (greubelforsey.com), Laurent Ferrier (laurentferrier.ch), and Louis Erard (louiserard.com). The third-floor penthouse showcases the brand’s jewelry salon and houses its new corporate headquarters.
“The spaces where you shop and dine should be as luxurious as the goods you purchase and the food you eat,” says Jon de la Cruz. “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 complements this new upscale retail space, making it both luxurious and local.”
Photography by: COURTESY OF STEPHEN SILVER FINE JEWELRY
