Twohy Lofts

Love living here. Close to everything. Very walkable area. Entertainment /​night life all around. Safeway close by. The building has charm and character.

I’m so sad! I just moved out after having lived at Twohy for the past 2 ½ years. I wouldn’t live anywhere else in San Jose, and here’s why:
It was built in 1917: this place oozes character and charm. Most of the apartments I found in San Jose are newer (which is fine!), but I wanted something with a more loft-​y, artsy vibe to it. Twohy doesn’t disappoint. The walls are super thick, too; I never heard my neighbors… only sounds from the street outside. Also, bonus: it’s a small community, and management is very attentive and responsive. Everyone I ever met there was friendly and helpful.
The location is fantastic. So much to walk to. Safeway’s right there for groceries, plus tons of bars and food in all price ranges (from cheap mexican to expensive steakhouses) it’s all right there! You also have a movie theater right next door and MUJI across the street, not to mention VTA literally right outside your front door.
Amenity-​wise, included in rent was a parking spot in the Safeway parking lot (not a guaranteed spot, but I never had to park on the street even during the busy Christmas season), a gym membership at the gym across the street, and water/​sewage/​garbage. There are no laundry hookups in-​unit, but there is a laundry room in the basement which is nice.
The units have a small but lovely kitchen with decent appliances and nice fixtures in the bathroom, wood floors (YAY), tall ceilings, and huge windows which means lots of light. It’s not a huge space, but then again I didn’t need much space, and preferred to live in a great area of town vs having a ton of room.
Overall I adored living there. If my job hadn’t taken me up to the north end of the bay, I wouldn’t have left! I highly recommend Twohy to those looking for a unique space in downtown San Jose.

Twohy Lofts is owned and managed by the CIM Group, a company based in LA that also owns the surrounding businesses and The Globe — and is responsible for the current many stores and small businesses on the Plaza.
The building is a HISTORICAL LANDMARK –its a former office building with original touches that are cool — and the single pane windows are a part of the original architecture that cannot be changed. They are pretty thin and if you end up with a unit facing the street, good luck. Because you can hear street noise (drunks, evangelists, planes, VTA, fights, gunshots, traffic, cars with booming music, Harley’s/big bikes, trucks loading and unloading for the local businesses (mostly The Fairmont) early in the morning and late into the night, sirens, street washers, Christmas in the Park, Music in the Park, Zombie nights, shouting and screaming, etc). Otherwise, it’s pretty quiet as we basically cannot hear through the walls although I can hear Big Foot upstairs who amazingly walks back and forth only between the hours of 11pm and 4am…
The interior architecture is pretty cool. There are units facing the Plaza, South First and the interior. Every unit is a «studio loft» with varying layouts and dimensions; a total of 36 units and some without closets. The ceilings are high which gives a «loft like» feel and pretty cool. Every unit has hardwood floors, galley kitchen and big windows. Central air/​heat and ceiling fan are great. Interior units are super quiet. The others not so much.
The maintenance is handled promptly and efficiently mostly by one person, Alex, who is pretty darn amazing. The office staff are fine, responsive and helpful although the pricing is dictated by CIM management so their hands are somewhat tied. Inside 24 hour laundry in the basement albeit infested from time to time with fruit flies — it is ok. Wash is $ 1.25 and dry is $ 1.00. Sometimes people leave their laundry in the washer or dryer for hours or days (WTF) which kinda blows, but otherwise pretty cool.
Upside is access to everything you need is totally within walking distance. The downside is this downtown area is becoming a Mecca for vagrants, mentally deranged, fringe of society, hostile homeless and ones who drag their stuff around with them then camp in the doorways of the vacant businesses and nearby benches and use the Twohy doorway as a bathroom. It is questionable whether its safe to walk around here after hours alone on certain nights and with SJPD ‘s current situation — it doesn’t appear it will improve anytime soon. With the empty stores in the area, it gives the immediate area a «ghost town» feel and overall kinda creepy.
Current rent varies but averaging $ 1800+ depending on the market, location of the unit. Included is Bally’s membership and parking at The Market, the local abbreviated Safeway.

I have been living here for about 5 months. The urban city lifestyle of living is something I recommend everyone should experience.
You are walking distance to the safeway market, Dai Thanh asian supermarket, restaurants, sj arena, san jose state university, and work places for many people.
The management are always available and helpful. I was rushing out and forgot to lock my door. I didn’t realize it until I reached my destination. I started to panick and called management, they immediately went to lock my door and assured me that everything is ok. They also unlocked my neighbors door when she locked herself out. They are awesome.
This is a safe, reasonable, and fun place to live.

Twohy Lofts are a CIM owned property right next to the Camera 12 cinema with the entrance on the 1^st street side across from the light rail station.
The building is pretty old and has nice charm. All the units are studios of various sizes and include a real kitchen (with fridge, sink, dishwasher, stove, oven microwave)… something not all studios offer.
Not to mention AC which is great.
Overall the places are nicely remodeled with hardwood, high ceilings and big windows. Only problem is the windows are single pained, letting in a LOT of noise, especially on the VTA side.
Another drawback is the TV situation. They are not wired for cable (comcast or ATT), dish network is available but wasnt wired down passed the 4^th floor… and direcTV is available but NOT in HD… good grief!
The rent is not cheap, i think the cheapest (when I moved in) was around $ 1280 and I believe that was with some discounts for a 12 month lease. However, my rent came with a Bally’s membership (right across the street) and parking at the 2^nd/​San Carlos garage… not bad.
If it wasn’t so expensive I’d give it 4 stars. Add some dual pained windows and Comcast or ATT cable lines (or direcTV HD lines) and it could be 5 stars.
Overall its ok, location is great but there are some drawbacks.