Google Gradient Canopy office building at 2000 North Shoreline Boulevard in Mountain View. The Googleplex is visible in the upper left and Shoreline Amphitheatre is visible in the upper right. (Google LLC)
MOUNTAIN VIEW — Google is preparing to open to the public its first West Coast visitor center, a Mountain View complex that the tech titan hopes will become a destination attraction.
The new visitor center will be located inside a futuristic office building a short distance from the tech titan’s iconic Googleplex office campus in Mountain View.
The new Google visitor center is slated to open on Oct. 12 as part of the search giant’s “Gradient Canopy” office complex at 2000 North Shoreline Boulevard in Mountain View, the company said.
“We’re excited to announce that we’re opening the Google Visitor Experience at our headquarters in Mountain View,” Google stated in a Sept. 7 blog post on the company’s website.
Hours of operation weren’t immediately known.
“This new destination will give you the chance to experience Google and our hometown community,” Google said in the blog post.
The Gradient Canopy office complex, a few blocks from Shoreline Amphitheatre, is one of three Google office buildings in Mountain View that employ dragonscale solar panels to provide a huge component of the energy to power the trio of eye-catching work hubs.
A Google Store where people can see and use company gadgets and gear, an events space and a pop-up shop featuring local businesses are expected to be part of the new visitor center.
“For the first time, we curated an intentional visitor experience with public amenities for everyone, including neighbors, visitors and Googlers,” Google stated in the blog post.
The visitor center is located inside the Gradient Canopy building near the corner of North Shoreline Boulevard and Amphitheatre Parkway, according to the Google Maps app.
In addition, people will be able to grab food and beverages in the Cafe @ Mountain View, which the blog post describes as Google’s “first-ever public cafe.”
People are also being invited to visit the first brick-and-mortar Google Store on the West Coast. Store patrons will be able to explore hardware products and services in person.
Google also said visitors will be able to “attend a local community group or non-profit event at the Huddle, a venue designed for creating connections,” as well as “discover and support local businesses at the Pop-Up Shop.” Google also touted The Plaza, “which features outdoor art, events and programming.”
The visitor center is opening as Google continues the celebration of its 25th birthday. On Sept. 4, 1998, Google was founded in Menlo Park by then-Stanford University PhD students Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Google is betting that the new visitor center will become a destination.
“Whether you call Mountain View home or you’re planning a trip to the area, there will be a Googley experience waiting for you,” Google stated in the blog post.
Originally published at George Avalos