Dick’s Plans Takeover of Torched Home Depot

A Home Depot store gutted by an arson fire in San Jose, Calif., could well arise from the ashes as a Dick’s House of Sport, The Mercury News reports. According to documents filed with the San Jose Planning Department, Dick’s Sporting Goods plans to keep the building’s existing walls, while redoing the remaining structure, both inside and out.

The building has 99,000 square feet of space, which means it could accommodate a Dick’s House of Sport locale, the newspaper notes. Larger than traditional Dick’s stores, the HoS complexes often come with such amenities as a climbing wall, multiple golf bays with TrackMan simulators, and multisport cages that can be used for baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer, according to the retailer’s website.

The Home Depot was heavily damaged by fire in April 2022. Investigators subsequently ruled it was caused by an arsonist, The Mercury News reports.

Making the conversion a reality would be a major undertaking, including demolishing interior walls, lights and doors, city files show, along with such exterior work as removing a canopy, new light fixtures, painting, cladding and landscaping. Upgrades are also planned for mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire protection, and fire alarm systems, plans show.

A timetable for starting the work and eventually reopening the store was not immediately available.