I used to think there was no way to go out of business selling pizza in downtown San Jose, but I’ve been proven wrong on that point a few times over the years — especially this month with the one-two punch of the venerable Pizz’a Chicago and the upstart Pieology shutting their doors.

Now, Pieology wasn’t a huge surprise. A business that relies on a steady lunch crowd needs fast service and the San Fernando Street location, which served made-to-order personal pizzas, just didn’t have it. But Pizz’a Chicago, which has been serving deep-dish pies over on San Pedro and San Fernando for about two decades, caught me off guard. With a 30-minute wait, it had become more of a special-occasion pizza for me and probably many others, but I’ll miss its downtown presence (The Palo Alto location is still up and running if you’re simply craving their meaty Rush Street.)

Downtown San Jose may be a harder pizza market than I thought, but there’s still no shortage of options. Pizza Bocca Lupo at San Pedro Square Market and Pizzetta 408 at SoFA Market seem to fill the niche for gourmet, wood-fired pies. Fourth Street Pizza does well with the city hall and sports crowds. Grande Pizzeria and Pizza My Heart have been favorites near San Jose State for decades and were recently joined by Sammy G’s on South 10th Street.

But when it comes to pizza longevity, nobody beats Kukar’s House of Pizza. A true San Jose original since the 1950s, House of Pizza has managed to stay ahead of the redevelopment wrecking ball by moving a couple times over the decades. Somehow, its current location on Almaden Boulevard near the convention center manages to look like its been there from the start, with every wall filled with bric-a-brac. And you really can’t say you’re from San Jose until you’ve at least tried the pizza — made with the toppings under a blanket of cheese and cut into squares.

If House of Pizza ever closes, then it’ll be time to really ring the alarm bells.

VMC FOUNDATION HITS MILESTONE: The Valley Medical Center Foundation hit the big 3-0 Sunday, with foundation CEO Chris Wilder posting a photo on Facebook with the foundation’s “birth certificate” — the cover page of its Articles of Incorporation ,signed by then-Secretary of State March Fong Eu on March 11, 1988.

The VMC Foundation’s first gift was $10,000 from Mike Fox Sr., and it has raised more than $70 million since then to support county health services, supportive housing and hospital construction. This week, the foundation started posting on Facebook 30 things it’s done in those three decades that have had a lasting impact, including programs like the Pediatric Healthy Lifestyle Center and Reach Out and Read. Take a look at www.facebook.com/vmcfoundation.

Start your day with the news you need from the Bay Area and beyond.

Sign up for our new Morning Report weekday newsletter.

BIRTHDAY BASH: Ed Mosher got his own birthday surprise when Shel and Mona Onstead, along with several other friends, threw him a pop-up party complete with cake, wine and balloons at his former men’s clothing shop in downtown San Jose Friday afternoon. Mosher, 89, closed his shop at the Fairmont Hotel last year to concentrate on recovering from an illness, and he’s been doing well enough that he attended several movies and programs at Cinequest this year.