Subject: SEE BELOW
COUNCIL DISTRICT: 3
RE: REQUEST DESIGNATION OF BUILDINGS ELIGIBLE FOR CITY LANDMARK STATUS IN THE DOWNTOWN CORE AREA
RECOMMENDATION
The Historic Landmarks Commission recommends that the City Council adopt resolutions designating each of the following thirteen properties as landmarks of special historic, architectural, cultural, aesthetic or engineering interest or value of a historic nature.
1. HL01-122 Pritchard/Renzel House, 524 S. Almaden Avenue
2. HL01-123 Stern/Fischer House, 132 Pierce Street
3. HL01-126 St Claire Building, 301 S. First Street
4. HL01-127 Porter Stock Building, 83-91 S. First Street
5. HL01-129 Sunol Building, 127-145 Post Street
6. HL01-130 W. Prussia Building, 371 S. First Street
7. HL01-131 Pratt/Brackett House, 469 S. Third Street
8. HL01-132 San Jose National Bank (also known as Anglo-California National Bank), 101 W. Santa Clara Street
9. HL01-133 Rucker House, 418 S. Third Street
10. HL01-134 Twohy Building, 200-210 S. First Street
11. HL01-135 Knights of Columbus Building, 34-40 N. First Street
12. HL01-136 Realty Building, 19 N. Second Street
13. HL01-140 Commercial Building, 28 N. First Street
The Historic Landmarks Commission recommends the City Council defer action on the following five properties:
1. HL01-124 Center for the Performing Arts, 241-271 Park Avenue
2. HL01-128 Costa & Miller Building, 520 S. First Street
3. HL01-137 Wright/Bailey House, 312-314 S. Third Street
4. HL01-138 Masson Building, 161 W. Santa Clara Street
5. HL01-139 Farmer’s Union Building, 151 W. Santa Clara Street
BACKGROUND
In 1998 City Council directed Planning staff to conduct historic resource surveys in the downtown to ensure the careful consideration of historic resources in land use and development planning. Phase I consisted of the Downtown Core Area.
In September 2000 the Historic Resource Survey for the Downtown Core, Phase I, was completed and submitted to Planning and the Redevelopment Agency. The Historic Landmarks Commission discussed the survey at their September 2000 meeting. The City Council reviewed and accepted these survey results on May 2, 2001.
The purpose of the survey was to gain an accurate inventory of the existing historic resources within the Core Area and to identify potential City Landmarks and historic districts as well as those buildings eligible for the California and National registers. The boundaries for the survey were State Highway 87 on the west, Interstate 280 on the south, North and South Fourth Street on the east and the historic alignment of East and West Julian Street on the north.
The consultants, the Dill Design Group, surveyed 281 properties in the Core Area. Of the 281 properties, 143 were found to be potentially eligible for the San Jose Inventory. Of these properties 22 are potentially eligible as City Landmarks and 64 of the properties are potentially eligible for the California and/or National registers.
ANALYSIS
The Redevelopment Agency and Planning Department held public workshops during the fall and winter to discuss the survey findings. From these workshops it was generally agreed that the Historic Landmarks Commission would move forward with the designation of the qualifying City Landmark properties, with four exceptions. The exceptions include two modern buildings (170 Park Center Plaza and 55 S. Market Street) and two properties where the Redevelopment Agency plans future activity (494 S. Almaden Avenue and 47 Notre Dame Avenue).
The Landmarks Commission recommended initiation of the remaining 18 Candidate City Landmark properties at their June 6, 2001 meeting (5-0-1, Bloom absent). On August 14, 2001, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 70574 to initiate proceedings to begin the designation process for the 18 buildings and referred the matter back to the Historic Landmarks Commission for a public hearing on September 12, 2001. At that public hearing, the Historic Landmarks Commission voted to recommend designation for 13 of the 18 properties and recommended deferral for five properties. It is important to note that as per the San Jose Historic Preservation Ordinance, Chapter 13.48 of the Municipal Code, the Historic Landmarks Commission must act on the nominated landmark within 90 days of the City Council initiation. Failure to report to the council within one hundred and twenty days will be deemed a recommendation of denial of the proposed designation. A brief summary of the Commission discussion regarding the five deferrals is outlined below.
HL01-124. The Historic Landmarks Commission recommended that Landmark designation for the Center for the Performing Arts (241-271 Park Avenue) be deferred per the request of City of San Jose Convention Arts and Entertainment Department (CAE). CAE requested deferral in order to hold a study session for the San Jose Art Commission on the potential designation of the building. Members of the Planning Department and the Historic Landmarks Commission will participate in the study session. The Commission unanimously voted to recommend that this item be deferred to no later than the November 7, 2001 Historic Landmarks Commission meeting (6-0-1; Paim absent).
HL01-128. The Historic Landmarks Commission recommended that Landmark designation for the Costa and Miller Building (520 S. 1st Street) be deferred per the request of the property owner, Schaezlein Trust. The property owner requested that the Commission defer recommendation on his property until he had more time to learn more about what it would mean for his structure to be designated a City Landmark. The Commission unanimously voted to recommend that this item be deferred to no later than the November 7, 2001 Historic Landmarks Commission meeting (6-0-1; Paim absent).
HL01-137. The Historic Landmarks Commission recommended that Landmark designation for the Wright/Bailey House (312-314 S. 3rd Street) be deferred per the request of Masoud Shahidi, the property owner. He requested deferral so that he could discuss the proposed designation with his business partner. The Commission unanimously voted to recommend this item be deferred to the October 3, 2001, or no later than the November 7, 2001, Historic Landmarks Commission meeting (6-0-1; Paim absent).
HL01-138. The Historic Landmarks Commission recommended that Landmark designation for the Masson Building (161 W. Santa Clara Street) be deferred per the request of Farmer’s Union Partnership, the property owner. The Commission unanimously voted to recommend this item be deferred to no later than the November 7, 2001 Historic Landmarks Commission meeting (6-0-1; Paim absent).
HL01-139. The Historic Landmarks Commission recommended that Landmark designation for the Farmer’s Union building (151 W. Santa Clara Street) be deferred per the request of the Farmer’s Union Partnership, the property owner. The Commission unanimously voted to recommend this item be deferred to no later than the November 7, 2001 Historic Landmarks Commission meeting (6-0-1; Paim absent).
Public workshops on the Downtown Core Historic Resources Survey were held during the fall and winter. Copies of the survey have been sent to the Redevelopment Agency, the California Room of the Martin Luther King Junior Library, History San Jose and to the Preservation Action Council of San Jose. The Planning Department has added all San Jose Inventory eligible sites to its Inventory of historic properties, which is used by the Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement for reviewing development permits.
In addition to the public meetings, information on the candidate landmarks and the designation process is featured on the City’s website and at the Planning Department. Large-scale photo-boards of the historic sites are mounted at the entrance to the Planning Department for public review. The photo-boards have been a useful public outreach tool for the Department and for public meetings. The same information is featured on the City’s website, outlining the process for designation and background information on each candidate landmark.
The designation process for the eighteen City Landmarks has been coordinated with the Redevelopment Agency.
JOSEPH HORWEDEL, ACTING DIRECTOR
Planning, Building and Code Enforcement