RECOMMENDATION

The Historic Landmarks Commission recommends the City Council adopt a resolution designating the San Jose National Bank as Historic Landmark No. HL01-132.

BACKGROUND

On August 14, 2001, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 70574 initiating proceedings to designate the San Jose National Bank (also known as the Anglo-California National Bank) a landmark of special historical, architectural, cultural, aesthetic or engineering interest or value of a historic nature and referred the proposal to the Historic Landmarks Commission for its consideration at a public hearing and for its report and recommendation.

The San Jose National Bank is located at 101 W. Santa Clara Street. The site is zoned CG, Commercial General with a designation of Core Area Commercial on the adopted San Jose 2020 General Plan Land Use Transportation Diagram.

The Commission held a public hearing on the proposal at its September 12, 2001 meeting.

Commissioner Sciara questioned the emphasis the evaluator placed on the significance of continued bank use at this site given that the 1942 building is not the original bank building. Commissioner Sciara also questioned the use of the term “late Art Deco” to describe the style of the building. Franklin Maggi, historic consultant who conducted the evaluation, explained that Ralph Wyckoff was an important architect in San Jose who also designed the City Landmark Post Office at St. James Square, currently the only Wyckoff-designed City Landmark. Mr. Maggi noted that Wyckoff’s evolution as an architect can be seen by the 1933 Post Office, 1942 San Jose National Bank and more modern buildings at San Jose State University. Commissioner Emeritus Henderson commented on the importance of recognizing this building as representative of transitional architecture into modern design in San Jose and also as one of the few major buildings constructed during World War II. Commissioner Dunning stated that the bank has had a presence in downtown San Jose since 1864.

The Commission unanimously voted to recommend this structure be designated as a City Landmark (6-0-1; Paim absent).

ANALYSIS

Pursuant to the San Jose Historic Preservation Ordinance, Chapter 13.48 of the Municipal Code, the Commission found that the proposed landmark has special historical, architectural, cultural, aesthetic, or engineering interest or value of a historical nature and that its designation as a landmark conforms with the goals and policies of the General Plan. The recommendation of the Commission is based on the following findings from the Ordinance:

Its exemplification of the cultural, economic, social or historic heritage of the City of San Jose because the bank use is a long-time downtown business that is significant in the history of San Jose.

Its embodiment of distinguishing characteristics of an architectural type or specimen in that this building retains a high level of integrity with the Wyckoff design and is a significant implementation of late Art Deco architecture.

Its identification as the work of an architect or master builder whose individual work has influenced the development of the City of San Jose. This building was designed by the local architect Ralph Wyckoff.

PUBLIC OUTREACH

The San Jose National Bank is one of eighteen proposed City Landmarks nominated by the Historic Landmarks Commission at its June 6, 2001 meeting. The eighteen candidate City Landmarks were identified in the Downtown Core Historic Resources Survey completed in the fall of 2000. 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.

COORDINATION

The designation process for the eighteen City Landmarks has been coordinated with the Redevelopment Agency.

Joseph Horwedel, Secretary

Historic Landmarks Commission