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Historic Preservation
Here you will find a variety of information about the City of San Jose's historic preservation program. Please use the links on the right of the page to navigate this site.
Design Review Subcommittee
The June Design Review Committee meeting will be held on June 24 from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. in City Hall room T-332.
Second Historic Stakeholders' meeting
The second Historic Stakeholder's meeting has been scheduled for Friday, June 26th from 10:30am to noon in Room T-332, Third Floor, City Hall Tower. The meeting is meant to gather a broad spectrum of interests to discuss the topic of Historic Preservation and suggested process improvements. An agenda will be provided several days in advance of the meeting. Staff contact is Akoni Danielsen, (408) 535-7823 or Akoni.Danielsen@sanjoseca.gov.
Proposed Guadalupe/Washington Conservation Area and Washington Survey Area
On March 24, 2009 the City Council adopted a resolution nominating a portion of the Washington Strong Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI) Area for designation as a Conservation Area and directing the Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement to initiate the required process and proceedings to establish the Conservation Area. The proposed Conservation Area is generally bounded on the north by Interstate 280, on the east by the rear property lines of the commercial properties on the west side of South First Street, on the west by the Guadalupe River, and on the south by portions of Willow Street and the rear property lines of properties on the north side of Willow Street. (see map).
The City of San José, the Washington Area Community Coalition (WACC), and the community developed the Washington Neighborhood Revitalization Plan which was approved in 1998, the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI) Update of the original Plan which was approved in 2002 and the Washington Neighborhood Improvement Plan Amendment which was approved in 2008.
In the 2002 Action Plan Summary contained within the SNI Update are the following Action Items:
- 1.a. Preserve and enhance the existing strengths of Washington
- 1.b. Conduct a study to identify historic buildings and sites for inclusion in the City’s Historic Inventory
- 1.c. Encourage developers to complement historic character and architecture of existing buildings
In 2006 to date, the City of San José hired Archives and Architecture to (1) prepare a context statement and possible multi-district boundary study for the Survey Area, (2) conduct additional historic research in the Washington area; (3) determine whether the area would qualify as a City of San José Conservation Area; and (4) determine the boundaries of any potential Conservation Area(s). The Survey Area was divided into Phases 1 & 2 north of Willow Street (which area has historically been known as the Guadalupe/Washington neighborhood) and these phases were surveyed in 2008. A subsequent Phase 3 contract for survey work south of West Alma Avenue was executed in February 2009 and anticipated completion is June 2009. The balance of the Survey Area has not been surveyed yet and no monies have been identified. Please see enclosed survey area map.
The District Record concludes that the proposed Conservation Area meets the City’s criteria for designation as a Conservation Area and proposes its establishment. If established, the proposed Guadalupe/Washington Conservation Area will be only the third neighborhood (after the 2004 Market Almaden and 2007 Martha Gardens Conservation Area) to receive this designation since the formal Conservation Area designation process was adopted by ordinance in 2004.
A property owners’ meeting was held on February 25, 2009. The next steps include consideration by the Historic Landmarks Commission at their May 6, 2009 meeting who will forward a recommendation to the Planning Commission for consideration at a public hearing on May 13, 2009. The Planning Commission will then forward a recommendation to the City Council for their consideration at a public hearing on June 2, 2009.
Proposed Guadalupe/Washington Conservation Area Upcoming Meetings
Staff reports are generally available 1 week prior to the meeting at:
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/planning/hearings/
Historic Landmarks Commission Hearing
Wednesday May 6, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.
Council Wing, Room W118/119
City Hall
200 East Santa Clara Street
San Jose, CA 95113
Planning Commission Hearing
Wednesday May 13, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.
City Council Chambers
City Hall
200 E. Santa Clara Street
San Jose, CA 95113
City Council Hearing
Tuesday June 2, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.
City Council Chambers
City Hall
200 E. Santa Clara Street
San Jose, CA 95113
Comments and questions are welcome and should be referred to Project Manager, Patrice Shaffer at (408) 535-7888 in the Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement or at the email address: patrice.shaffer@sanjoseca.gov.
1907 Original Roma Bakery at Orchard & Grant Streets
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1891 Washington School
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2008 Union Market at Union and State Streets
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Mid-century Context Statement
Historical consultants PAST Consultants, LLC have begun development of a mid-century context statement for San Jose, funded by the San Jose Redevelopment Agency Strong Neighborhoods Initiative program. To accomplish the goal of making this the most complete study of San Jose's contributions to California Modernism, the study is focusing on resources built between 1935-1975. Whether you are a local historian, architectural historian, architect, builder, engineer, property owner or a passionate enthusiast for modernism, please contact PAST Consultants, LLC to share any information you have about local resources built between 1935-1975. Specifically, the historical consultants are looking for historical information on the builders, designers and patrons of modernism in San Jose, as well as images and broad information about how San Jose developed during this time period. We would appreciate anything you have. You can send information to PAST Consultants at P.O. Box 283, Petaluma CA 94953, or by contacting Seth Bergstein, Principal (415/515-6224, seth@pastconsultants.com ) or Paige Swartley, Principal (415/515-6227, paige@pastconsultants.com).
Study Session on Historic Preservation
Photo by - Leslee_@Flckr
“Identity is intimately tied to memory: .. Urban landscapes are storehouses for these social memories, because natural features such as hills or harbors, as well as streets, buildings, and patterns of settlement, frame the lives of many people and often outlast many lifetimes.” - Dolores Hayden, Urban Landscapes as Public History
City Council Study Session on Historic Preservation
Thursday, October 23rd 9 am – 12 noon
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/clerk/Calendar.pdf On Thursday, October 23rd, the San Jose City Council will hold a study session on Historic Preservation. Historic Preservation Consultant Nore Winter will discuss best practices regarding Historic Preservation as a tool to achieve multiple community objectives, such as economic development, environmental sustainability, and community identity. City Staff will discuss City strategies, policies, and procedures for Historic Preservation. The City Council will have the opportunity to engage in a discussion about preservation priorities with Nore Winter and representatives of City Departments, the Redevelopment Agency, Historic Landmarks Commission and citizens advocacy group Preservation Action Council of San Jose.
The San Jose Japantown Historic Context and Intensive Survey, conducted by consultants Carey & Co. Inc. Architecture, included a series of community, Japantown Community Congress, and Historic Landmarks Commission meetings throughout the project. In December 2006, the City of San Jose Historic Landmarks Commission reviewed and accepted the Japantown Final Survey Report.
Members of the San Jose Japantown Community Congress, the San Jose Historic Landmarks Commission, and the Japantown Business Association, formed a survey committee to oversee the project. Together with planning staff, the survey committee worked with Carey & Co. throughout the project. The survey committee met on a monthly basis to track the project’s progress. Members of the survey committee also participated in community meetings and events on behalf of the project. In addition, Planning staff and the HLC liaison provided a monthly status update to the Commission at their regular meetings.
Because of the strong involvement by both public and private stakeholders, this project includes a large and important community-based component. The authors’ goal was to keep the stakeholders informed and invite their help in the preparation of the report documents. In addition to monthly meetings between the authors and the Japantown Survey Committee, Carey & Co. attended the following organized meetings as part of this project:
- April 8, 2006: Project update presentation to the Japantown Community Congress
- May 13, 2006: Traditional Cultural Property workshop with Tom King
- June 9, 2006: Preserving California’s Japantowns Symposium
- October 28, 2006: California Council for the Promotion of History Conference
- November 1, 2006: City of San Jose Landmarks Commission meeting
- June 12, 2007: Community meeting
- April 8, 2008: Community meeting
- June 9, 2008: Community meeting
The San Jose Japantown Historic Survey, Phase II is a joint undertaking for the City of San Jose/Historic Landmarks Commission and the Japantown Community Congress (JCCsj) and funded by the California Civil Liberties Public Educational Program, http://www.library.ca.gov/cclpep/recipients2004.cfm the California State Office of Historic Preservation http://www.ohp.parks.ca.gov/ and the Joanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation grant of the National Trust for Historic Preservation http://www.nationaltrust.org/
 In early April 4th San Jose Fire Department completed the fire investigation of the March 8th IBM building 025 fire, Planning Building and Code Enforcement (PBCE) staff completed review of structural fire damage reports and the Building Official issued a demolition permit for the remains of IBM Building, in conformance with IBM Demolition Plan for salvage an on-site salvage of key building elements
At the June 5, 2007 City Council meeting (6-05-07 CC Synopsis), continued from May 1, 2007 (5-01-07 Synopsis) the City Council passed an ordinance approving the Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse (File# PDC06-003)Planned Development rezoning from IP Industrial Park zoning district to A(PD) Planned Development zoning district, and subsequent permits, to allow demolition of IBM Building 025, a mid-century modern office building, found eligible for the National Register under three Criteria, and development of up to approximately 204,600 square feet of commercial buildings, including an approximately 180,000-square-foot home improvement store and 24,600 square feet of free-standing commercial/retail buildings. The Council also accepted Lowe’s offer of $300,000 as a one-time financial contribution for historic preservation efforts Citywide to partially offset the permanent loss of a significant historic resource. In addition, the Council agreed to approve matching funds in the amount of $300,000 each from the City (sales tax revenues from this project) and from the Redevelopment Agency (tax increments from this project) once those revenues were received by the City and Redevelopment Agency.
Supplemental City Council Memo
City Council Memo
The Historic Landmarks Commission commented on the Draft Environmental Impact Report in November 2006, began discussion of the Rezoning at their March 7, 2007 meeting, and continued that discussion to a March 21st Special HLC Session. The Planning Commission certified the EIR and recommended denial of the Rezoning at the April 11, 2007 meeting.
On August 14, 2007, the San Jose City Council approved the Martha Gardens Conservation Area. The Martha Gardens Conservation Area is generally bounded on the north by Interstate 280, on the east generally by the rear property lines of the lots on the east side of South Third Street, on the west by the alley between South First and Second Streets, and on the south by Martha Street.
 The Martha Gardens Conservation Area is only the second neighborhood (after the 2004 Market Almaden Conservation Area) to receive this designation since the formal Conservation Area designation process was adopted by ordinance in 2004. The three Conservation Areas previously established are Hanchett and Hester Park, Naglee Park, and Palm Haven.
The City of San José, the Spartan Keyes Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC), Martha Gardens Specific Plan Advisory Committee (SPAC), and the community collaboratively developed an SNI Neighborhood Improvement Plan in May 2002 and a Specific Plan for the East Gardner and Martha Gardens neighborhood areas, respectively in December 2003. The Martha Gardens Specific Plan established Neighborhood Design Guidelines for the area. Within those guidelines is Policy 2.7, which states that: “the City should prepare an intensive and comprehensive level historic resources survey of the Victorian Neighborhood Sub-Area, to identify historically and/or architecturally significant resources in this area.” Furthermore, Policy 2.8 within the Plan calls to: “Conduct a feasibility study to determine whether designating all or part of the Victorian Neighborhood Sub-Area as a Historic District is warranted.”
In the Historic Preservation Ordinance, Chapter 13.48 of the San José Municipal Code, the definition of a conservation area is as follows: “a ‘Conservation Area’ means a geographically definable area of urban or rural character with identifiable attributes embodied by: (1) architecture, urban design, development patterns, setting, or geography; and (2) history”. The criteria for designation as a Conservation Area includes meeting the intent as defined above, and shall meet one or both of the following additional criteria:
- The neighborhood or area has a distinctive character conveying: (1) a sense of cohesiveness through its design, architecture, setting, materials, or natural features; and (2) its history, or
- The neighborhood or area reflects significant geographical or developmental patterns associated with different eras of growth in the City.
The Study, recently prepared by Archives & Architecture, concluded that the Martha Gardens neighborhood meets the criteria for listing as a Conservation Area.
Martha Gardens Historic District Study
Martha Gardens map
The Department of Parks & Recreation forms
In the early morning of July 19th, a fire consumed the Donner-Houghton House leaving behind the charred remains of one of San José’s City Landmarks. “Obviously we’ve suffered a very significant historical loss,” says Sally Zarnowitz, the City’s Historic Preservation Officer, “but our hope is that we can save what we can from the building and improve what we’re already doing to protect our existing and irreplaceable landmarks.” After inspecting the site and reviewing the structural assessment initiated by the property owner, our building inspectors have determined that the house should be demolished to protect public health and safety. The demolition permit will stipulate that the owner should conduct the demolition in phases so that the fire investigation can continue and the building can be stabilized for salvage efforts. Though the building was vacant at the time of the fire, the owner was working with the City on plans to relocate it to the Hensley Historic District. The City is now in the process of exploring options to better protect other vacant historic structures which may include considering new incentives and policies and making existing incentives more widely known. The Donner-Houghton House was designated as a City Landmark in 2001 based on the building’s association with Eliza (Donner) and Sherman Otis Houghton as well as its distinguished architecture. Eliza Houghton was a surviving member of the Donner Party and Sherman Houghton served as Mayor of San José and US Congressman in the late 1800’s. For more information about historic preservation and incentives, visit the City’s Historic Preservation webpage or contact Sally Zarnowitz at (408) 535-7834.
(Article reprinted from August issue of the City of San Jose Development News
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City Council Memo on Donner House Fire
Original Donner House |
Donner House converted and used for apartments |
Donner House after July 19th fire |
 On April 17, 2007, the San Jose City Council approved the Lake House City Landmark (CL) Historic District, the second Historic District (after the 2006 Reed Historic District) approved since the River Street CL Historic District was approved in 1997. The three CL Historic Districts previously established are Hensley, River Street, and St. James Square.
As part of the Delmas Park Strong Neighborhoods Initiative Plan adopted by the City Council in 2002, the neighborhood identified as a key concern the preservation of existing single-family residential areas. The Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC) has identified the northern area of the Delmas Park SNI Planning Area as one of two main areas to be the focus of conservation and improvement efforts and where infill densities should remain lower than 25 dwelling units per acre.
The Lake House CL Historic District in San José has special historical, architectural and aesthetic interest and value to the community, for its historic setting that continues to exist to the present day as a collection of residential properties reflecting the neighborhood development patterns of San José’s Lake House neighborhood and vicinity from 1885-1925. The Historic District is a geographically definable area of urban character that possesses a significant concentration and continuity of buildings that are unified aesthetically by physical development. For the previous reasons, the area meets the definition of an area eligible to be a Historic District.
The Lake House CL Historic District is generally bounded on the north by West San Fernando Street, on the east by Highway 87 & the VTA Light Rail right-of-way, on the west by Los Gatos Creek and on the south by the rear property lines of lots on the north side of Park Avenue, and on the southeast by Sonoma Street and Lakehouse Avenue.
Historic District Study
Lake House City Landmark Historic District map
The Department of Parks and Recreation forms
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