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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.
 Citizens in San Jose join thousands of individuals around the country as part of a nationwide celebration of 2008 National Preservation Month in May. “This Place Matters" is the theme of the month-long celebration, which is sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Since the National Trust created Preservation Week in 1971 to spotlight grassroots preservation efforts in America, it has grown into an annual celebration observed by small towns and big cities with events ranging from architectural and historic tours and award ceremonies, to fundraising events, educational programs and heritage travel opportunities. Due to its overwhelming popularity, the National Trust has extended the celebration to the entire month of May and declared it Preservation Month to provide an even longer opportunity to celebrate the diverse and unique heritage of our country’s cities and states and enable more Americans to become involved in the growing preservation movement.
At the May 13th City Council meeting, Mayor Chuck Reed, along with City Councilmember Judy Chirco, Historic Landmarks Commission Liaison, and the City Council, proclaimed May 2008, National Historic Preservation Month, recognizing the work of the Historic Landmarks Commission and the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative over the last year in designating the Lake House City Landmark Historic District and the Martha Gardens Conservation Area, and called upon the people of San Jose to join their fellow citizens across the United States in recognizing and participating in this special observance.
To learn more about National Historic Preservation Month and to share photos of a place that matters to you visit http://www.preservationnation.org/preservationmonth/
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, and recommended that the City Council accept the document. Following that meeting, planning staff and the Japantown Survey community met on June 12, 2007 in order to explain the City’s permit properties. Following-up on that meeting, another community meeting was held on April 8, 2008 that discussed taking the Final Survey Report forward to City Council for acceptance.
The next step will be to take the Final Survey Report to a future City Council meeting.
If you are unable to attend the meeting but would like to discuss or comment on the Survey or if you have additional questions, please contact:
Sally Zarnowitz at (408) 535-7834 sally.n.zarnowitz@sanjoseca.gov or the Japantown community Congress at: info@ jcc-sj.org
View a map of the survey area, here
The October 10, 2006 Project Report for the Japantown Historic Context and Intensive Level Survey, completed by Carey & Co. Inc. for the area bounded by North First Street on the west, Taylor Street on the north, North Tenth Street on the east and Empire Street on the south, is available for viewing here. Please refer to the Project Report for a description of the methodology, survey results, and recommendations. The consultant, Carey & Co., attended the November Historic Landmarks Commission meeting to present the project to the Commission and receive comments. Following review by the Landmarks Commission through November and the anticipated acceptance by the Commission at the December meeting, planning staff plans to send the survey to the San Jose City Council for their review and acceptance.
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 meetings
- April 8, 2008: Community meetings
Read a Summary of the TCP Workshop Public Comments here.
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.
Status: In April 2008 the consulting firm Archives & Architecture was selected to conduct a historic resources survey in the Washington Survey Area Phase 1 Focus Area. The Survey Area is generally bounded by Interstate 280 to the north, South First Street/Monterey Road to the east, the Southern Pacific railroad tracks south of Bellvue Avenue to the south, and Highway 87 to the west. Please see attached map.
The Washington Survey is a survey and preservation project. The Washington Neighborhood Historic Context Survey identified the patterns and trends in Washington history by which its historic resources are understood.
As currently underway, the next step of the project will result in completed State Department of Parks & Recreation evaluation forms for the individual buildings within the survey area. The last step would be the addition of qualifying properties to the Historic Resources Inventory, possibly as contributors to a Conservation Area.
Background: The Washington Neighborhood Revitalization Plan was approved in 1998 and the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI) Update of the original Plan was approved by City Council in 2002. In the 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
The Washington Survey addresses this action item.
For any questions or comments please contact Patrice Shaffer at 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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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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