NVF:DHZ:JMD
11/16/2022
1 T-509/1973510
Council Agenda: 11-29-2022
Item No.: 10.1(b)(1)
DRAFT – Contact the Office of the City Clerk at (408) 535-1260 or [email protected] for final document.
RESOLUTION NO.____
A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SAN JOSE DESIGNATING THE FRIEND HOUSE,
LOCATED AT 777 EAST WILLIAM STREET, AS A CITY
LANDMARK THAT HAS SPECIAL HISTORICAL,
ARCHITECTURAL, CULTURAL, AESTHETIC, OR
ENGINEERING INTEREST OR VALUE OF A HISTORIC
NATURE PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 13.48 OF THE SAN
JOSE MUNICIPAL CODE
FILE NO. HL22-002
APN: 467-50-069
WHEREAS, Chapter 13.48 of Title 13 of the San José Municipal Code provides for the designation of structures and/or sites of special historical, architectural, cultural, aesthetic or engineering interest or value of a historical nature as landmarks by the City Council of the City of San José (“City Council”); and
WHEREAS, Chapter 13.48 provides that any historic property can be nominated for designation as a City Landmark by the City Council, the Historic Landmarks Commission, or by application of the owner or the authorized agent of the owner of the property for which designation is requested; and
WHEREAS, the Director of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement initiated the procedure pursuant to Chapter 13.48 for consideration of such landmark designation for the George and Mary Friend House located at 777 East William Street (the “Friend House”); and
WHEREAS, Chapter 13.48 provides that before the City Council may designate any property as a landmark, it shall hold at least one public hearing on such proposed designation, and that before it holds said public hearing, the Director of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement shall schedule a public hearing of said proposed landmark NVF:DHZ:JMD
11/16/2022
2 T-509/1973510
Council Agenda: 11-29-2022
Item No.: 10.1(b)(1)
DRAFT – Contact the Office of the City Clerk at (408) 535-1260 or [email protected] for final document.
designation before the Historic Landmarks Commission of the City of San José for its consideration and recommendation; and
WHEREAS, on November 2, 2022, the Historic Landmarks Commission conducted a public hearing and recommended approval of the designation of the Friend House, as a landmark that has special historical, architectural, cultural, aesthetic or engineering interest or value of a historic nature and made certain findings with respect thereto; and
WHEREAS, a copy of the City of San José Historic Landmark Nomination Form No.
HL22-002 upon which such recommendation was made is on file in the Planning Division of the City of San José and available for review at 200 East Santa Clara Street, 3rd Floor, San José, CA, 95113, and on the Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement webpage (www.sanjoseca.gov); and
WHEREAS, the Director of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement duly noticed a public hearing on said landmark designation before the City Council for November 29, 2022, or as soon thereafter as said matter could be heard, where the City Council provided all persons full opportunity to be heard and considered all evidence and testimony presented regarding the Friend House; and
WHEREAS, a legal description of the Friend House is attached as Exhibit "A" and incorporated by reference;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN JOSE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. In accordance with the provisions of Chapter 13.48 of Title 13 of the San José Municipal Code, the Historic Preservation Ordinance, this Council does hereby designate The George and Mary Friend House, located at 777 East William Street, as a NVF:DHZ:JMD
11/16/2022
3 T-509/1973510
Council Agenda: 11-29-2022
Item No.: 10.1(b)(1)
DRAFT – Contact the Office of the City Clerk at (408) 535-1260 or [email protected] for final document.
landmark that has special historic, architectural, cultural, aesthetic or engineering interest or value of a historic nature.
SECTION 2. Said designation is based on Criterion 6 and Criterion 7 outlined in the Historic Preservation Ordinance:
Criterion 6: Its embodiment of distinguishing characteristics of an architectural type or specimen.
Analysis: The house at 777 East William Street and its original garage that reflects the design of the house embody distinguishing characteristics of the Dutch Colonial Revival style of the 1920s era of residential architectural design. Like other Dutch Colonial Revival homes of the 1920s, the house features a side gambrel roof with a wide shed dormer. The house has a central elaborated porch with column groups and fanlight over the front entrance, characteristic of the Colonial Revival style. The garage, like the other original Wolfe & Higgins garages, matches the style and appearance of the main house. The architectural firm of Wolfe & Higgins added a unique and unusual touch to the Dutch Colonial Revival house by designing it with the Spanish-style chimney with scrolled brackets and decorative cartouche.
Criterion 7: Its identification as the work of an architect or master builder whose individual work has influenced the development of the City of San José.
Analysis: The house and garage contribute to the uniqueness of the Naglee Park area as the work of a twentieth-century San José architectural firm, Wolfe & Higgins. Frank Delos Wolfe, William Ernest Higgins, and, later, Carl Wolfe are locally recognized as master architects whose work influenced the physical development of San José. During its fourteen years of existence, the firm of Wolfe & Higgins was responsible for more than five hundred works, including San José NVF:DHZ:JMD
11/16/2022
4 T-509/1973510
Council Agenda: 11-29-2022
Item No.: 10.1(b)(1)
DRAFT – Contact the Office of the City Clerk at (408) 535-1260 or [email protected] for final document.
City Landmarks such as The Realty Building at 19 North 2nd Street, the San José Woman’s Club at 75 South 11th Street, the Dreischmeyer House at 1195 Willow Street, and the Louis and Sarah Richards house at 184 South 13th Street. The firm also designed the iconic Venetian Court Apartments in Capitola, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, Frank Wolfe was the architect of record for many other City Landmarks. William Higgins was the partner who was the primary architect for the George and Mary Friend House. In 1917, he had designed a similar Dutch Colonial Revival home for Wilmer and Dorothy Gross.
That house located at 1156 McKendrie Street is a San José City Landmark.
Higgins was one of the few local architects who specialized in the Dutch Colonial Revival style, which is rare in San José.
SECTION 3. The City Clerk is hereby directed to notify those persons designated in San José Municipal Code Section 13.48.110, Subsection L, in the manner specified by said Section and to direct the recordation of a Notice of Granting of this resolution in the Office of the Recorder of the County of Santa Clara.
//
//
//
//
//
NVF:DHZ:JMD
11/16/2022
5 T-509/1973510
Council Agenda: 11-29-2022
Item No.: 10.1(b)(1)
DRAFT – Contact the Office of the City Clerk at (408) 535-1260 or [email protected] for final document.
ADOPTED this ____ day of November 2022, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
DISQUALIFIED:
SAM LICCARDO
Mayor
ATTEST:
TONI J. TABER, CMC
City Clerk
NVF:DHZ:JMD
11/16/2022
A-1
T-509/1973510
Council Agenda: 11-29-2022
Item No.: 10.1(b)(1)
DRAFT – Contact the Office of the City Clerk at (408) 535-1260 or [email protected] for final document.
EXHIBIT “A”
LEGAL DESCRIPTION
FOR
THE FRIEND HOUSE
777 EAST WILLIAM STREET
SAN JOSE, CA 95113
FILE NO. HL22-002
APN: 467-50-069