TO: HONORABLE MAYOR FROM: Councilmember Dev Davis
AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT: SCHIELE & ALAMEDA PARK DATE: January 5, 2023
NOMINATION FOR LANDMARK
HISTORICAL DISTRICT
Approved Date: 1/5/2023
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Agendize for discussion and consideration at an upcoming City Council meeting:
1. Adopt a resolution nominating Alameda Park and the Schiele Subdivision for designation as a City Landmark Historic District.
2. Direct the Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement to initiate the required process and proceedings to establish this City Landmark Historic District.
DISCUSSION:
The Schiele Subdivision (locally pronounced “Sheelee”) and adjacent Alameda Park are located less than a mile outside of downtown San Jose. This unique neighborhood is an intact representation of the early suburban development that occurred in San Jose in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The neighborhood is located off The Alameda and includes Schiele, Harding, and Pershing Avenues, between The Alameda and Stockton Avenue.
This area consists of single-family homes in the Victorian style. The Schiele Subdivision and Alameda Park were established in 1888 and 1922, respectively. They were formally annexed by the City in 1925 and have remained one of the City’s most well preserved neighborhoods that represents this era of urban development. The north side of Schiele Avenue sits houses by many of the great San Jose architects of the late 1800s, including eight extant houses designed by Theodore Lenzen (1833-1912), one of the most respected and important architects in our City’s history.
The neighborhood is on land that is part of the original Stockton Ranch, the site of much of San Jose’s early agricultural development. It was the location of the first honeybees in California, brought through the Isthmus of Panama by the famous rancher and botanist Christopher Shelton.
In more recent times, in the 1980s, the neighborhood was nicknamed “Little Castro” as it became an important gathering center for the gay community. Members of this community bought homes here as they revered the neighborhood for its scenery, architecture, diversity, and inclusive culture.
RULES COMMITTEE: 1/11/2023
ITEM: C.3
All of the homes located in the Schiele Subdivision and the Alameda Park are currently listed in the City’s Historic Resources Inventory. Although this distinction acknowledges that the neighborhood may contain historical value, it doesn’t offer the same protections, benefits, or official recognition as areas designated as Historical Landmarks. Through the years residents of the neighborhood have pushed the City to take the appropriate step towards forming this area as its own Historical District. The community has waited long enough, and I urge my colleagues to join me in directing City Staff to formally begin this process.