SAW:DHZ:KMF
04/27/2026
1 T-509 / 2305484_2
Council Agenda: 06-23-2026
Item No.: 10.1(b)
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 RESCINDING THE DESIGNATION OF 725 CHESTNUT
(SOUTHERN PACIFIC SWITCHING TOWER BUILDING AND
SITE) AS A CITY LANDMARK THAT HAS SPECIAL
HISTORICAL, ARCHITECTURAL, CULTURAL, AESTHETIC,
OR ENGINEERING INTEREST OR VALUE OF AN HISTORIC
NATURE PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 13.48 OF THE SAN
JOSE MUNICIPAL CODE
FILE NO. HL26-001
APN: 259-09-049
WHEREAS, Chapter 13.48 of Title 13 of the San José Municipal Code provides for the designation, amendment or rescission 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, in accordance with San José Municipal Code Section 13.48.110, the City Council approved Resolution 64399 on February 23, 1993, designating 725 Chestnut Street (Southern Pacific Switching Tower Building and Site) as a landmark that has special historical, architectural, cultural, aesthetic, or engineering interest or value of an historical nature; and
WHEREAS, the landmark designation of the Southern Pacific Switching Tower was part of a greater preservation effort to relocate the structure along with a roundhouse (also a designated City Landmark HL91-56), turntable, trackage, water tower and steam cleaner located at 575 Lenzen Avenue to the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds for the purpose of establishing a railroad museum; and
SAW:DHZ:KMF
04/27/2026
2 T-509 / 2305484_2
Council Agenda: 06-23-2026
Item No.: 10.1(b)
DRAFT – Contact the Office of the City Clerk at (408) 535-1260 or [email protected] for final document.
WHEREAS, the Southern Pacific Switching Tower was significantly damaged by fire in 1996; however, despite the fire damage, Southern Pacific reaffirmed its commitment to relocate the structures to the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds; and
WHEREAS, a report prepared in 1998 to assess the feasibility of moving the round house and associated structures and to propose methods for accomplishing the work concluded that it was not feasible to move the Southern Pacific Switching Tower due to the fire damage, and methods were proposed to deconstruct and move all the associated structures; and
WHEREAS, the City of San José issued Historic Preservation Permit (HP99- 11-012) on December 21, 1999 for two properties at Lenzen Avenue near Stockton Avenue and Asbury Street near Chestnut Street to dismantle the Southern Pacific Switching Tower, roundhouse, turntable and water tower for the purpose of reconstructing the structures at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds; and
WHEREAS, San José Municipal Code Section 13.48.130, subsection A, provides that a landmark designation may be rescinded or amended by the City Council through the same process as that for designation of a landmark; and
WHEREAS, the property owner , Union Pacific Railroad Company , submitted an application on March 2, 2026 , to rescind the l andmark designation, and the Director of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement initiat ed the procedure pursuant to Section
13.48.110, subsection C, for consideration of such landmark rescission for the building and site located at 725 Chestnut Street; and
WHEREAS, Section 13.48.110, subsection E, provides that before the City Council may rescind the designat ion of any property as a landmark, it shall hold at least one public hearing on such proposed rescission , and that before it holds said public hearing, the SAW:DHZ:KMF
04/27/2026
3 T-509 / 2305484_2
Council Agenda: 06-23-2026
Item No.: 10.1(b)
DRAFT – Contact the Office of the City Clerk at (408) 535-1260 or [email protected] for final document.
Director of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement shall schedule a public hearing of said proposed landmark recission before the Historic Landmarks Commission of the City of San José for its consideration and recommendation; and
WHEREAS, on May 6, 2026, the Historic Landmarks Commission conducted a public hearing and recommended approval of the rescission of the landmark designation for 725 Chestnut Street because the property no longer contains the Southern Pacific Switching Tower which was significantly damaged by fire, dismantled and the material removed from the property following the issuance of HP99-11-012; and
WHEREAS, a copy of the City of San José Historic Landmark Nomination File No. HL26- 001 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, 9 5113, and on the Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement webpage (www.sanjoseca.gov); and
WHEREAS, in accordance with Section 13.48.110, subsection F, the Director of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement duly noticed a public hearing on said landmark designation before the City Council for June 23, 2026, or as soon thereafter as said matter could be heard, where the City Council provided all persons a full opportunity to be heard and considered all evidence and testimony presented regarding 725 Chestnut Street (Southern Pacific Switching Tower Building and Site); and
WHEREAS, a legal description of 725 Chestnut Street (APN 259-09-049) is attached as Exhibit "A" and incorporated by reference;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN JOSE THAT:
SAW:DHZ:KMF
04/27/2026
4 T-509 / 2305484_2
Council Agenda: 06-23-2026
Item No.: 10.1(b)
DRAFT – Contact the Office of the City Clerk at (408) 535-1260 or [email protected] for final document.
SECTION 1. The foregoing recitals are incorporated into this Resolution.
SECTION 2. In accordance with the provisions of Chapter 13.48 of Title 13 of the San José Municipal Code, the Historic Preservation Ordinance, the City Council does hereby rescind the designat ion of 725 Chestnut Street as a landmark because the Southern Pacific Switching Tower no longer exists and no longer retains i ts special historical, architectural, cultural, aesthetic, or engineering interest or value of a historic nature.
Therefore, the City Council deems the landmark rescission to be in the public interest.
SECTION 3. Said designation was based on the following findings:
• Its character, interest, or value is part of the local, regional, state, or national history, heritage, or culture within the historic theme of Communication and Transportation within the Horticulture Era (1870-1918). • Its embodiment of elements of architectural or engineering design, detail, materials or craftsmanship which represents a significant architectural innovation or which is unique. One of only three remaining unmodified wooden interlocking towers in California, this structure is representative of a past engineering design.
The switching function has become obsolete with the advent of computers.
As outlined in the above findings, the Southern Pacific Switching Tower was a physical embodiment of its history within the historical context of San José Communication and Transportation. The Southern Pacific Switching Tower provided a tangible link to how railroad traffic was managed during its 66 years of operation through interlocking control towers that centralized a group of signals controlled by an operator to coordinate the rail traffic. The Southern Pacific Switching Tower is no longer present on t he property and there are no other historic structures on the site that contribute to the understanding of early twentieth century railroad operations ; therefore, the property no longer maintains the special historical, architectural, cultural, aesthetic, or engineering interest or value of SAW:DHZ:KMF
04/27/2026
5 T-509 / 2305484_2
Council Agenda: 06-23-2026
Item No.: 10.1(b)
DRAFT – Contact the Office of the City Clerk at (408) 535-1260 or [email protected] for final document.
an historical nature for which it was designated. In addition, Envision San José 2040 General Plan Historic Preservation Goal LU -13 (Landmarks and Districts) cannot be implemented without the presence of the Southern Pacific Switching Tower because the vacant land does not promote a greater sense of historic awareness about railroad operations, community identity or contribute toward a sense of place.
SECTION 4. 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 record a certified copy of this resolution, including the exhibits hereto, with the Office of the Recorder of the County of Santa Clara.
ADOPTED this _____ day of __________, 2026, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
DISQUALIFIED:
MATT MAHAN
Mayor
ATTEST:
TONI J. TABER, MMC
City Clerk
SAW:DHZ:KMF
04/27/2026
6 T-509 / 2305484_2
Council Agenda: 06-23-2026
Item No.: 10.1(b)
DRAFT – Contact the Office of the City Clerk at (408) 535-1260 or [email protected] for final document.
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
) ss
COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA )
I hereby certify that the rescission of the City Landmark designation for the property specified in the attached Exhibit “A” was adopted by the City Council of the City of San José on _______________, as stated in its Resolution No. ________.
Dated: ________________ ___________________________ TONI J. TABER, MMC
City Clerk
SAW:DHZ:KMF
04/27/2026
A-1
T-509 / 2305484_2
Council Agenda: 06-23-2026
Item No.: 10.1(b)
DRAFT – Contact the Office of the City Clerk at (408) 535-1260 or [email protected] for final document.
EXHIBIT “A”
LEGAL DESCRIPTION
FOR
725 CHESTNUT STREET
(SOUTHERN PACIFIC SWITCHING TOWER BUILDING AND SITE)
SAN JOSE, CA 95112
FILE NO. HL26-001
A.P.N. 259-09-049
SAW:DHZ:KMF
04/27/2026
A-2
T-509 / 2305484_2
Council Agenda: 06-23-2026
Item No.: 10.1(b)
DRAFT – Contact the Office of the City Clerk at (408) 535-1260 or [email protected] for final document.