Silicon Alleys
THE San Jose Redevelopment Agency has now released preliminary documents related to the relandscaping of St. James Park in downtown San Jose, a project intended to give the much-maligned park a new face-lift while preserving its historic character. Since this park was San Jose’s original town square in the 1880s, I have a few thoughts on the park’s crazed history.
By now, most folks know about the Brooke Hart lynching in 1933. It is San Jose’s darkest moment. Two degenerate wastoids kidnapped and murdered the 22-year-old Hart, and law enforcement officials didn’t have enough manpower to hold the killers in their cells, so the lynch mob prevailed and hanged the men from two different trees, an elm and a mulberry. The trees were later removed. Writing in a 1957 issue of Modern Detective Magazine, Edward G. Sullivan, who attended the lynching, described it harrowingly: “the mob rioted in frenzied glee under the two swinging bodies. Teenage schoolboys leaped and pranced back and forth on the grass, brandishing whiskey bottles and yelling in triumph. Women ... held their wide-eyed babies aloft to give them a good look. Laughing couples danced and embraced under the slowly dangling feet.”
Now, I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that there should be a plaque in St. James Park to designate this atrocity. We must never forget the dark side of human history. President William McKinley, for example, came to speak in the park in 1901 and was assassinated in Buffalo four months later. Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy came to speak in the park in 1968 and was assassinated in Los Angeles three months later. Monuments for both those individuals exist, but nothing regarding the lynching.
Jump to 2008. The Redevelopment Agency says that the funding available for the relandscaping is limited to the western half of the park, bounded by First Street, Second Street, St. James and St. John. The eastern half will not be dealt with for now, which, if you know San Jose, will definitely elicit some complaints.
You see, more than a few disgruntled east San Joseans objected to the new City Hall, arguing that the side of the building facing directly east—the solid, flat, rectangular Socialist-Gulag-looking side—is a callous and deliberate snub at east San Jose in general. Similar complaints emerged when one of the proposals to restore the clock tower on the Museum of Art suggested leaving off the particular clock face on the side of the tower facing east. So expect people to start screaming at the RDA for symbolically dissing the East Side by only redeveloping the west side of St. James Park. It’s not as crazy as it sounds, believe me.
In any event, as part of this new landscaping plan, the landscape architect hired by the RDA asked a consulting arborist, one Mr. Michael Bench, to prepare an evaluation of all the trees in the park. In that evaluation, he says:
“During my visits to this site, I observed that police vehicles would routinely drive across the lawn between the trees in order to confront one or more individuals. On one occasion, I observed a City of San Jose maintenance vehicle being driven across the lawn. Apparently this is an accepted practice in this park. However, the use of vehicles no doubt contributes significantly to the soil compaction in the park. Soil compaction reduces the absorption of water into the soil, either by rainfall or by irrigation, and it reduces the drainage capability of the soil. The result is that absorbing roots die and require years to regenerate. Most trees react by slow decline. Some trees die. ... I recommend that police vehicles be driven primarily on the paved pathways except during an emergency.”
So now we’ve come full circle. First Brooke Hart’s killers were lynched from the trees because not enough officers were present to stop the angry mob, and now some of the current trees are dying because the cops keep driving across the grass. The fun just never ends in St. James Park and I wish the RDA nothing but luck in this endeavor.
A couple of years ago, I saw a artist’s rendering of a proposed new residential development that was supposed to go up on the parking lot just north of the park. This would incorporate the derelect Christian Science church. Did that project die because of the housing downturn?
Hugh – Barry Swenson is still working on it – they have dealt w. the rather strange problem of the historic 4 Wheel Brake Bldg. and are now ready to begin a major housing project incorporating the First Church of Christ Scientist, a true jewel. The market is one they missed unfortunately; speed was not one of the city’s priorities on this one. TMcE
What did the arborist say about the red lacquered tree?
Hhhmmm, The Taj Gozal was built while a Spanish surnamed mayor was el alcalde. So, not only did Gonzo not speak Spanish, he also intentionally dissed the East Side???
Gary: If one looks at the east side of the new City Hall, as well as the other sides, it is clear that a blank bolsheviki-type space was intended for that wall.
Generally, the law allows a jury or fact-finder to consider that one’s intention may be deduced from the outcome. Whether it was the Office for Cultural Affairs or some creepy architect who thought East Berlin Architecture was still in style, the face of the east side of City Hall is neither welcoming nor in any way respectful of East Valley from Berryessa in north-east San Jose, all the way down to Santa Teresa Hospital in south-east San Jose.
Who to blame? The City Council members at the time of designing the new City Hall and who now appear to have been asleep at the wheel.
PS: Gary, don’t forget the lynching (although not to death) of the German-American in WWI. He was kidnapped from his room at Santa Clara/First, taken for his trial to a site near Piedmont/Penitencia, then brought to St. James Park where he was tarred and chained to the Civil War cannon that is still at the feet of President McKinley. One can only speculate why this particular war-time, national-origin bigotry has been disappeared (hint: he was born in Germany), while the merchant heir’s killers’ lynching is celebrated. Put up a plaque for everybody.
Why does the City pay an outside arborist to review the trees when they already have several cerified arborists on the payroll?
Regarding the quote:
“the mob rioted in frenzied glee under the two swinging bodies. Teenage schoolboys leaped and pranced back and forth on the grass, brandishing whiskey bottles and yelling in triumph. Women … held their wide-eyed babies aloft to give them a good look. Laughing couples danced and embraced under the slowly dangling feet.”
are you talking about closing time of a Bomb Concert at the arena?
Oh my gosh, the RDA is in charge of this project?! Wasn’t it just a few years ago that the then-RDA honcho, what’s her name, suggested that we build underground parking beneath the park? I don’t think I’d trust the RDA to mow my lawn, much less be large and in charge on this undertaking.
John (#5), the answer is because they can. For many years, it’s appeared to be a case of the City being terrified to do anything without input from an outside consultant. Is it a function of our increasingly litigious society, or simply a matter of hiring staff without the requisite qualifications to perform the job?
John Michael – the Arena!! After talking about it and failing for thirty yrs. , it JUST happened overnight: amazing. Just luck, I guess. I think you were traveling during that effort. TMcE
Does anyone recall the movie “MAD CITY”,besides Susan Hammer, John Travolta and Dustin Hoffman. The beautiful Elm Tree was destroyed at the corner of 3rd and St James st.to make room for the corner shots of that terrible movie.
The San Jose Athletic Club was dubbed Taylorville, how appropiate.
Recently a beautiful eucalyptus tree was uncerimoniously destroyed to make room for a few parking spaces at the senior center along 3rd st. directly across from the Fresh Bake Eatery.
Now, there is another hugh Elm marked for the wood pile also at the corner of 3rd and St James. What is going on?
Are we about to reforest St James Park with plastic red trees. Perhaps we should place the Plastic Snake next to the plastic tree with plastic plaques.
Am I missing something here. plastic Tonka toys, plastic snakes, plastic trees.
What’s next ? Plastic Politics?
The ozone is being depleted and San Jose is cutting down it’s largest trees and replacing them with artificial ones. Now, how brillant is that?
One thought is that some one wants to insure that there are no trees left for lynchings. Someone thinking ahead, perhaps!
D.O.A.
Tom #2 opined:“speed was not one of the city’s priorities on this one.”
When was speed EVER a priority with the city, Tom?
#5—CSJ has been consultant-happy for a couple of decades. It shows how little faith they REALLY have in staff, despite their constant PC public statements about how “hard-working and dedicated” staff is. Actions speak louder than words.
#9: the elm marked for the woodpile has been distressed for years, as have many other of the trees in St. James Park. They drop a sticky sap that does wonders for your car’s paint as you work out @ SJAC. Are you the Tree Preservation Action Council of SJ? It’s ugly, but it’s old, so let’s save it?
Here’s a little piece of trivia.
The term “bleeding hearts” apparently first entered the language as a pejorative term for people who criticized the lynching (coined by columnist Westbrook Pegler). That’s the Brooke Hart related lynching.
Are the released documents landscaping online? How major will this landscaping project be? Are they going to fix up the old rusty fountain?
I’ve seen police drive on the park’s lawn soooo many times … it’s bad enough that the park hasn’t gotten the maintenance it’s deserved over the years. It’s another when employees of the city actively diss public property in this way.
FYI – We started the St. James Historic District Neighborhood Association (SJHDNA) back in 2005…actually got the ball rolling in 2002 when I moved to the brand new Barry Swenson Plaza Condos. Since then we have been doing our best to advocate for the neighborhood residents while pursuing the implmentation of the St. James Park Master Plan (ever since Cindy Chavez gave us a forum/visibility to be “the neighborhood activist” for the cause.) Continuing through with Sam Liccardo’s support, we have been making strides in championing the Master Plan through “phases”. We’re in the midst of PHASE 1 as we speak . Without getting into any controversy that may arise from the implmentation of Phase 1, which, by the way, we have been working closley with RDA through regular monthly meetings- there are many aspects of the park that we continue to “watch dog” & advocate; implementing strategies to make this an important historic destination place and a neighborhood to “linger in , rather than pass through!”.
Here’s our Web Site – still under construction..but at this point – maybe worth viewing so people understand that St. James Park & Square is important to the residents that live here and to our many neighboring colleagues & preservationist that support the overall cause.
St. James Park & Square’s OVERALL historical importance to (not just San Jose’s)California History is a legacy that cannot be forgotten.
http://www.stjameshistoric.org
Respectfully,
Frank Penrose
(Co-Founder) St. James Historic District Neighborhood Assocation (SJHDNA)
Tom #11—there’s always one exception to prove the rule.
I’ll have to admit, that although I voted for the Arena, I was a serious doubter. Until the day it happened, I never believed San JOseans would embrace ice hockey downtown, even though the Sharks had drawn crowds @ The Cow Palace. Guess I can’t be right all the time, eh?