There have been a number of recent articles in national publications about the brave new city of the west, San Jose. The Wall Street Journal stated its view of our city as the center of innovation and entrepreneurship. There is a strong effort to reap the benefits of locating the new and exciting clean-tech areas of the new economy here to join eBay, Cisco Systems and Adobe. We are trying very hard and the ability to try hard is a virtue in a person and an asset in the development of the city.
It is a good time to separate the wheat from the chaff and ask: Just what are we the capital of? It is not a complicated answer; it is clear and precise. It is easy to know where it began and it will be fascinating to see where it ends.
We yearned to be something greater than the sum of our parts. Beginning in the eighties, we put the building blocks of a fine city in place: transit, a great regional asset; the Guadalupe River Park; sports and convention centers; and many fine museums. We keep the crime rate low, the libraries open, and the parks clean and serviced. We instituted, with much pain, major regional transportation facilities. Much was accomplished and much more was anticipated.
How did it all start? It began with a kernel: the unquenchable idea that San Jose was a special place, blessed by God and nature, sitting on the southern end of an explosion of energy, education, dollars and science that would become known as Silicon Valley. Remember the Hollywood scriptwriter in Woody Allen’s movie, “Annie Hall,” who said: “Right now it’s only a notion, but I think I can get money to make it into a concept and later turn it into an idea.” Well, it began as a notion, but it has become so much more. And, yes, we certainly had the money.
There have been stumbles and there have been shadows cast on the attempts to create our new city. Yet, one fact is indubitably clear: this city has a destiny to fulfill. We have received the best of the country and, indeed, the world to our city. We can accept and be enriched by many more if we are wise enough to prepare the way.
Here in San Jose, we have the ability to become all that we have dreamed of for these many years. The course must be truly set and the obstacles to success surmounted. There is much to be proud of from the past and we have a great distance yet to go, but the desire to be the center, heart and capital of our region is as real as any goal that we have ever attempted. The only question remaining is this simple one: Are we able to summon the same courage, determination, and willpower to surmount the recent, unfortunate past and carve out that future? The answer is shortly to be seen, but those who bet against San Jose usually pay the piper one day.
One more of this city’s treasured assets: the pluck of the Irish!
The City of San Jose has so many important first, yet for the most part it has remained a virtual unknown. Its contributions include: being the first civil settlement in the region of Alta California, the first civil State Capital of California; and yet because of the distancing of time and the lack of education of these facts to later residence, they are all but forgotten.
The Light Tower 1881 – 1915, exemplifies this. Bold decisions, led to its construction, an interesting idea took on by the people and transformed into reality. Even thought it didn’t work the way it was intended (and had its detractors at the time), it showed a spirit and decisiveness to those of later periods.
The advent of commercial canning operations let our agriculture shine its way across the nation. These early exports from our realm would later be reflected in the marvelous technology that has reached the far corners of the world. Our populace still shows a willingness to create, and achieve great things for all the members of our new world marketplace.
We have a heritage of industrious effort and innovative ideas. San Jose shows that spirit still, and with a melding of the appreciation of our past, and the driving force leading us to the future we can do wonderful things to showcase to the world that we were here all along.
John, don’t forget the first ever commercial radio broadcast from the site of the current KR building downtown, call letters KQW, which is still operating today as KCBS.
Since this town is so in love with plaques as opposed to the buildings the plaques commemorate, is there a plaque hidden somewhere at 1st & San Fernando?
The following is the comment I submitted in response to the article posted on May 23, by Tom McEnery and I feel it has merit to be repeated in response to today’s posting made also by Tom: —————-
“Does Size Matter”—probably when it comes to basketball—it may be the unique advantage. But when it comes to cities, maybe not.
In my opinion—what San Jose lacks is a VISION —something all citizens and cultures could get behind and support. Something that would excite everybody and as a result would be a driving factor in steering the city in that direction. Here’s the big “IF” and that is: “IF” we have inspired officials who could develop or embrace a VISION for San Jose, they should be/become the cheerleaders in bringing the VISION to fruition.
We already have the size—now we just need the VISION and the people to cheer it on.
Concerned Citizen
Yes, there is a plaque there near the San Fernando entrance, but you can’t look at it for very long without inhaling cigarette smoke though, especially in the rainy seasons…
Hello Mark,
If you haven’t already seen it, I would recommend that you pick up a copy of the book “Charles Herrold, Inventor of Radio Broadcasting” by Gordon Greb and Mike Adams. It is a great biography on this subject, and I almost included mention of the radio broadcasts to show another ‘first’ on the list of San Jose achievements, but was trying (?) to keep it short.
From the ECV site:
SITE OF WORLD’S FIRST
BROADCASTING STATION
ON THIS CORNER STOOD THE GARDEN CITY BANK BUILDING, WHERE CHARLES D. HERROLD ESTABLISHED STATION
FN, THE FIRST RADIO BROADCASTING STATION IN THE
WORLD. AS A PIONEER IN WIRELESS TELEPHONY (RADIO),
HERROLD ESTABLISHED THE FIRST STATION IN 1909 TO
TRANSMIT RADIO PROGRAMS OF MUSIC AND NEWS TO
A LISTENING AUDIENCE ON A REGULAR BASIS.
CALIFORNIA REGISTERED HISTORICAL LANDMARK No. 952
PLAQUE PLACED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS
AND RECREATION IN COOPERATION WITH THE CALIFORNIA
PIONEERS OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY AND MOUNTAIN
CHARLIE CHAPTER No. 1850. E CLAMPUS VITUS. APRIL 3, 1984
Boy, Mark T. certainly hit the mark about this town being in love with plaques. The way we are going the history of our town will be viewable only by trying to find the numerous plaques scattered around the city. Most are difficult to find and the city doesn’t take care of them or even pay for them anymore (in most cases). So, if there are any historic buildings still standing that you enjoy, better go look soon because there is probably a wrecking ball on its way to make room for a new plaque.
Before the technology companies, before the orchards, before the Mexicans, before the Spanish, before the Ohlones, there were mountain lions, salmon and eagles. We need to get back to the beginning.
Then, and only then, can mountain lions roam, salmon swim and eagles soar.
I remember a few years back watching a news segment about Ron Gonzalez explaining the title “Capitol of the Silicon Valley”.
His explanation for this title was for a few simple facts that San Jose had more start ups and computer companies and shipped out more products around the world; more then any other city in the south bay, so that entitled him to claim the title.
Whether this is true or not, I don’t know. I just knew it was a bone of contentions with the other cities.
I’ve always visualized people rolling their eyes at the claim of being the “Capitol”.
Do we have to be the capital of anything? This is like little boys (and not so little) comparing who has a bigger one. Can’t we be happy with what we’ve got? A comfortable city, big enough to offer most everything, but not so huge that it takes two hours to go from one end to the other.
Fabulous weather, great restaurants, theatre, diversity, and what I consider our latest crown jewel – Santana Row.
CC, I think we have a couple of inspired officials on the council now but unfortunately we have the least inspirational mayor in this town’s history. That’s no understatement considering the inspirational bankruptcy of the majority of his predecessors. Combine that with the drones that still remain on the council and you’ve got a perfect recipe for some serious languishing over the next four years. Just when things are picking up economically around here the city of SJ is poised to sleep through whatever dynamic changes the silicon valley is ready to present this time around. Here’s hoping whatever boom might be brewing lasts more than four years or we can all watch tons more missed opportunities pass this town by.
Don’t be expecting anything remotely visionary under the current administration. It’s deeply rooted in the dull black and white portion before the house goes flying. A good bump on the noggin appears to be the only way this town will ever get a vision going.
John, thanks for the details on the commemorative plaque. I’m sure it’s way more purdy than that ugly old Garden City Bank building ever was. I can’t wait to go and view the plaque for Bldg. 25 as soon as they get one stamped out. What a popular point of interest that plaque is going to be once it’s completed! I guess a box of large screws would be an appropriate thing to pick up at Lowe’s while I’m there.
CHANGE OF SUBJECT:
I’D LIKE TO KNOW IF THE “BICYCLE HELMET” LAW WAS RETRACTED?? FOR MONTHS 90 % OF THOSE I SEE ON THE STREETS =DO NOT WEAR HELMETS—INSTEAD OF THE POLICE WATCHING FOR SEAT BELT VIOLATORS—START TICKETING THE BICYCLE PEOPLE—THAT’LL BRING IN THE MONEY…..
#13 West Sider
Why don’t we force them to wear plaques on their heads? Once they crash, instant plaque in their honor.
C’mon folks, don’t you realize how costly it is to produce, affix and maintain a plaque?!
Just a rumor – I hear that the remaining City Council drones are planning to remove and scrap all existing plaques. Their solution will be replace the dozens of plaques with just one small, tasteful plaque memorializing all of the original plaques. It will, of course, be located in the City Hall and maintained by a local volunteer group.
But first… and here’s a news flash… the Council plans on retaining a team of consultants who will ratify such action and take the blame when our citizenry storms City Hall, rips the plaque from it’s fasteners, and buries it St. James Park.
Well, didn’t we have a field day here without any pro-plaque types chiming in? JMO and GG must be away on vacation this week.
I think we should drop $100,000 on some plaque management consultants.
19 – Do you think maybe they are the same person? Curious that they both are silent at the same time.
Pro Plaque Announcement:
A plaque is an important device to remember our heritage by, even if the specific structure is no longer there. Would you say that a plaque commemorating an EVENT is inappropriate simply because those that took part in it are no longer standing there? That is the implication that you give. Hindsight is 20/20, but to completely forget our history because the physical aspect is gone, does not change the reality of what took place at a given location. I find it interesting to know what happened at a given spot, at a time far removed from the present. Change is ever a part of our condition, but knowledge should live on.
Mark T demanding a response? Cute. Here goes: Too bad there’s no chance of replacing the Dumb Dome with a plaque. It’ll be there forever. There’ll be a plaque for Tom’s Shark Tank B4 there’s a plaque on Meier’s Monster. No plaque anywhere near Santana Row, though, since it will keep morphing into something new and exciting. As for VISION, San Jose’s vision is it’s particular history: prunes, apricots, canneries, a light tower, lots of junky victorians and queen ann’s. SF has those on serious display—AND the Transamerica Tower, among many, many others, and want a terrific history competition w/SF? San Jose would lose that one too.
But there is no vision in San Jose, despite being the center of Geekdom because all the history, such as it is, sucks out the energy. If you wander through the “hood ornament” aka
cupola(?) you don’t see dramatic new Sunny-vale, Mt. View, Cupertino stuff, but endless rows of stuff from the past, past, past. Canning machinery, etc. Even Los Gatos has had Steinbeck and Menhuin, and an actress or two—and even Bill Clinton for dinner at Calif Cafe not too long ago, but it doesn’t brag endlessly about it, nor let it get in the way of a Los Gatos that SFers drive down to walk and enjoy. (There’s even a kid friendly fountain that doesn’t poison the partic-
ipants.) With the history-obsessed running and ruining the so-called City Council, and still suing the crap out of it at every opportunity, and not even the guy who had one vision having another one, our Tom, and City Hall chock full of living-wage folks so unhappy that they’re often on worker’s comp, at home, or planning retirement on disability with a new young wife, WHY would anyone with any vision for San Jose be interested in a vision for just a bunch of neighborhoods? Even “downtown” is being turned into a neighborhood of short condo towers. George Green
This city needs a large walkable urban area before anyone in the rest of the world cares. No one visits huge expanses of 50’s-2000’s tract housing, which is what 98% of San Jose is. Most places in San Jose, you might as well be in suburban Houston or Phoenix or Atlanta. The weather is the only thing that would tip you off.
It’s time for San Jose to stop just being the first at doing things, and time to start BUILDING things that are worth visiting and seeing.
Be careful what you wish for. All was quiet but somebody had to wonder why we hadn’t heard from George. I thought maybe he was studying up on his facts, but I was wrong.
As usual his opinions are blended with factual errors. He refers to the “history-obsessed running and ruining the so-called City Council”—don’t know what city he is talking about but it certainly isn’t San Jose. He talks about Los Gatos as if they have no historic homes or buildings when that is exactly what draws people to that town. SF also has a wealth of both.
So, next time lets let George continue to rest and maybe gather some facts.
#22, You are 100% RIGHT!!!!!
Keep telling the truth, no matter how painful it is to certain people.
Oh No, Elder, Board Hugger, no name name caller, appropriately anonymous, blogging hooligan. You wouldn’t know a fact if you saw one, awake or asleep. People do NOT come from anywhere to see old Los Gatos houses—most of which have been MODERNIZED. They come for the downtown, the park, Vasona, the great streets to walk. Even Campbell has taken the old high school and made it into a destination, JFK Uni. Nowhere in the south bay is there an old-barnacle-no-downtown- problem except in “Historic” San Jose, loser of the history contest, even to Oakland and Alameda. If Elder could read he’d remember, if he could, that I said SF had more and better old houses than SJ—BUT people don’t come from London just for those. George Green
San Jose ” Capital of Plaques”. Does Reed and Co. think that tourists from all over the world will come to see his plaque at the old IBM site? I say we save the building and replace the council with a plaque. The plaque should read ” We had no vision, we had no self respect and if you hadn’t replaced us with a plaque, you wouldn’t have had an historic building left”.
GG, thanks for your participation. It’s always entertaining, today in particular with your statement about the “history-obsessed running and ruining the so-called City Council.” If they were running things as you say they’ve been, we wouldn’t have so many plaques around town and we’d be getting those same people strolling around town here like they do in Los Gatos.
Something tells me GG got straight F’s in all of his history classes and is still wrestling with the resulting issues he has when anything of historical interest is a subject of conversation, particularly when the discussion revolves around preservation.
History bad . . . grunt . . . schlock good!
Uh, George, you do realize that the “old high school” that Campbell has made into a destination was a HISTORIC building, don’t you? That’s what preservation is all about. Saving our historic gems and using them as a destination. How many people would go see that “old high school” if all that was there was a plaque? Maybe you’re a preservationist and just don’t realize it. Welcome to the club.
There is no law requiring adults to wear bike helmets. The law is only for children 16 and under!
Mark T (#11), you said that we have the least inspirational mayor in this town’s history and that we shouldn’t expect anything remotely visionary under the current administration. I’d like to disagree.
I find competence to be very inspiring. Reed has already made some moves that will serve to get our city back on track. The hiring of Ms. Figone as City Manager was, in a word, inspiring. I believe that she is exactly what our city needs…someone who is smart, courageous, and actually from here!!! Reed has pushed open government/sunshine reforms and has said no to Evergreen and Coyote Valley (until we can afford to do it).
I don’t mean to sound negative, but I don’t think most San Joseans have any idea how bad the budget situation really is. During the campaign (I was a volunteer with the Reed campaign), I kept telling people that I didn’t’ know how anyone could solve San Jose’s problems…San Jose needs to “pull a rabbit out of its hat.” Not only is there not a rabbit, there’s no hat!!
P.S. The citizens of San Jose owe a big thank you to the members of the Sunshine Reform task Force who turned in their preliminary report today. Special thanks to Ed Rast and Dan Pulcrano who served as co-chairs.
Pete Campbell
George (#22),
Careful or the Council might replace you with a plaque!
All I know is that before this building 25 controversy arose I had no reason to even consider going to… er.. where the hell is building 25 again?
Novice,
Building 25 was a factory that made plaques.
#22GG,
How can you write so much and say so little?
GG is like a kid I once knew. He would eat beans all day and night. He would enter a room, drop his contribution, then leave, while the rest of us choked for a breath of fresh air.
GG Thanks for your latest “contributions” You know just what San Jose needs in order to become great…..NOT
No one visits suburban buildings that are historic, unless there is something to do there. Are people going to drive by Building 25 and say, “Oh look at the history…”
Willow Glen and Downtown are walkable areas. That is why preserving historic buildings is important in those areas – they add to the character. There is no character in a drive-by area like where Building 25 is.
It is a testament to the intestinal fortitude of the people of D1 that they have somehow managed to make it through day after day all these many years with only 1 historic building in their midst.
…and there’s no relief in sight for D1… or is there?
Let’s help our comrades in historical-building-challenged D1 and move building 25 to Stevens Creek next to Falafel Drive-In.
Haven’t the good people of D1 suffered long enough?
37 – You and George should share a felafel (they’re good). You both seem to have a lot in common when it comes to ignorance about historic preservation.
#36 might want to join you as well. If any of you were willing to be educated about this topic you could at least have an intelligent discussion about it.
If Building 25 were reused—as has been fought for the past few years—people could do their business AND visit a historic structure and learn about what happened there and about the architecture.
We’re never too old to learn something new.
Historic buildings are a critical element in helping a neighborhood or district establish their identity. Some areas in San Jose are rich in historic buildings IE Downtown and Willow Glen. Some districts or areas only have a few, IE Dist. 1 where they only have one historic landmark, The Winchester House. The area where IBM 25 is located is also void of many historic buildings. This only makes those buildings all the more important. Winston Churchill once said “First we form our buildings, then they form us”
#36 ,37 Either you are not smart enough to get it, or just don’t want to. Studies prove that businesses do better if they are located in historic buildings. They also prove that they contribute to establishing the identity of a community, urban or suburban. They also prove that preservation of old buildings are better for the environment and create more local jobs than new construction. (If you want to learn more, PAC will be offering a class on the economics of historic preservation on Sept. 27.)
#36
Though historic buildings do help tourism, I doubt that IBM #25 would be a great tourist attraction either. Though Kruschev did come from the Soviet Union in the midst of the cold war to see it. It does however add to the character of the neighborhood. It will be all the more important as the IBM site is developed. Lew Wolff is trying to buid high density housing on part of the old IBM proprety. IBM #25 would serve as a great community center or site for a small business.
Now Selling! The IBM Bldg 25 Live-Work Lofts. Stick a plaque on front of the building and be done with it.
Tom opines: ” transit, a great regional asset; the Guadalupe River Park; sports and convention centers; and many fine museums. We keep the crime rate low, the libraries open, and the parks clean and serviced. We instituted, with much pain, major regional transportation facilities. “
What U smokin’, Tom?
Let’s see—VTA lowest % of farebox revenue in the developed world. Trolley that goes from nowhere to nowhere @ 5 MPH through downtown.
Convetion center—what do you like about it except it’s name? Too small, so we get a tent?? poorly mainatained, getting seedy looking fast.
MANY FINE museums????
Parks clean and serviced. Haven’t you read Pierluigi’s stuff and the responses about other parks left to die by PARKS & WRECK??
MAJOR REGIONAL transportation facilities?? What, the Cahill (pardon me, Diridon) Station??
We have lots going for us, and great hope for the future, but none of the above fit that description. Satire is reserved for the other McEnery.
#2 got it right.
#7, that’s Gil, The Village Blacksmith, at work making all those placques. Well, maybe not ALL of them.
Chewin’ those peyote buttons again #8?
#16—If it weren’t for Gonzo, Ms. Figone would be approaching her 10 year anniversary as CM. Instead we got the lap dog Del.
#17—I nominate Gil Hernandez.
Mark T #19—actually I was away—in Oregon playing six rounds of golf and drinking a whole lot of very good pinot noir and visiting my son and a retiree from our city staff. I’m trying to catch up.
No, #20, thankfully, there is only one me.
#35—buy it, and charge admission to see it.
You’d starve in a week.
YOU GO!!! Novice #37!!!