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Historic Assessment - 346 Union Ave - 1993HISTORICAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT FOR 346 UNION AVENUE IN 'THE CITY OF CAMPBELL FOR CHALET WOODS, INC. 6472 CAMDEN AVENUE, #109 SAN JOSE, CA 95120 BY ARCHIVES AND ARCHITECTURE 353 SURBER DRIVE SAN JOSE, CA 95123 (408) 227-2657 GLORY ANNE LAFFEY, HISTORIAN MARCH 22, 1993 (~ L~ (~ I~ ~M f~ (~ J U\1 MRR 22 1993 C!1' v ter C.... P. .a ~:NIN:.7 VC.1~M~s ~ •. - 1NTRODUCTION Architectural and historical research for the residence at 346 Union Avenue (APN 412-28- 048) was carried out in March 1993 by Glory Anne Laffey, principal of Archives and Ar- chitecture. Mrs. Laffey has been conducting cultural resource evaluations in Santa Clara County since 1979. She has a MA in Social Science and has been professionally certified by the California Committce for the Promotion of History. Evaluation of the structure was requested by Jim Miller of Lille & Neal Realtors on behalf of Chalet Woods, Inc., San Jose. Chalet Woods proposes to demolish the building as part of a parcel consolidation for the construction of thirty-two townhomes. The subject property is located on the east side of Union Avenue between the intersections of Paseo de Palomas and West Valley Drive. 346 Union Avenue is listed in the City of Campbell's Historic Resources Inventory (1977). The Cie1d work for this evaluation included a survey of the property and a physical exami- nation structures on March 12 and 15, 1993, during which photographs of the buildings were taken. Archival research was carried out betwcen March 12 and 19 at local reposito- ries of historical records which included the County Assessor's Office, Office of the County Surveyor, the San Jose Historical Museum archives, the Campbell Historical Mu- seum, the consultant's personal library, and in the research files of Charlene Detlefs-Du- vall. The following report is presented in four sections: the historical background, the descrip- tion of the property, an evaluation of the historical sigtificance property, and a discussion of the impacts of the proposed project with recommendations for mitigation, if appropriate. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The Campbell area of the Santa Clara Valley was originally part of the range lands of Mis- sion Santa Clara until secularization of the California missions in 1ffi6. Juan Galindo was awarded the former mission lands as a rancho grant in 1846. The late 1840s were a sigtif- icant period in California's history and in the development of the Santa Clara Valley. As American and European settlers began to drift into Mexican Califoinia during the 1ffiOs and 1840s, many were attracted to the Pueblo of San Jose. With a population of about five hundred, by the end of the decade San Jose was the largest town in northern California, situated in a Certile undeveloped valley. In 1846 the Utited States declared War on Mexico, sent troops to California, and in 1845 acquired the Mexican province of California in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Closely following the acquisition of California by the Unit- ed States was the discovery of gold in the Sierra foothills which precipitated a sudden in- flux of population to the state. This event served to accelerate California statehood, which was achieved in 1850, with San Jose serving as the first state capital. , As the last town on the route to the southern Mother Lode, San Jose became the supply center for hopeful miners as they passed through the area. Large numbers of these miners were farmers from the eastern United States and Europe, and could not fail to recognize the agricultural potential of the Santa Clara Valley. After a ame in the gold fields, large num- bers of these miners returned to the valley to take up farming. The high oust and scarcity of flour, fruit, and vegetables during the early Gold Rush made itgricuitural pursuits as prof- itable and more dependable than minuig (Laffey 19,52)• This rapidly growing, Land-hungry population was greatly frustrated since much of the arable land in the San Francisco Bay area was taken up by the large Mexican grants. In many cases the boundaries of the grants were only roughly identified, a factor also frustrat- ing to the American settler. Many immigrants believed that the terriWry coded by Mexico in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was now the public domain of the United States. Yet when they tried to make claim to these lands they came into conflict with the Mexican own- er. Many settlers took matters into their own hands and occupied the land in defiance of the law and the grantholder, maintaining the belief that the lands went public and attacking the legality of Mexican titles. In order to bring order out of chaos, the United States govern- ment created the California Land Claims Commission to validate the Mexican tides by de- termining legal ownership and establishing fixed boundaries for Mexican-claimed property. This process rn many cases worked to the detriment of the Mexican landowner. The pro- cess of title confirmation was long, cumbersome, and expensive, and many Mexican rancheros found the economic, legal, and financial difficulties which they had to face in- surmountable. Even when the ranchero gained legal title to his land, the eviction of the numerous squatters was an almost impossible task (Brock 1932). Juan Galindo filed a claim with the United States commissioners in 1852, but three years later it was rejected. On appeal, however, it was finally confinrted by the District Courtin October 1857 (Cutting 1947). Through this period of unsettled land title, Anglo-American farmers "squatted" on Galindo's property, wetting the outcome of the co~rmation hear- ings. In some cases the squatters sold their interest to the property further complicating land titles. In many cases the farmers had to purchase their property several times, both from Galindo and from former squatters, in order to gain clear title. Agricultural development in the Santa Clara Valley after 1850 can be divided into three dis- tinct phases. The first phase, from 1850 to 1865, was characterized by cattle ranging, ex- tensive grain cultivation, and all around experimentation with crops. Beginning in 1865, wheat fanning superseded cattle raising and the foundations were laid for spxialization in horticulture. From 1875 through the 1930s, fruit production surpassed the declining wheat culture, and many other forms of intensive land utilization were developed under the in- creasing use of irrigation (Brock 1932). The size of the ranches in the valley were closely correlated with these changing land uses. The Mexican ranchoes consisted of several thousands of unfenced acres over which cattle ranged. Early American ranchers followed the Mexican practice of free ranging their cattle for some years; however, the spread of farm enclosures and environmental factors caused the large stock ranches to give place to more intensive land use in the form of a smaller stock breeding fauns or dairy farms confined to several hundred acres. Wheat farms dur- ing this period also ranged from 100 to 500 acres in size, averaging 213 acres in 1880. With the tncreasing crop value per land unit the large farm became unnecessary, and the correlated increase in land prices, cultivation costs, and growing population led to the all around subdivision of farm lands into highly specialized "fruit ranches" from 3 to 50 acres in size (Laffey 1991). The cultivation of fruit frets was established during the Hispanic colonial eta (1776.1848), when small orchards were planted on the western edge of the pueblo of San Jose near the Guadalupe River and the acequia made (main water ditch). The first American orchards generally followed this practice, being established north of town along the acequia, Guadalupe River, and Coyote Creek. After the discovery of artesian water in 1854, or- chard cultivation became more widespread, but were still fairly small in size and conao- crated within the city limits. In 1856 the first experimental orchards were set out in the Willows area (Willow Glen) and in the wake of their success were followed by move ex- tensive orchards during the 1860s. As the production of various types of fruits proved successful, more and more orchards were planted throughout the valley during the 1870s and 1880s. By 1890 orchards were spreading into the Evergreen area and south of San 2 Jose along Monterey Road, completely dominating valley agriculture by the end of the century (Laffey 1991). As the rural population of the county increased, service centers were established in the out- lying areas to provide social and economic needs of the rural communities. The town of Campbell was laid on the property that Benjamin Campbell had purchased from Jaun Galindo in 1851. After the South Pacific Coast narrow gauge railroad line was built through the ranch in 1880 connecting Oakland and Santa Cruz, and a post office was estab- lished in Campbell's home, Benjamin planned a subdivision of his property and laid out the town in 1885. Campbell began selling residential lots in 1888 and by 1895 this new settlo- ment had become a thriving village (Watsaa 1989; Cutting 1929, 1947). Archibald Johnson The project area was originally part of property acquired by Archibald Johnson in the early 1850s. This 196 acre ranch was bounded on the north by Campbell and McBain avenues, on the east by Midway Street, on the south by Dry Creek Road, and on the west by Ution Avenue. Johnson was a native of Virginia who settled to Santa Clara County in 1849 (Thompson and West 1876). Living in the Campbell area as early as 1852, Johnson prob- ably worked out a lease agreement with Galindo during the period of land confirmation. The deed recording Johnson's purchase of the property was r+ecordod in 1857, shortly after Galindo acquired legal title to the property. Johnson's tale was rc-confirmed in 1870 when a United States Land Patent was issued (Patent A:254). Johnson was involved in the organization of one of the earliest irrigation project in the val- le}~, organized by John Bland in 1858 and known as the Los Gatos North Water Ditch (Deed N:229). Provision of an adequate water supply was an over-riding concern of these pioneer farmers. Johnson's property was ideally located on the Los Gatos Creek, and his early settlement in the area gained him riparian water rights to one of the most reliable water sources in the valley. Records of the North Water Ditch company make reference to the use of "Johnson's flume," perhaps indicating earlier irrigation activates on Johnson's part. The channel of the North Water Ditch ran along what is now the course of Los Gatos Creek. Johnson's house surrounded by a small orchard was located on~the northern bank of the original course of the creek (Burnt Map D:35). It is easy to imagine his consterna- tion when heavy rains in 1866 caused the creek to burst through its banks to permanently run in the channel of the North Water Ditch's irrigation canal. The old channel of Los Gatos Creek is now appropriately known as Dry Creek Road. The old county road between Santa Clara and Santa Cruz, known as Santa Cruz Road, jogged from the present course of Bascom Avenue at Campbell Avenue to what is now Union Avenue. Johnson petitioned the county as early as 1865 to extend the county toad through his property along the present route of Bascom Avenue between Campbell Avenue and Dry Creek Road (Burnt Map D:25). This road was in place by 1881, then known as Johnson Avenue. Before becoming Bascom, this road was also known as Infirmary Road and San Jose-Los Gatos Road. Besides the small orchard, Johnson was one of the major producers of wheat in the area. He also raised irrigated vegetable crops and had a large number of horses and swine (Agri- cultural Census 1860, 1870). When the bottom dropped out of the wheat market in the late 1870s, Johnson, in 1881, was one of the Crst landowners in the Campbell district to sub- divide his holdings into parcels suitable for fruit ranches (Recorded Map A:37). The sub- ject area was part of Lot 11 of the subdivision. which originally oonststed of 48 acres. Captain James A. Hamilton purchased twenty-one acres of Lot 11 in September 1882 (Foote 1888). 3 Hamilton Fsrnlly James A. Hamilton was born in Ohio in 1826. His father died before he was born, and his mother moved to Connecticut where Hamilton was raised by an uncle. At the age of 18, he became a sailor, earning his master's papers in 1854. His sailing career lasted until 1887, the last five years sailing from San Francisco. Upon his retirement, he became an enthusi- astic horticulturalist, planting apricots, Bartlett pears, and French prunes. Johnson married Anna Thrum in Hawaii in 1868 and had three children: Edith, Augusta, and Robert (Foote 1888:626-7). Constructed in 1882 on Johnson Avenue (now Bascom), the Hamilton farmhouse is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places (City of San Jose 1992). Upon Captain Hamilton's death in 1903, the property was divided between Edith and Robert. The sub- ject area was part of Edith's portion. Robert Hamilton was an orchardist and part-time blacksmith. Edith, born in 1870, married Alexander Campbell in 1891 and had a son in 1893. Wid- owed, in 1900 Edith married Thomas E. Marrs, a native of England. Marrs continued to oversee the Hamilton orchards until the property was subdivided in the mid-1920s. The subject parcel was acquired by Floyd O. Bohnett about 1928. Floyd O. Bohnett Floyd was the son of Joseph Bohnett, who had settled in the Cambrian area in 1871. He leased the Barker Ranch for several years before purchasing the property in 1876. In 1874, he married Barker's daughter, Tamer Ione Barker, and the couple had eleven chil- dren. Growing grain and hay until 1889, Joseph sold the Barker ranch and purchased 48 acres of the adjacent Casey ranch, which was planted with fruit trees. Here Joseph con- structed alarge two-story Victorian farmhouse and afruit-dryer (Foote 1888; Sawyer 1922). Selling the ranch in 1919 to their son Floyd, Joseph and Tamer planned an actrve retirement; however, Tamer died suddenly a few months later in April 1920. Joseph re- mained in Campbell until his death in 1935. The most prominent of the Bohnett's children was Lewis D. Bohnett, who was admitted to the California bar in 1907. He served as deputy county clerk before opening a law office in San Jose. In 1908 he was elected to the State Legislature, representing Santa Clara County from 1909 to 1915 (Sawyer 1922). L. D. Bohnett was prominent in Santa Clara County social, political, and civic affairs throughout his lifetime. His son, Lewis Dan , Jr., was also prominent in civic and commercial affairs and was affectionately known and "Trader Lew." , Born in 1894 the eighth in the Bohnett family, Floyd attended Cambrian grammar school and Campbell High School. At 17, he assumed responsibility for the operation of the fam- ily ranch. In conjunction with the fruit business, he also established a dairy, winning a statewide competition for the best grade of Guernsey milk in 1916-17. In 1918, he sold the dairy and leased the ranch to join the Tank Corps rn World War I. Returning to Camp- bell in 1919, he purchased the ranch from his father. Floyd's youngest sister records that at this time Floyd assumed his father's duties on the ranch, hinng "men, women, and chil- dren to get various fruit jobs done ~t and on time (a Bohnett standard)" (Gardner 1985). Married in 1919, Floyd and his bride moved into the old farmhouse, and Joseph aad Tamer moved to their newly built retirement cottage. In December 1928, the old Bohnett farm- house was destroyed by fire. Subsequently Floyd purchased the parcel on Union Avenue 4 from Edith Marrs, where he constructed a small home. Here the Bohnetts raised their four boys until the house was sold and the family moved to Santa Barbara (Gardner 1965). Floyd was known for his entrepreneurial spirit and was involved in a number of commer- cial enterprises. He installed the mast up-to-date equipment f~ processing fruit including an evaporating plant, so that he was independent of the sun for drying purposes. He also joined with his brother, L,cwis, and inventor H. E. Clauser, in patenting a type of concrete building block. Holding the local distribution rights, Floyd established a manufacturing plant on his ranch (Sawyer 1922). In the 1920s, he established the Thermotite Construc- tion Company on Stockton Avenue in San Jose. This business grew into a heavy con- struction enterprise, and Bohnett was involved in the construction of many of the dams in the area (Santa Barbara Public Library). Selling out in 1939, Floyd moved his family to Santa Barbara where he also was prominent in business and political affairs. He was elected to the Santa Barbara city council in 1944, and served as mayor from 1957 to 1959. He died in 1975 (Santa Barbara Public Library). By 1944, the Bohnett's Union Avenue property had been acquired by Roy B. and Veronica Stoner. Widowed by 1949, Veronica occupied the house until the early 1950s. The prop- erty remained in Veronica Stoner Winkler's ownership until 1992 (City Directories, Assesr sors Records). DESCRIPTION The property at 346 Union Avenue (APN 412-28-48) is a 135 acre parcel that includes a two-story residence, atwo-car garage, and a guest house/rental unit. Residence The residence, originally a simple Californa bungalow, dates to about 1929. The original one-story wood frame house had a rectangular floor plan with slow-pitched side-gabled roof. The house appears to have had at least three additions. The original porch was en- closed with a slanted bay window added at one end. The roof is extended to form afull- width front porch supported by square posts. A service porch was added to the north side of the house. The second story, believed to have been added in the mid-1930s, has alow- pitched hipped roof. The upper-story addition overhangs the rear wail of the original house and is supported by braced posts. The roof has wide, unenclosed overhanging eaves with exposed rafter ends. The house is sheathed with clapboard siding. Fenestration includes awood-framed, multi-paned casement windows on the lower floor are arranged in vertical and horizontal groupings. The wood-frame, double-hung sash windows on the upper floor are arranged in groups of three and four. Doors arc located in the front, the side service porch, and the rear or the house. The rear entrance has double french doors. This bungalow style of architecture was the dominant style for smaller houses built throughout the country from about 1905 until the early 1930s. The Craftsman bungalow style originated in southern California and, popularized by pattern books and magazines, gwckly spread throughout the country. Plans for bungalows were marketed and mail-order houses, such as Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward, offered complete pre-cut packages of lumber and detailing to be assembled by local labor. Through these vehicles, the one- story bungalow quickly became the most popular and fashionable smaller house in the country (McAlester and McAlester 1985). 5 Other buildings on the property include a guesthouse or rental unit and a garage. Accord- ing to notes taken during the 1977 historic resources survey, the guest house was formerly a shop constructed in 1947. The building has a rectangular floor plant with slow-pitched front-gabled roof. The building is sheathed with clapboard siding with scalloped vertical planks decorating the gable. The wide, unenclosed, overhanging eaves expose rafter ends. Fenestration feature wood-frame sliding windows trimmed with decorative abutters. The two-car garage also has a front gable sad dapboard siding. EVALUATION FOR SIGNIFICANCE The standards used for this evaluation are the review criteria for Campbell landmarks or historic districts according to the Historic Preservation Ordinance (Chapter 21.41). The re- view criteria are as fellows: A. Historical and Cultural Significance. 1. It exemplifies or reflects special elements of the City's cultural social, economic, political, aesthetic, engineering, or archi- tectural history; or 2. It is identified with persons or events significant in local, state or national history; or 3. It embodies distinctive characteristics of a style, type, period, or method of conswction, or is a valuable example of the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship; or 4. It is representative of the notable work of a builder, designer, or azchitect. B. Historical, Architectural, and Fstgineering Significance. 1. The construction materials or engineenng methods used in the proposed landmark are unusual or significant or utiquely ef- fective; 2. The overall effect of the design or the proposed landmark is beautiful, or its details and materials are beautiful, or unusual. C. Neighborhood and Geographic Setting. 1. It materially benefits the historic character of the neighborhood; 2. Its location represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood; 3. It is a geographically definable area, urban or Waal, possessing a significant concentration or continuity of sit, buildings, struc- tures, or objects unified by past events, or aesthetically by plan of physical development; 4. The collective value of the historic district taken together may be greater than the value of each individual structure. Criterion A relates to the cultural and historical significance of the resourtx. This resi- dential swcture represents a typical residence of a large segment of the working class pop- ulation of Santa Clara County during the early dxades of the twentieth century. However, there are many unaltered examples existing in Campbell, including some in intact homoge- neous neighborhoods, which offer better representatives of this architectural and social pattern. The structure was constructed in 1929 by Floyd Bohnett who was a member of a large pioneer family that made some contributions to the development of Campbell. Al- though Floyd was involved in several interesting activities in the Campbell and San Jose area, his contributions are not considered significant. The building is not the work of a notable builder or azchitect, and does not embody distinctive characteristics of style, type, period, or construction. 6 Criterion B relates to the distinctive physical characteristics of the building. The strucxur+e is typical of hundreds of such residences in older neighborhoods. Because of a series of remodeling phases, the house has lost its architectural integrity and is not representative or good example of the bungalow architectural type. This structure, therefore, does exhibit distinctive historical, architectural or engineering significance. Criterion C relates to the resource's neighborhood.and geographical setting. This struts twe is one of three similar residences grouped in this area of Union Avenue within a setting of more recent townhouse developments. The structures at 326 and 356 Union Avenue were constructed in 1947 and 1925 respectively. The house at 346 Union alone and in its setting with the adjacent houses do not represent familiar features in the neighborhood, nor do they contribute to a larger geographically definable area. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the forgoing research and evaluation, the residence at 346 Union Avenue does not exhibit characteristics of historical or architectural significance. It is therefore recom- mended that, upon approval of the Historic Preservation Board, that the structure be re- moved from the Historic Resource I-rventory and that demolition permits be issued for the swctwe. 7 LITERATURE CITED AND CONSULTED Barnett, D. 1956 How Dry Crcek Went Dry. Share it with Barrett: San Jost Mercury-News. 8 January 1956. Brainard, H. A. , 1887 The Santa Clara Valley. A collection of land tenure maps on Cleat the San Jose Historical Museum. Brcek, J. 1932 The Santa Clara Valley, California: A Study in Landscape Changes. Utrecht: N.B.A. Oosthoek's Uitgevers-Mij. Butler, P. F. 1975 The Valley of Santa Clara, Historic Buildings, 1792-1920. San Jose: The Junior League of San Jose. Campbell Historical Museum 1903 Hamilton File. Clipping: "Captain Hamilton called by death." 1980 Duncan Family Notes. City of Campbell 1977 Historic Resources Inventory. On file at the Campbell Historical Musewn. City of San Jose Historic Landmarks Commission 1987 Ciry of San Jose Historic Resources Inventory. San Jose. (1992 edition) City of Santa Barbara, Public Library 1975 Biography file (Floyd O. Bohnett). Cliping: "Floyd O. Bohnett dies at 84; former Santa Barbara mayor." City Directories for San Jose 1870-1963. County of Santa Clara, Recorder's Office 1857 Deed L•240. J. C. Galindo to Elijah Young and Archibald Johnson. 1858 Deed N:229. John Bland, Sr. to J. C. Cobb, W. Bland, et als. 1870 Patent A:254. United States to A. Johnson. 1882 Deed 64:207. R D. Ayres to J. A. Hamilton. County of Santa Clara, Surveyor's Office [1864] Burnt Map D:35. Plat of Road from Frank Hamilton's to Bascom Road. 1865 Burnt Map D:25. Map of a road from the intersection of the southern boundary of J. Slatter's land with the section line running north and south one mile distant from the Mt. Diablo Meridian to a point on the Los Gatos River opposite of a chair factory. A. D. Futler, County surveyor. 8 1873 Surveyors Map D:31. Map of a survey made October 29, 1873 for W. H. Ware, A. Johnson, and Doherty. A.T. Herrmann, County surveyor. 1875 Burnt Map L:2. Map of a sttrvey made in suit City of San Jose vs. Parr et al. showing the Los Gatos Creek and its Levees. A.T. Herrmann, County surveyor. 1881 Recorded Map A:37. Map of the subdivision of the Estate of A. Johnson, surveyed and subdivided March 1881 by John Coombs. 1891 Herrmann Map 903. The Duncan Partition of Lot 11 of the Johnson Parti- tion. [c1950] Map of Cambrian School Disaict Cutting, T. A. 1929 Historical Sketch of Campbell. Campbell: Press of R H. Knappen. 1947 History of Campbell. Campbell: T. A. Cutting & Sons. Detlefs, Charlene 1981 The Process of Development: The Historical Development of Campbell, 1850-1887. Paper presented to the Department of Social Science, San Jose State University. 1985 Flow milling in Santa Claw County, 1840-1898. Master's thesis presented to the Department of Social Science, San Jose State University. Foote, H. S. 1888 Pen Pictures from the "Garden of the World." Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company. Gardner, H. B. [ 1985] Memoirs of Hattie Bohnett Gardner. Laffey, G. A. 1981 The Genesis of Fruit Culture in Santa Clara County. Paper presented to the Department of Geography, San Jose State Universtty. 1982 Water Management and Urban Growth in San Jose, 1846-1870. Masters thesis presented to the Department of Social Science, San Jose State Uni- versity. 1991 Historical Overview and Context for the City of San Jose. Report prepared for the City of San Jose Planning Department by Archives and Architectunc. McAlester, V. and L McAlester 1986 A Field Guide to American Houses. Alfred A. Knopf, New Yuck. Munro-Fraser, J. P. 1881 History of Santa Clara County, California. San Francisco: Alley, Bowen & Co., Publishers. 9 Payne, S. 198'7 Santa Clara County: Harvest of Change. Northridge, CA: Windsor Publi- cations, Inc. San Jose Historical Museum 1867- Great Register of Voters. 1894 Marriage Index. Obituary Index. San Jose Mercury 1895 Santa Clara County and its Resources: A souvenir of the San Jose Mercury [Sunshine, Fruit and Flowers]. San Jose: Press of Smith & Faton. Santa Clara County Historical Heritage Commission 1975 Santa Clara Couruy Historical Resource Im-entory. San Jose. 1979 Santa Clara County Historical Resource Im~entory. San Jose. Sawyer, E. 1922 History of Santa Clara County, California. Los Angeles: Historic Record Company. Thompson and West 1876 Historical Atlas of Santa Clara County. Reprinted by Smith & McKay Printing Company, 1973. United States Federal Census B ureau 1860- Agricultural Census for Campbell. On Tile at the Bancroft Library, 1880 University of California, Berkeley. 1920 Population Census for Campbell. On file at the Campbell Historical Mu- seum. Watson, Jeanette 1989 Campbell, the Orchard City. Campbell: Campbell Historical Museum As- soClaUOn. 10 APPENDIX Historic Resources Inventory Form ~i