The Five Wounds Historic Resources Survey is a part of the broader effort to better identify San José’s historic resources and expand San José's Historic Resource Inventory. 

This effort was authorized by the San José City Council in 2017 under the Citywide Historic Resources Survey.

Project Goal

Identify potential historical resources within the Five Wounds, Little Portugal, Roosevelt Park and 24^th and William Urban Village  neighborhoods that are part of the Five Wounds Urban Village Plan Update project area to inform decision-making during the Urban Village Plan Update planning process. A key goal is to hear the perspective and stories of community members.

The survey effort will help to inform development policies  to consider buildings that are identified as eligible for listing on the San José Historic Resources Inventory . Having historical resources readily identified in an area  helps to streamline development by reducing the work for historic resource evaluation as future development proposals are made.

The survey results enable the City to consider the protection of cultural and historic resources that encourage tourism and economic development, and  celebrate  San José’s unique character. 

The City retained Garavaglia Architecture, Inc. to conduct the Five Wounds Historic Resources Survey as part of the Five Wounds Urban Village Plan Update which is a collaborative effort of the City, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and community members. The Five Wounds Urban Village Plan Update is an "umbrella plan" that will consolidate, and update four approved urban village plans to reflect the future "28th Street/Little Portugal" BART station in their vicinity and focuses on preserving existing neighborhoods, small businesses, and housing as new development occurs around the future BART station.

The Five Wounds Urban Village Plan Update area is located east of Downtown and is centered around Highway 101 and East Santa Clara Street. The four existing urban villages are Five Wounds (north of East Santa Clara Street and site of the future BART station), Little Portugal (east of Bayshore Freeway), Roosevelt Park (west of Bayshore Freeway) and 24^th and William (south of East Santa Clara Street) and together they include approximately 479 parcels identified by the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office as being developed with structures constructed between circa 1900 and 1978 or there is no year-built data.

The project consists of a reconnaissance-level or “windshield” survey, followed by an intensive‐level field survey of those properties that appear to be eligible for listing in the San José Historic Resources Inventory at the local, state, and national level andsignificant under the identified themes in the draft San José Historic Context Update, East Santa Clara Street/Alum Rock Avenue Historic Context, and the San José Modernism Historic Context. After the completion of the reconnaissance-level survey, building-specific archival research provided insight into construction history, ownership and occupancy records, and a determination of the overall historic significance of the properties. This information was compiled into California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) 523 forms. 

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

In March 2023 Garavaglia Architecture, Inc. and the City kicked-off the project with a meeting to discuss the project work plan and goals, opportunities and constraints, relevant background information and documentation, responsibilities and communication, and project schedule for the Five Wounds Historic Resources Survey.

Following the kick-off meeting, the City created the “Five Wounds Historic Resources Survey Project” webpages hosted on the Planning, Building & Code Enforcement section of the City’s website to share project information and updates. Ongoing community participation was encouraged through the “Share Your Story” feature by which members of the public could voluntarily submit information, including photographs, documents, or memories related to buildings or elements within the Five Wounds Historic Resources area through an online submission form.

On May 15, 2023 the City held an in-person community meeting at the Mexican Heritage Plaza on Alum Rock Avenue in East San José. Garavaglia Architecture, Inc. shared the purpose and methodology of the project, discussed the evaluation of historic significance, including age and criteria, and examples of designated City Landmarks in the area and historic resources already listed in the Historic Resources Inventory. City staff collaborated with the offices of City Council members Omar Torres (District 3) and Peter Ortiz (District 5) to host the meeting and professional translators provided simultaneous Spanish, Portuguese and Vietnamese translation services. The community meeting was attended by interested citizens, neighborhood groups, and other members of the community who were invited to contribute knowledge and stories about buildings in the area that they view as significant, whether for architecture or association with people or events.

Garavaglia Architecture Inc. recorded a total 479 properties in the reconnaissance-level survey; 31 of these properties were selected for intensive-level survey.

The draft report for the Five Wounds Urban Villages Update Historic Resources Survey and 31 draft DPR 523 forms prepared in the intensive-level survey were presented to the Historic Landmarks Commission for review and public comment on February 7, 2024. Garavaglia Architecture Inc. provided an overview of the project and preliminary project findings.

Public comment was received through Friday, February 23, 2024.

Following the public review of the draft documents, the Five Wounds Urban Village Update Historic Resources Survey documents were revised and finalized. A final report by Garavaglia Architecture Inc. was presented to the Historic Landmarks Commission on June 5, 2024.

Links to the final documents are below:

• Historic Resources Survey Report – Final
• Appendix A Matrix of Survey Findings
• Appendix B DPR 523 Forms
• Appendix C Reconnaissance-Level Survey Property 

HIGHLIGHTS OF PROPERTIES IN THE FIVE WOUNDS URBAN VILLAGES UPDATE AREA ALREADY LISTED ON THE SAN JOSE HISTORIC RESOURCES INVENTORY

• East San José Carnegie Branch Library 
  1102 E. Santa Clara Street/1229 E. William Street
  Status: Designated City Landmark
   

• Mexico Theater, aka Mayfair/Esquire/Liberty Theater
  1191 E. Santa Clara Street
  Status: Eligible California Register, Eligible National Register Structure
  
  
  
  

• San José Community Service Organization
  1402 E. Santa Clara Street
  Status: Identified Structure
  
  
• Five Wounds Portuguese National Parish
  1375 E. Santa Clara Street
  Status: Designated City Landmark, Eligible California Register, Eligible National Register

• Guadalajara Restaurant and Market #1 (two photos below)
  1661 Alum Rock Avenue
  Status: Identified Structure

CONTACT

For questions, please contact:
Dana Peak, Historic Preservation Officer
dana.peak@sanjoseca.gov
(408) 534-2990