The Martha Gardens Historic Survey project is a part of the effort to survey San José’s historic resources. This survey strategy was authorized by the San José City Council in 2017 under the Citywide Historic Resources Survey.

Project goal

The goal of the Martha Gardens Historic Resources Survey was to Identify potential historical resources in the Martha Garden Specific Plan (MGSP) area and document the area’s history from the community’s perspective.

The survey project will allow the City to protect significant cultural and historic resources which encourage tourism, economic development, and the celebration of the San José’s unique character. It will also serve to streamline infill development in the Martha Gardens Specific Plan area by identifying which properties are historically significant and which sites would not require additional historic resource evaluation when development is proposed.  

Project Team. Under the guidance of the City's Historic Preservation Officer, the City hired Page & Turnbull  to conduct the Martha Gardens Historic Resources Survey. 

project area

The survey area is located immediately south of Downtown and covers an area of about 134 acres bounded by Interstate 280 to the north, mid-block between South 6th Street and South 7th Street to the east, Hollywood Street and Humboldt Street to the south, and South 1st Street to the west.

In the area, 274 parcels were not surveyed as they were built after 1980 and not  considered eligible, at this time, for historic resource status or because they are located within the Martha Gardens Conservation Area which is already listed in the San José Historic Resources Inventory. The Martha Gardens Conservation Area was not  part of the survey because its contributing properties were already documented in 2007.  Read the historic context statement and boundary justification for the Martha Gardens Conservation Area. 

Project Description & findings

The consultant conducted a windshield (drive-by) survey, followed by an intensive field survey of those properties that appeared to be significant and eligible for historic designation at the local, state, and national level. 

The consultant surveyed and evaluated 242 properties. After the completion of the 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. 

Findings:

• Five properties are deemed eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR), and as a City Landmark.
• Six properties are deemed eligible for listing in the San José Historic Resources Inventory as Candidate City Landmarks.
• 79 properties — while not found eligible for listing in the NRHP, CRHR, or as City Landmarks — are recommended to be considered as “Structures of Merit” per the 2040 San José General Plan or as “Contributing Site/Structures” to the Eligible Martha Gardens Packing and Packaging Historic District, which meets the criteria for listing as a National Register District, California Register District, and Candidate City Landmark District.
• One property is already designated as a City Landmark and was not evaluated for individual NRHP or CRHR eligibility. 
• 145 properties are deemed ineligible under local, state and national level significance criteria.

September 29, 2022 - Online community workshop inviting residents, property owners, neighborhood groups, and other community stakeholders with the opportunity to share information. 

April 5, 2023 - Historic Landmarks Commission meeting to review draft report and other project deliverables. The meeting allowed for public comments.

Project information was also shared through this “Martha Gardens Historic Survey Project” webpage.

Ongoing community participation was encouraged through the “Share Your Story” webpage (no longer available), through which members of the public could voluntarily submit photographs, documents, or memories related to a specific building, public space, or streetscape within the Martha Gardens survey area.

FINAL PROJECT DOCUMENTS

 Martha Gardens Historic Survey Final Report 

CONTACT

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