Historic reSource Evaluation Report
17 and 25 Fiesta Way 56, 56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue Los Gatos, California
October 8, 2009
Prepared for Geier & Geier Consulting, Inc.
Prepared by Historic reSource Evaluation Report
17 and 25 Fiesta Way 56, 56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue Los Gatos, California
October 8, 2009
Prepared for Geier & Geier Consulting, Inc.
Prepared by Carey & Co., Inc. Historic Resources Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR October 8, 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction...... 1
Summary of Findings...... 1
Methodology ...... 1
Regulatory and Planning Framework...... 2
Historic Context ...... 7
Description and Evaluation...... 14
Impact Analysis...... 25
Mitigation Measures...... 26
Bibliography ...... 28
Appendices...... After 30 A: Map of the Survey Area B: Photographs of the Survey Area C: Sanborn Maps of the Survey Area D: DPR 523A & 523B Forms
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INTRODUCTION Geier & Geier Consulting, Inc. has engaged Carey & Co. to prepare a Historic Resource Evaluation Report requested for five properties located in Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, California. The survey area consists of single-family houses or government offices that have been converted from single-family houses owned by the Town of Los Gatos and located at 17 Fiesta Way (APN 529-34-025), 25 Fiesta Way (APN 529-34-024), and 56-56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue (APN 529-34-091) adjacent to the Town’s Civic Center.
The buildings were constructed over 45 years ago and may be demolished or relocated as a part of a proposed project to build a new public library in Los Gatos. This report provides a description and a historical summary of the buildings and an assessment of their historic significance, integrity, and eligibility for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) and in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It also provides a project impact analysis and suggested mitigation measures.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS In Carey & Co.’s professional opinion, the house at 17 Fiesta Way appears to be eligible for listing in the CRHR. Although it may have been moved to its current location prior to 1928, it retains a high level of integrity and its simple plan; hipped roof; wood-sash, two-over-two windows; and paired brackets at the eave make this cottage a significant example of late-nineteenth century Italianate architecture in Los Gatos. However, its setting and general environment have changed greatly over time and does not provide the necessary residential context for the building to be eligible for the NRHP under Criterion Consideration B for moved properties.
The remaining buildings at 25 Fiesta Way and 56-56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue do not appear to be associated with significant events or persons; to embody distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction; to represent the work of a master; or to possess high artistic value to be eligible for the CRHR or the NRHP.
METHODOLOGY Carey & Co. prepared this report by conducting a site visit on May 22, 2009 and evaluating the existing conditions, historic features, and architectural significance of the buildings. The firm also reviewed building permits and records, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, city directories, historic newspapers and photographs, and primary and secondary resources regarding the history of Los Gatos, people associated with the survey area, and residential architecture in the United States during the late nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth centuries. The firm undertook archival research at the following repositories:
• Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division • Los Gatos Public Library Historical Collection • Los Gatos History Museum • San José Public Library’s California Room • San Francisco Public Library’s History Center
On June 26, 2009, Carey and Co. contacted the California Historical Resources Information System’s (CHRIS) Northwest Information Center (NWIC) at Sonoma State University and verified that the buildings have not been listed as California Points of Historical Interests, as California Historical Landmarks, in the CRHR, or in the NRHP. The house at 17 Fiesta Way has been previously surveyed in
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1991 by architectural Anne Bloomfield, who found the building to be eligible for the NRHP under Criterion A, for its association with Los Gatos’ residential development between 1865 and 1941, and Criterion B, for its association with Angelia Castro Lucero. A copy of the Historic Resources Inventory Form is located in Appendix D. Lastly, on June 26, 2009, Carey & Co. contacted the Los Gatos Planning Department and verified that, while none of the buildings are Los Gatos landmarks or located in a local historic district, 17 Fiesta Way and 104 Villa Avenue are included in the Los Gatos Historic Resources Inventory as structures built before 1941.
REGULATORY AND PLANNING FRAMEWORK The regulatory background outlined below offers an overview of federal and state laws, regulations, and guidelines and the criteria used to assess the historic significance and eligibility of a building, structure, object, site or district for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR).
FEDERAL REGULATIONS AND CRITERIA
National Historic Preservation Act, as Amended (1966) The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) defines the Federal Government’s role in historic preservation and establishes partnerships between states, local governments, Indian tribes, and private organizations and individuals. It authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to expand and maintain the National Register of Historic Places and establishes the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) and state and tribal historic preservation offices. It also requires federal agencies to consider the effects of their undertakings on historic resources and to give the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) a reasonable opportunity to comment on those undertakings. A lead federal agency will be responsible for project compliance with Section 106 of the NHPA and its implementing regulations, set forth by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation at 36 CFR 800.
National Register of Historic Places National Register Bulletin Number 15, How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, describes the Criteria for Evaluation as being composed of two factors. First, the property must be “associated with an important historic context.”1 The National Register identifies four possible context types, of which at least one must be applicable at the national, state, or local level. As listed under Section 8, “Statement of Significance,” of the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, these are:
A. Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.
B. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.
C. Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction.
1 U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register Bulletin: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, National Register Bulletin 15 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997), 3.
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D. Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important to prehistory or history.2
Certain resources are not usually considered for listing in the National Register:
• religious properties • moved properties • birthplaces and graves • cemeteries • reconstructed properties • commemorative properties • properties that have achieved significance within the past fifty years
These properties can be eligible for listing, however, if they meet special requirements, called Criteria Considerations (A-G), in addition to meeting the regular requirements (that is, being eligible under one or more of the four significance criteria and possessing integrity). Generally, such properties will qualify for the National Register if they fall within the following seven criteria considerations:
a) A religious property deriving primary significance from architectural or artistic distinction or historical importance; or
b) A building or structure removed from its original location but which is significant primarily for architectural value, or which is the surviving structure most importantly associated with a historic person or event; or
c) A birthplace or grave of a historical figure of outstanding importance if there is no appropriate site or building directly associated with his or her productive life; or
d) A cemetery which derives its primary significance from graves of persons of transcendent importance, from age, from distinctive design features, or from association with historic events; or
e) A reconstructed building when accurately executed in a suitable environment and presented in a dignified manner as part of a restoration master plan, and when no other building or structure with the same association has survived; or
f) A property primarily commemorative in intent if design, age, tradition, or symbolic value has invested it with its own exceptional significance; or
g) A property achieving significance within the past 50 years if it is of exceptional importance.
Second, for a property to qualify under the National Register’s Criteria for Evaluation, it must also retain “historic integrity of those features necessary to convey its significance.”3 While a property’s significance relates to its role within a specific historic context, its integrity refers to “a property’s physical features
2 U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, How to Complete the National Register Registration Form, National Register Bulletin 16A (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997), 75. 3 National Park Service, How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, 3.
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and how they relate to its significance.”4 To determine if a property retains the physical characteristics corresponding to its historic context, the National Register has identified seven aspects of integrity:
Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event occurred.
Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of a property.
Setting is the physical environment of a historic property.
Materials are the physical elements that were combined or deposited during a particular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form a historic property.
Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory.
Feeling is a property’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time.
Association is the direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property.5
Since integrity is based on a property’s significance within a specific historic context, an evaluation of a property’s integrity can only occur after historic significance has been established.6
STATE REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND CRITERIA
California Environmental Quality Act Statute and Guidelines When a proposed project may cause a substantial adverse change to a historical resource, CEQA requires the lead agency to carefully consider the possible impacts before proceeding (Public Resources Code Sections 21084 and 21084.1). CEQA equates a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource with a significant effect on the environment (Section 21084.1). The Act explicitly prohibits the use of a categorical exemption within the CEQA Guidelines for projects which may cause such a change (Section 21084).
A “substantial adverse change” is defined in Guidelines Section 15064.5(b) as “physical demolition, destruction, relocation, or alteration of the resource or its immediate surroundings such that the significance of a historical resource would be materially impaired.” Furthermore, the “significance of an historic resource is materially impaired when a project “demolishes or materially alters in an adverse manner those physical characteristics of a historical resource that convey its historical significance and that justify its inclusion in, or eligibility for inclusion in the California Register of Historical Resources;” or “demolishes or materially alters in an adverse manner those physical characteristics that account for its inclusion in a local register of historical resources...” or “demolishes or materially alters in an adverse manner those physical characteristics of a historical resource that convey its historical significance and
4 Ibid., 44. 5 National Park Service, How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, 44-45. 6 Ibid., 45.
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that justify its eligibility for inclusion in the California Register of Historical Resources as determined by a lead agency for purposes of CEQA.”
For the purposes of CEQA (Guidelines Section 15064.5), the term “historical resources” shall include the following:
1. A resource listed in, or determined to be eligible by the State Historical Resources Commission, for listing in the CRHR (Public Resources Code §5024.1, Title 14 CCR, Section 4850 et seq.).
2. A resource included in a local register of historical resources, as defined in Section 5020.1(k) of the Public Resources Code or identified as significant in a historical resource survey meeting the requirements of Section 5024.1(g) of the Public Resources Code, shall be presumed to be historically or culturally significant. Public agencies must treat any such resource as significant unless the preponderance of evidence demonstrates that it is not historically or culturally significant.
3. Any object, building, structure, site, area, place, record, or manuscript which a lead agency determines to be historically significant or significant in the architectural, engineering, scientific, economic, agricultural, educational, social, political, military, or cultural annals of California, may be considered to be a historical resource, provided the lead agency’s determination is supported by substantial evidence in light of the whole record. Generally, a resource shall be considered by the lead agency to be “historically significant” if the resource meets the criteria for listing in the CRHR (Public Resources Code Section 5024.1, Title 14 CCR, Section 4852) as follows:
A. Is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of California’s history and cultural heritage;
B. Is associated with the lives of persons important in our past;
C. Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, or represents the work of an important creative individual, or possesses high artistic values; or
D. Has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. (Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act)
Under CEQA §15064.5, “generally, a project that follows the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring and Reconstructing Historic Buildings or the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation with Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be considered as mitigated to a level of less than a significant impact on the historical resource.”
California Register of Historical Resources The California Office of Historic Preservation’s Technical Assistance Series #6, California Register and National Register: A Comparison, outlines the differences between the federal and state processes. The context types to be used when establishing the significance of a property for listing on the California Register of Historical Resources are very similar, with emphasis on local and state significance. They are:
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1. It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history, or the cultural heritage of California or the United States; or
2. It is associated with the lives of persons important to local, California, or national history; or
3. It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values; or
4. It has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important to prehistory or history of the local area, California, or the nation.7
Like the NRHP, evaluation for eligibility to the CRHR requires an establishment of historic significance before integrity is considered. California’s integrity threshold is slightly lower than the federal level. As a result, some resources that are historically significant but do not meet NRHP integrity standards may be eligible for listing on the CRHR.8
California’s list of special considerations is shorter and more lenient than the NRHP. It includes some allowances for moved buildings, structures, or objects, as well as lower requirements for proving the significance of resources that are less than 50 years old and a more elaborate discussion of the eligibility of reconstructed buildings.9
In addition to separate evaluations for eligibility for the CRHR, the state automatically lists on the CRHR resources that are listed or determined eligible for the NRHP through a complete evaluation process.10
California Historical Resource Status Codes The California Historic Resource Status Codes (status codes) are a series of ratings created by the California Office of Historic Preservation to quickly and easily identify the historic status of resources listed in the state’s historic properties database. These codes were revised in August 2003 to better reflect the historic status options available to evaluators. The following are the seven major status code headings:
1. Properties listed in the National Register or the California Register. 2. Properties determined eligible for listing in the National Register or the California Register. 3. Appears eligible for National Register or California Register through Survey Evaluation. 4. Appears eligible for National Register or California Register through other evaluation. 5. Properties recognized as historically significant by local government. 6. Not eligible for listing or designation. 7. Not evaluated for National Register or California Register or needs revaluation.
7 State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, Office of Historic Preservation, California Register and National Register: A Comparison, Technical Assistance Series 6 (Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2001), 1. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid., 2. 10 All State Historical Landmarks from number 770 onward are also automatically listed on the California Register. [California Office of Historic Preservation, California Register of Historical Resources: The Listing Process, Technical Assistance Series 5 (Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, n. d.), 1.
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HISTORIC CONTEXT
Forbes’ Mill Forbes’ Mill, the first commercial building erected in the area along the Los Gatos Creek, initially lent its name to the settlement that became Forbes Mill or Forbestown and eventually the Town of Los Gatos.11 James Alexander Forbes, a Scotsman who arrived in California in 1831, purchased 3,000 acres of land in 1850 and commissioned the four-story structure in 1852 to house the Santa Rosa Flour Mill. The mill was completed two years later using stone quarried from the Los Gatos Canyon. Although Forbes hoped to take advantage of the high selling price of flour during the Gold Rush and recognized a need to mill the grain produced by the numerous farms in Los Gatos and San José, he soon went bankrupt.12
The mill then passed through various owners as an unprofitable venture before being purchased by the W. H. Rogers & Co. in 1866. After raising the dam to a height of 60 feet and initiating other improvements, the company incorporated with joint shareholders William S. McMurtry and J. W. McMillen as the Los Gatos Manufacturing Company.13
South Coast Pacific Railroad The arrival of the South Coast Pacific Railroad in 1877 further bolstered the Los Gatos Manufacturing Company’s daily production to a record 100 barrels of flour and provided an efficient method of shipping early Los Gatos farmers’ flour, lumber milled from the adjacent forests, and later dried and canned fruit across the Santa Clara Valley.14 In the 1870s, James Fair, one of the four Silver Kings who discovered the Comstock Lode, and Alfred Davis, a wealthy banker, formed the South Pacific Coast Railroad in order to beat the powerful Southern Pacific Railroad in constructing the first rail line connecting San Francisco with Santa Cruz. Their narrow gauge railroad with tracks only three feet wide proved to be advantageous in the area’s mountainous terrain, which forced them to bore at least six tunnels through the Santa Cruz Mountains. The railroad finally reached Los Gatos in 1877, and they constructed the Town’s first depot on the Creek’s left bank at the site of the Ten Mile House, Los Gatos’ first hotel constructed in 1864 by H. D. McCobb, which was relocated across the street to Santa Cruz Avenue. The South Pacific Railroad bought the company in 1887 and by 1895 had replaced the line with standard gauge — four-foot, eight- and-a-half inch wide rails — to alleviate the need to reload freight in San José from narrow gauge to standard gauge cars.15
Incorporation of Los Gatos Early commercial and residential development in the late nineteenth century centered around the mill and railroad depot along Main Street, which ran east-west over the creek and perpendicular to the railroad tracks. By the mid-1870s, land along E. Main Street had been divided into large parcels of land purchased by Los Gatos’ first residents, including B. Daniels and D. McMurtry, who both owned the land on which the buildings in the subject area would be constructed. D. McMurtry is likely Dr. William S. McMurtry, who, as previously mentioned, bought a share of the Los Gatos Manufacturing Company. A
11 U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, “Forbes Mill Annex,” Santa Clara County: California’s Historic Silicon Valley, http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/santaclara/for.htm (accessed May 7, 2009). 12 H. S. Foote, ed., Pen Pictures from the Garden of the World, or Santa Clara County, California (Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1888), http://www.mariposaresearch.net/santaclararesearch/LOSGATOS.html (accessed June 17, 2009); U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, “Forbes Mill Annex,” Santa Clara County: California’s Historic Silicon Valley, http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/santaclara/for.htm (accessed May 7, 2009). 13 Foote, Pen Pictures from the Garden of the World. 14 Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce, “Our Rich Heritage,” http://www.losgatoschamber.com/history.html (accessed May 7, 2009). 15 Edwards Kelley, Railroads of Los Gatos (San Francisco, CA: Arcadia Publishing, 2006), 7-8.
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Kentucky native born in 1818, he moved to Indiana with his family at age seven. He obtained his medical degree in 1844 from the Louisville Institute, and after catching gold fever, traveled to San Francisco in 1849. He married Ellen Headen in 1858, and they had six children: William W., Nellie, George, Kate, Mary O., and Belle S. McMurtry. The family eventually settled in Los Gatos in 1868, and McMurtry owned at least four large parcels of land along E. Main Street, including Los Gatos’ first home at the intersection of E. Main Street and Mill Street (now Church Street), one block west of the survey area.16
Plat Map of Los Gatos, 1876. The survey area’s approximate location is outlined. Courtesy of Thompson & West, Historical Atlas Map of Santa Clara County, California, 64.
After great debate, residents of Los Gatos voted to incorporate in 1887 just over thirty years after the construction of Forbes’ Mill. By this time, it had grown to 1,645 residents with a weekly newspaper the News, several churches, and a wide variety of businesses, including a blacksmith shop, a bakery, drug and hardware stores, and a bank.17 Infrastructure improvements followed, and the new Town installed gas street lights in 1888, electric lights in 1891 with electricity supplied by the Los Gatos Manufacturing Company, and sewer lines around the turn of the century. The Sunset Telephone and Telegraph Company (which became the Pacific Telephone and Telegraphy Company) provided telephone service to the growing community starting in the mid-1880s.18
16 Foote, Pen Pictures from the Garden of the World; U. S. Federal Census, 1880, http://www.ancestry.com (accessed June 16, 2009); George G. Bruntz, The History of Los Gatos: Gem of the Foothills (Fresno, CA: Valley Publishers, 1971), 7. 17 Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 47, 55-57, 79. 18 Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 56, 70, 72.
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Survey Area
View east toward Los Gatos, 1890. Santa Cruz Avenue runs left-right in the foreground. Courtesy of the Los Gatos Public Library.
Agricultural Development By the mid-nineteenth century, fruit orchards came to dominate the Santa Clara Valley. Indeed, so many orchards were established in the valley by 1868, that the market was overwhelmed with apples, peaches, and pears. This, along with J. Q. A. Ballou’s success at drying fruit in 1867, the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, and Dr. James Dawson’s canning experiments in 1871 encouraged innovation, diversification, and expansion of fruit orchards and canning in the Santa Clara Valley.19 Reports on the area’s agricultural and financial successes likely contributed to the establishment of new farms and the influx of new residents. During the last two decades of the nineteenth century Santa Clara County experienced an exponential jump in the number of small farms: in 1880 the number was approximately 700, while by 1900 it had grown to over 3,000. The region thus became known as the “Valley of Heart’s Delight.”20
Similar to other cities across the valley, Los Gatos developed a robust agricultural economy due to its mild climate and abundant artisan wells. Farmers planted numerous orchards, growing a profusion of citrus fruits, figs, almonds, prunes, and other produce. The Town’s hillside land—once considered valueless—proved to have a mild climate perfect for planting orchards and vineyards. The success of these early orchards, such as W. H. Rogers and William McMurtry’s grove of 400 citrus trees located adjacent to the mill, increased the value of land in Los Gatos exponentially from $15-20 to $200-300 per acre.21
Los Gatos farmers found the prune to be a most profitable fruit. Prune farming first came to the “Valley of Heart’s Delight” in 1856 when Louis Pellier returned to France for his bride and brought back with him the roots of the petit preune d’Agen, which was a Turkish varietal that flourished in the climate of California.22 By the early 1900s, the valley received a reputation as the “prune capital of the world.”23
19 Clyde Arbuckle, History of San José (San José, CA: South & McKay Printing Co., 1986), 153-155; Timothy J. Lukes, Gary Y. Okihiro, and Jane Goodson Lawes, Japanese Legacy: Farming and Community Life in California's Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino, CA: California History Center, De Anza College, 1985), 15. 20 Lukes, Okihiro, and Lawes, Japanese Legacy, 15. 21 Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 23. 22 Leonard Coates, “Prunes Introduced into California from France by L. Pellier in 1856,” Sunday Mercury Herald, May 11, 1911. (http://www.genealogybank.com, accessed June 19, 2009).
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The success of the crop demonstrated that prune orchards could provide a handsome income for a family farm for three primary reasons, 1) dried fruit could be transported anywhere without the need for expensive refrigeration, 2) prunes were one of the only fruits that did not depend on an expensive dehydration process but could be dried in the sun, and 3) prune trees did not depend on irrigation to produce high yield crops.24 Leonard Coates, a noted prune grower, is credited for contributing significantly to the cultivation of the prune by testing and refining grafting methods that would ultimately allow for faster yields. He was also credited as the authority in handling and curing the ripe fruit for the best taste, economic yield, and appearance.25
Acres of large drying yards were soon constructed in Los Gatos that yielded over seven million pounds of dried prunes per season. H. D. Curtis erected a large plant at the north end of Los Gatos connected directly to the railroad via a spur and shipped his dried fruit as far away as Europe. Santa Clara Valley entrepreneurs also established large canneries as an alternative method of processing and shipping the fruit. In 1882, fourteen residents of Los Gatos formed the Los Gatos Fruit Company and constructed a large plant on a parcel spanning Santa Cruz Avenue to the east and Lyndon Avenue to the west, between Bean Avenue to the south and W. Main Street to the north. Although the Los Gatos Canning Co. plant could produce 5,000 cases of canned fruit seasonally, it went out of business and was purchased by San Francisco-based D. L. Beck and Son, which added a spur connecting it to the railroad and increased production to 50,000 cases of fruit annually, employing 250 to 300 workers during the peak season. It remained at this location until 1907 when the Hunt Brothers of Hayward, California, purchased the company and moved it to Santa Cruz and Saratoga Avenues. It doubled the plant’s capacity and continued to be a leading employer in Los Gatos for many years.26
The survey area contained another important early agricultural business—the Los Gatos Cooperative Winery organized by John Cilker in 1886. Cilker owned 174 acres of land along the Los Gatos—San José Road (now Bascom Avenue). The Cooperative Winery was one of the largest in Santa Clara Valley, producing 400,000 to 600,000 gallons of port, sherry, claret, and white wine per year. It eventually closed in the early twentieth century, and its buildings were demolished by 1913.27
Left: View of the Los Gatos Cooperative Winery, 1889. The road the wagons are traveling on would become Villa Avenue. Courtesy of the Los Gatos Public Library. Right: 1888 Sanborn map showing the location of the winery. The road running east-west at the top would become Villa Avenue. Courtesy of Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1888, Sheet 3.
23 U. R. Sharma, Morgan Hill (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2005), 48. 24 Yvonne Jacobsen, Passing Farms, Enduring Values: California’s Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino, CA: W. Kaufmann in cooperation with the California History Center, De Anza College, 1984), 89. 25 Sharma, Morgan Hill, 48. 26 Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 25-27. 27 Ibid., 29.
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Early Development within the Survey Area In the above 1888 Sanborn map, the road running east-west adjacent to the winery would become Villa Avenue, while the road connecting to the east was already a well-developed residential street known as Grays Lane (now Fiesta Way) after the Gray family. Lining the street were Mrs. Gray’s house and school at the southeast corner of E. Main Street, the Gray’s twin rental cottages, and additional single-family house. Mrs. Zelda Gray ran the Los Gatos Kindergarten School from around 1887 to 1896 and charged a monthly tuition of $2.50.28 The southern twin house addressed as 2 Grays Lane may or may not be the current house now addressed as 17 Fiesta Way. (A detailed history of the house is located in the description and evaluation section. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of the survey area are located in Appendix C.)
Right: Advertisement for the Los Gatos Kindergarten in 1896. Courtesy of George G. Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 53. Right: Photograph of the street marker for Grays Lane located at the intersection of Fiesta Way and Villa Avenue. Carey & Co., May 22, 2009.
Around 1920, the bungalow at 56 Villa Avenue was constructed on the former site of the Los Gatos Cooperative Winery, which had, as previously mentioned, been demolished in 1913. A tiled mosaic on the porch displays the name of its first owner and most likely its builder John D. Vedova. Born in Udine, Italy in 1877, John Vedova arrived in San Francisco around 1907 and eventually settled in Los Gatos in 1911 after learning his trade in the cement business. A noted local cement contractor, he constructed numerous cement sidewalks, curbs, and gutters and did the concrete work on many homes in Los Gatos. He married Elizabeth Contardo, also born in Italy, and they adopted two children: his niece Eleanor Nasimbini and his nephew August Vedova, after their fathers were killed in World War I.29
Around the time of its construction, Los Gatos benefited from several civic improvements, including regular garbage collection in 1921 and the establishment of the Planning Commission in 1924. The Commission recommended that the jurisdiction should be zoned; telephone and electric poles should be
28 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1888, Sheet 3; Anne Bloomfield, State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, Historic Resources Inventory Form, 17 Fiesta Way, Prepared in 1991, 17 Fiesta Way Vertical File, Los Gatos Public Library; Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 53. 29 Eugene Sawyer, History of Santa Clara County, California (Los Angeles: Historic Record Co., 1922), 1522.
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buried; streets should be paved; and trains should be banned from traveling down Santa Cruz Avenue. Indeed, the streets were paved by 1928, and utility poles were removed from the downtown area by 1931.30
World War II and the Postwar Era in Los Gatos While historians generally mark World War II as a watershed moment in California’s demographic and economic growth, it was during the postwar period that the Santa Clara Valley experienced phenomenal change. Between 1930 and 1940, Santa Clara County’s population grew by 20 percent, and the following decade witnessed a growth rate of 60 percent. During the 1950s, however, Santa Clara County’s population grew from 290,547 to 642,315, or a giant leap of 121 percent. While Los Gatos did not experience the rapid population growth as the entire county, its population almost doubled from 4,907 to 9,306 residents between 1950 and 1960.31 Santa Clara County’s population growth rate slowed after 1960, but it remained the fastest growing county in the state until 1970.32
It was during the postwar period that the economic landscape of the Santa Clara Valley transformed from an agricultural-based economy to a high-technology one. Frederick Therman, Hewlett and Packard’s mentor, played a pivotal role in securing Northern California’s position as the leader in the electronics industry. Already an advocate for local entrepreneurship before the war, he used his new position as the dean of Stanford’s engineering school in 1946 to persuade the university to lease some of its vast holdings to local industries. The result, Stanford Industrial Park, opened in 1951 and set the precedent for the high tech industry. Among the most important inventions to come out of the Santa Clara Valley during the 1950s alone were the transistor, the use of silicon as a semiconductor of electricity, the integrated circuit, better known as a “chip,” and the microprocessor. All of these inventions led to rapid development of the computer and electronics industries and produced job opportunities in research, manufacturing, sales, and services. So complete was the transformation of the Santa Clara Valley’s economy that in the 1970s the “Valley of Heart’s Delight” was rechristened as the “Silicon Valley.”33 This high-tech revolution has had the most enduring influence in the California economy since the end of World War II.
Subsequent Development in the Survey Area The remaining buildings in the survey area were constructed in or moved to the survey area in the 1940s and 1950s during this period of growth and change in Los Gatos and the Santa Clara Valley. The building at 25 Fiesta Way was originally constructed as a one-story, single-family home in 1941 for Italian immigrants Mara Dino (b. 1879) and Elrichetta (b. 1881). Constructed much earlier in the late nineteenth century, the house at 104 Villa Avenue was moved to the parcel in 1951. Its previous location in Los Gatos is unknown.34 The house at 108 Villa Avenue was designed by Harmony Homes and constructed around 1955 for C. A. Spotswood.
30 Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 155-157. 31 Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Association of Bay Area Governments, “Bay Area Census, Town of Los Gatos, Santa Clara County,” http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/LosGatos50.htm (accessed June 24, 2009). 32 Page Mosier, “A Brief History of Population Growth in the Greater San Francisco Bay Region,” in Geology & Natural History of the San Francisco Bay Area: A Field-Trip Guidebook, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2188, ed. Philip W. Stoffer and Leslie C. Gordon (U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2001), 181-186. 33 Annalee Saxenian, “The Origins and Business Culture of Silicon Valley,” in Major Problems in California History, ed. Sucheng Chan and Spencer Olin (Boston: Houghton Mifflin 1997), 401-405; James J. Rawls and Walton Bean, California: An Interpretive History, 7th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998), 493-497. 34 PIERS Environmental Services, Inc., Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Report for 17 and 25 Fiesta Way and 56, 56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue, Los Gatos, California, Prepared for Town of Los Gatos Community Development
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Also during this time, the Town changed La Montagne Avenue’s name (formerly Grays Lane) to Fiesta Way in 1947 to honor the annual town pageant that had been held since 1919. In 1919 Wilbur Hall, a noted local author, campaigned to organize a patriotic outdoor pageant featuring a picnic, sporting events, dancing, and a theatrical production titled The Pageant of Fulfillment, featuring local actors and telling the story of the town’s history from the creation of the earth to the present. The pageant was held on the former grounds of the Los Gatos Cooperative Winery, located just west of Fiesta Way between Villa and Cleland Avenues. Hall continued to write and direct the main production annually until 1926. The following year several residents purchased the grounds to preserve the open space for the annual festival, and the Town built an earthen bowl to seat 2,500 people in 1940 in response to its popularity. This annual festival continued until around 1947. In 1957, the town began a new tradition: the Fiesta de Los Gatos, a smaller version of the previous pageants with games and a parade, but it did not prove to be as popular.35 The current Fiesta de Artes, an annual art and wine show, has been held on the civic center lawn just north of the old pageant grounds since 1969.
56 and 56A Villa Avenue
1928 Sanborn map showing the pageant grounds. Courtesy of Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1928, Sheet 23.
Another major development adjacent to the survey area occurred in the mid-1960s when the Town of Los Gatos voted to replace its aging Civic Center constructed in 1913 with a new facility. The survey area wraps around the southeast corner of the Town’s 13-acre Civic Center, housing the city hall, the police and community development departments, and the public library. Architects Charles D. Stickney and William R. Hull won the design competition held in 1963. Completed in 1966, the center features a complex that appears to be comprised of separate buildings but in fact is connected belowground. The buildings maintain a low profile and wrap around a central courtyard with a fountain. Its design, which has been described as exhibiting “both efficiency and timeless beauty,” won the first Annual Governor’s Design Award the year of its completion.36
Department (17 May 2009), 19; Building Permit Records, 104 Villa Avenue, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division. 35 Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 129-131. 36 Alastair Dallas, Los Gatos Observed: the Architecture and History of Los Gatos, California (Los Gatos, CA: Infospect Press, 1999), 67; Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 163.
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DESCRIPTION AND EVALUATION
17 FIESTA WAY
Description The single-family, Italianate cottage at 17 Fiesta Way faces west and stands close to the parcel’s edge; a low concrete wall with pillars at each end separates the front yard from the sidewalk, while a narrow brick path leads from the sidewalk to the house.
The one-story-plus-basement, wood-frame house has an irregular plan, a low-pitched hipped roof, and a rear shed roof, both covered with asphalt shingles. Paired, carved brackets are located under the wide eave overhang of the front hipped roof portion. Wood, drop channel boards clad the structure, and wood-sash, two-over-two, double-hung windows with an entablature are locate throughout the building aboveground.
The façade features a full-width front porch with wood, square supports and a hipped roof. The porch shelters the main entrance consisting of a wood paneled door with four rectangular lites in the upper portion; a wood-sash, two-lite transom window punctures the wall above the door. Two primary type windows flank the entrance underneath the porch.
Due to the modern basement constructed underneath the house, the building contains below-grade, vinyl-sash, double-hung windows that are accessed via concrete-lined, rectangular pits in the ground on the north and south elevations. A metal fence surrounds each pit; the south elevation’s western pit contains a metal ladder descending to the window. The rear elevation contains a below-grade entrance with a similar metal fence. Wood steps descend to the entrance consisting of a glazed, paneled door adjacent to a vinyl-sash window.
The rear elevation also contains an additional aboveground entrance with a glazed, paneled door and a small brick staircase, a small vinyl-sash slider window, and a vinyl-sash window box.
A concrete driveway north of the house leads to a wood-frame, single-car garage standing at the parcel’s northeast corner. The small structure has a rectangular plan, stucco cladding, and a gable roof with a wide eave overhang and exposed rafter tails. Wood hinged doors are located on its façade.
Significance and Evaluation The early history of the house at 17 Fiesta Way remains unclear. Archival research revealed three conflicting stories regarding its construction and history: 1) the house was constructed in the 1880s on Grays Lane (now 17 Fiesta Way); 2) the house was relocated around the turn of the century from its previous location adjacent to the Los Gatos Canning Company west of the Los Gatos Creek; or 3) the house was relocated in the 1920s from its previous location along E. Main Street to make room for the Los Gatos High School built in 1924.
Based on its architectural style, this small Italianate cottage appears to have been constructed in the 1880s regardless of where it was originally built. An extremely popular style in the United States from around 1840 to 1885, Italianate homes typically feature a low-pitched hipped or flat roof; a wide eave overhang; decorative brackets at the cornice; tall, narrow double-hung windows often with an arched upper sash; and either a small entry porch or a one-story, full-width porch. This house features a number
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of these characteristics, including a low-pitched hipped roof; distinctive paired brackets; narrow, two- over-two, double-hung windows; and a full-width hipped porch with simple square wood supports.37
1) Gray’s Rental Cottage Based on an 1888 Sanborn map featuring a one-story, rectangular-in-plan house with a full-width front porch occupying the lot, architectural historian Anne Bloomfield concluded in a 1991 survey that the house was constructed in the 1880s as a pair of twin rental houses located behind the Gray’s house and school at the southeast corner of E. Main Street and Grays Lane (now Fiesta Way).38
Angelia Castro Lucero reportedly lived at 3 Grays Lane, one of the twin houses.39 Known as “Old Tamale,” she became well known for her homemade tamales that she sold in a red wagon around town. Edward C. Yocco, owner of the Los Gatos Meat Market, supplied her with fresh meat for her tamales. According to his descendant Mary Yocco Rough, Ms. Lucero made a quilt for Mr. Yocco’s wife following his death. Ms. Lucero died on February 14, 1902 and is buried in the Los Gatos Cemetery.40
Photograph of Angelina Lucero, no date. Courtesy of George G. Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 61.
However, archival research did not conclusively link Ms. Lucero to the subject property. The house at 3 Grays Lane was most likely a non-extant house just north of 17 Fiesta Way. According to the 1895 and 1904 Sanborn maps, the house at 25 Fiesta Way was addressed as 1 Grays Lane, the house at 17 Fiesta Way was addressed as 2 Grays Lane, and the now demolished house was addressed as 3 Grays Lane.41
37 Virginia and Lee McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1986), 211-212. 38 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1888, Sheet 3; Bloomfield, Historic Resources Inventory Form, 17 Fiesta Way; Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 53. 39 The Historic Resources Inventory Form states she lived at 3 Gray’s Lane according to a 1902 City Directory. Bloomfield, Historic Resources Inventory Form, 17 Fiesta Way. 40 Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 61. 41 Bloomfield, Historic Resources Inventory Form, 17 Fiesta Way; Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1895, Sheet 4; 1904, Sheet 11.
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Research revealed little additional information about Ms. Lucero, and she does not appear in United States Federal census records or in Los Gatos city directories.42
If the current Italianate house at 17 Fiesta Way was constructed on the parcel in the 1880s, then it, along with the twin house to its north, had a porch added to its south elevation based on a comparison of 1895 and 1908 Sanborn maps.43 By 1928, this side porch had been removed, and the rear of the house reconfigured into its current plan.44 However, the current house does not show signs that a porch was added and then removed; the wood siding appears to be intact with no physical signs of repair or replacement.
2) Los Gatos Canning Company The Town of Los Gatos’ Parks and Public Works Department presented an alternative history of the home’s origin. The Town stated that the building was one of ten homes moved from their original location adjacent to the Los Gatos Canning Company to several locations throughout Los Gatos after the cannery closed at the turn of the century.45 As mentioned previously, the former Los Gatos Canning Company was located on a large parcel spanning Santa Cruz Avenue to the east and Lyndon Avenue to the west, between Bean Avenue to the south and W. Main Street to the north. It remained at this location from 1882 until around 1907 when the Hunt Brothers of Hayward, California, purchased the company and moved it to Santa Cruz and Saratoga Avenues.46
Based on a comparison of Sanborn maps from 1888 to 1908, Carey & Co. could not identify the ten houses that were reportedly relocated.47 The only major change occurs on the 1908 Sanborn map with the removal of the canning company’s buildings and rail spur. The Italianate cottage would have had to have been moved to 17 Fiesta Way after 1908, since Sanborn maps show the same building on the parcel from 1895 to 1908. The house’s plan changes extensively between the 1908 and 1928 Sanborn maps, and it is unclear if they are the same or different structures.
3) Los Gatos High School The Los Gatos Public Library presents yet a third history of the house. It identifies a house in a 1909 photograph as one originally located on E. Main Street and moved to Fiesta Way in the 1920s.48 The photograph depicts a one-story Italianate cottage with political signs protesting an 1889 ordinance prohibiting saloons in the town. Residents quickly organized both in favor and against its repeal and presented their arguments and petitions to the Town Board. Those in favor of repealing the ban placed these signs, which declare the death of Los Gatos due to loss of tax revenue in the “rotten and rusty,
42 According to Paul Kopach, a librarian at the Los Gatos Public Library, the 1910 Census lists two families living on Gray’s Lane: Angela Lucero and her granddaughter Victoria and John Murray with his sister Margaret. However, neither the Luceros nor the Murrays are listed in the 1910 Los Gatos city directory. Also, if Angelia Lucero died in 1902, Angela may be a relative. Email from Paul Kopach, Librarian, Los Gatos Public Library, to Erica Schultz, 3 June 2009; U. S. Federal Census, 1880-1930, http://www.ancestry.com (accessed June 16, 2009); Los Gatos city directories, 1890-1910. 43 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1895, Sheet 4; 1904, Sheet 11; 1908, Sheet 11. 44 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1898, Sheet 18. 45 Email from Bruce Smith, Facilities Manager, Parks and Public Works Department, Town of Los Gatos, to Erica Schultz, 15 June 2009. 46 Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 26-27. 47 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1888, Sheets 1-2; 1891, Sheets 5-6; 1895, Sheets 6, 8; 1904, Sheets 8-9; 1908, Sheets 9-10. 48 Los Gatos Public Library, “1909 Prohibition Signs” photograph, Hooked on Los Gatos, http://historylosgatos.org/ (accessed June 18, 2009).
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dull, dead, dry town,” on this vacant house on E. Main Street until the ordinance was amended in 1910 to allow liquor to be sold at restaurants and hotels only.49
The building in this 1909 photograph has been identified as being located at 17 Fiesta Way. The same photograph is located in George C. Bruntz’s History of Los Gatos on page 63. Courtesy of the Los Gatos Public Library.
In 1924, the Town constructed a new school building and gymnasium in front of the previous Los Gatos High School located at the end of Sixth Street (now High School Court) just north of E. Main Street and around 500 feet northeast of 17 Fiesta Way. At least a dozen homes along E. Main Street and Sixth Street were removed to make room for the new school building and its expansive landscaped front lawn.
Research could not conclusively prove that the house at 17 Fiesta Way was one of these homes. Although both the house in the 1909 photograph and the Italianate cottage that stands at 17 Fiesta Way possess similar features, including a hipped roof with a wide eave overhang and a hipped, full-width porch, they do not appear to be the same building upon close inspection. The house in the 1909 photograph has a steeper pitched roof and does not appear to have paired brackets at the cornice. Italianate style homes were extremely popular in the late nineteenth century, and Los Gatos likely had a number of examples of this architectural style. Also, the 1908 Sanborn map does not contain a house matching the current plan of 17 Fiesta Way in the area that became the new school grounds. Although the house could have been moved to Fiesta Way and its plan changed over time, research could not prove this.
Regardless of its original location, 17 Fiesta Way appears to have been located at the parcel since at least 1928, because it retains the plan depicted in the 1928 Sanborn map.50 By this time, the street’s name had changed to La Montagne.51
49 Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 62-64. 50 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1928, Sheet 18.
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A variety of people occupied the house from the 1930s to 1960: A. H. Omota, a rancher (ca. 1930), Harry Imura (ca. 1932), George K. Muranaka, a gardener, and his wife Rika (ca. 1934 to 1940), Shirley R. and Dora D. Wallbaum (ca. 1944-1948), Mrs. A. E. O’ Neil, a nurse (1949), W. J. and Edith Cotton (1952), Mary Hopkins (1954), Cyril H. Harding, an attendant at the Standard Gas Station and his wife Pauline (1956), and Dorothy J. Best, a secretary at the First Presbyterian Church (1960).52 During this period, the Town changed the street’s name again to Fiesta Way in 1947 to honor the annual town pageant, a tradition that began in 1919.
The Pffaf family owned the property from around 1962 to the early twenty-first century. Mr. and Mrs. William Pfaff owned the house first, followed by Joe A. Pfaff by 1996. That year he removed and rebuilt the porch in kind due to dry rot.53 The undated photograph below shows that the front porch had a shed roof prior to its current hipped roof, which may or may not have been its original form. In 1998, owners Rick and Bethany Pfaff installed a basement to add 220 square feet of living space to the building. The below-grade entrance and windows with the metal fences were added to the exterior of the house as part of the basement’s construction. An undated photograph from the Los Gatos Public Library also shows that the building’s rear elevation has been altered when the rear shed roof addition was replaced with a larger shed addition at an unknown date. The Town of Los Gatos currently owns and maintains the house as a rental property.
Top: Undated photograph of 17 Fiesta Way. Courtesy of the Los Gatos Public Library. Bottom: 17 Fiesta Way in 2009. Carey & Co., May 22, 2009.
The house at 17 Fiesta Way appears to be eligible for the CRHR under Criterion 3 as a significant example of Italianate architecture in Los Gatos. As mentioned previously, the Italianate style was an extremely popular style in the United States from around 1840 to 1885, and this house features a number of its key characteristics, including a low-pitched hipped roof; distinctive paired brackets; narrow, two- over-two, double-hung windows; and a full-width hipped porch with simple square wood supports.54
51 Los Gatos city directories list the street as La Montague, while Sanborn maps list it as La Montagne. 52 Los Gatos city directories, 1928-1960. The gap in the occupant records is due to the fact that reverse directories with listings by address did not start until 1930, and the house was listed as vacant for various years, including 1936, 1938, 1942-43, 1958. 53 Building Permit Records, 17 Fiesta Way, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division. 54 McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 211-212.
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These features, along with its wood, drop channel cladding are its character-defining features. Its period of significance dates to around 1880 when it was constructed.
The building does not appear to be eligible for the NRHP/CRHR under Criterion A/1, because it does not appear to be associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. Although it dates to the late nineteenth century, it did not play a significant role in the development of Los Gatos at this time leading to its incorporation in 1887. Already a bustling community with established industries and commercial businesses, this house was one on many constructed in the late nineteenth century.
Its association with Angelina Lucero remains speculative at best, and the various residents that occupied the home from the 1930s to the 1950s and the Pfaff family do not appear to have made significant contributions to the history of Los Gatos, the state, or the nation. Therefore, it does not appear to be eligible under NRHP/CRHR Criterion B/2.
Lastly, the building does not appear to possess the potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, state, or the nation. Therefore it does not appear to be eligible for the NRHP/CRHR under Criterion D/4.
Despite several alterations since its construction in the 1880s, the house appears to retain a good level of integrity. Overall, the house maintains its integrity of design, materials, and workmanship, including its small scale and one-story height; its wood drop channel cladding; its narrow, two-over-two windows; its hipped roof with a wide eave overhang; and its distinctive paired brackets. The addition of the basement with the below-grade windows and entrance in the gated pits and the replacement of the front porch also do not detract from its overall design. For example, the fences are small in scale. Although the rear shed addition appears to have been replaced at an unknown date, it replaced a similar designed rear addition and does not detract from the building’s overall scale and plan. Archival research could not prove if it retains its integrity of location, since it may or may not have been moved prior to 1928. Also its setting has been altered by the construction of the Town’s Civic Center directly to its west in 1966, the construction of the Town of Los Gatos Neighborhood Center adjacent to its north in 1980, and the large Los Gatos Hotel adjacent to its east in 2002. While residential development consisting of single-family houses is located south of the building, its integrity of setting has been greatly compromised. Lastly it retains its integrity of feeling and association as an intact Italianate cottage in Los Gatos. It is still located on a small residential lot facing the street, similar to houses constructed in the Town.
Research could not conclusively prove if the house was originally constructed at this location or moved from another location in Los Gatos prior to 1928. If it was moved from its original location, it was moved after its period of significance (the date of its original construction). Since moved buildings are generally not regarded as eligible for listing in the NRHP, the building must be significant under one of the four NRHP criteria and meet the requirements of Criteria Consideration B for moved properties to be eligible for this register. Per these requirements, the building must be significant primarily for its architectural value or as the surviving property if associated with a historic person or event. It must also retain enough historic features to convey its architectural values; retain integrity of design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association; and have an orientation, setting, and general environment that are comparable to those of the historic location and that are compatible with the property’s significance.55 While the building achieves its significance for its architecture and maintains a good level of integrity as discussed above, its setting and general impact have been greatly compromised by the construction of the Civic
55 National Park Service, How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, 29-30.
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Center in 1966, the Neighborhood Center in 1980, and the new hotel spanning the width of the block between E. Main Street and Villa Avenue in 2002. The single-family houses to its south do not provided the necessary context and setting for the building to be eligible for the NRHP under Criteria Consideration B.
25 FIESTA WAY
Description The one-story building with a rear two-story addition at 25 Fiesta Way stands close to the sidewalk boarding the parcel. A short walkway lined with shrubs leads to the house from the sidewalk.
The wood-frame structure has a rectangular plan and stucco cladding. Asphalt shingles clad the hipped roof, which has a wide eave overhang and thin exposed rafter tails. A stucco-clad chimney projects from the roof of the one-story portion.
The façade features a small front porch with hipped roof, a closed rail, simple square supports, and concrete steps at its northern end. The porch shelters the main entrance consisting of a wood, paneled door. A wide wood-sash, six-over-one, double-hung window flanked by narrower wood-sash, four-over- one, double-hung windows punctures the façade south of the porch.
The south elevation contains a set of metal-sash sliding doors accessed by wood steps with a wood railing and flanked by metal-sash fixed windows. It also contains a small wood-sash, four-over-one, double-hung window, and a similar tripartite window as the façade located underneath a wood lattice trellis.
The rear two-story addition has metal-sash slider windows on its east and north elevations and a wood, paneled door with small staircase on its south elevation. A concrete ramp with metal handrail wraps around the northeast corner and leads to a wood, paneled door accessing a shed addition with horizontal, vinyl cladding and four-lite, wood-sash awning windows set in wood trim on the west and north elevations. The ramp also blocks access to a wood, paneled door on the north elevation of the building’s one-story portion. The north elevation also contains a pair of wood-sash, single-lite casement windows and a solitary wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung window.
Accessed by a driveway leading from Villa Avenue, a small, one-story garage stands east of the house. The rectangular-in-plan structure has board and batten cladding, a shed roof with exposed rafter tails, and wood hinged doors on the façade. Two multi-lite, wood-sash, sliding windows puncture the west elevation.
Significance and Evaluation The building at 25 Fiesta Way was originally constructed as a one-story, single-family home in 1941. Italian immigrants Mara Dino (b. 1879) and Elrichetta Della (b. 1881) owned the house from 1941 until at least 1967 according to Los Gatos city directories. They had at four children: Gene, Amilia, Babe, and Julie.56 Rodney Washington (b. 1941) owned it beginning around 1970.57 In 1971, he added the rear two-story addition. Mitsuo Natsume owned it around 1995. The Town of Los Gatos acquired the
56 U. S. Federal Census, 1930, http://www.ancestry.com (accessed June 16, 2009). 57 U. S. Public Records Index, http://www.ancestry.com (accessed June 16, 2009).
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property around 2005 and added the rear ramp to make the structure, which currently houses the Town of Los Gatos Human Resources Office, ADA compliant.58
The building does not appear to be eligible for listing in the NRHP/CRHR under Criterion A/1 for an important event in the history of Los Gatos, California, or the nation. It does not appear to have played a significant role in the history of the Town at the time of its construction.59 Additionally, it does not appear to be eligible under NRHP/CRHR Criteria B/2, C/3, or D/4. Neither the Dellas, Rodney Washington, or Mitsuo Natsume appear to have made a significant contribution to local, state, or national history. Constructed in 1941, the house is a relatively late example of a vernacular bungalow. This building typology derived from the high-style Arts and Crafts, or Craftsman, bungalows designed by such master architects such as brothers Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene in the late- nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. The homes typically featured horizontal profiles, the use of natural or local materials, and expansive porches to connect the building’s open interior with the outdoors. As the population of cities grew, bungalows spread as an inexpensive design solution via popular magazines and pattern books. 60 While its low-pitched hipped roof, wide eave overhang with exposed rafter tails, and front porch are characteristics of bungalows, this house does not appear to be a significant example of this typology. Lastly, the house does not appear to possess the potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, state, or the nation. Although the home retains a good level of integrity, including its cladding, roof configuration, wood-sash windows, and front porch and despite the rear two-story addition and ramp, it does not appear to be eligible for the NRHP or the CRHR.
56 AND 56A VILLA AVENUE
Description This one-story bungalow with a daylight basement faces north and stands close to Villa Avenue with a small front yard. The building features a rectangular plan, stucco cladding, and a hipped roof with boxed, overhanging eave at the front and a gabled roof with cornice returns at the rear elevation.
A tall staircase with stucco-clad piers and metal handrails rises to the full-width porch spanning the façade. The porch has a closed rail with square supports and features a tile mosaic on the floor spelling “J. D. Vedova.” It shelters a wood, paneled door flanked by a wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung window to the east and a large wood-sash picture window to the west. The façade also contains a gabled dormer with a small wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung window centered above the entrance, and two wood-sash, single-lite windows at the basement level. A wood door with an operable lite provides access to the basement on the staircase’s east elevation.
The east and west elevations contain wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung windows set in a wood trim with a shallow sill. A segmental arched window set in wide trim is also located at basement level.
The south (rear) elevation contains an enclosed porch with screened windows and a screen door, wood vertical cladding on the exterior, and wood drop channel cladding on the interior. A wood paneled door
58 Building Permit Records, 25 Fiesta Way, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division. 59 Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 160. 60 Clifford Edward Clark Jr., The American Family Home: 1800-1960 (Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 1986), 171, 186.
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is located west of the porch. A rectangular panel is located centrally in the gable; based on its size and shape, it appears to be a former opening that contained a door.
A smaller residential unit addressed as 56A Villa Avenue stands southeast of the house. The one-story, wood-frame building features a concrete foundation, a rectangular plan, and board and batten cladding. Asphalt shingles clad the gable roof, which has a wide eave overhang.
The façade has an inset porch with a simple wood balustrade and concrete steps. It shelters a wood glazed door located adjacent to a six-lite wood window the same height and width as the door. The west elevation contains a wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung window, while the east elevation contains a similar window and an additional entrance consisting of a glazed, paneled door accessed by a wood porch with a simple wood staircase and railing.
An attached garage with vertical wood board sliding doors and a gabled roof that is lower in height projects to the west of the residential structure. Two small wood-sash windows puncture its west elevation.
Significance and Evaluation The bungalow at 56 Villa Avenue was constructed around 1920 for John D. Vedova, who installed a tiled mosaic displaying his name on the front porch. Born in Udine, Italy in 1877, John D. Vedova arrived in the San Francisco around 1907 and eventually settled in Los Gatos in 1911 after learning his trade in the cement business. A noted local cement contractor, he constructed numerous cement sidewalks, curbs, and gutters and did the concrete work on many homes in Los Gatos. He married Elizabeth Contardo, also born in Italy, and they adopted two children: his niece Eleanor Nasimbini and his nephew August Vedova, after their fathers were killed in World War I.61
In addition to the single-family bungalow, the parcel contained a small, one-story structure addressed as 56½ Villa Avenue located behind the house and a one-story, L-shaped building east of the house. It appears that the L-shaped building was demolished, and the rear building, now addressed as 56A Villa Avenue, moved to this location. Its garage is also a later addition.
Vedova may have lived at the building for only a short time, as city directories list Samuel Brownrigg as its occupant from 1930 to around 1940, followed by Lars Jacobson around 1943.62
Around 1947, Laurence George Casaletto purchased the house. Prior to this, he lived across the street at 55 Villa Avenue. Born in Naples, Italy in 1888, Casaletto immigrated to the United States in 1892 with his parents, first to Virginia City, Nevada, and then Santa Clara County in 1901. Casaletto ran a prosperous blacksmith shop at 140 E. Main Street in Los Gatos after apprenticing under John Crosetti in San José. He married Ada Marshal, a native of Watsonville, California, and they adopted her niece Naomi Anderson.63
Building permits indicate the house caught on fire around 1970 under the ownership of R. Sherider, although the extent of damage is unknown. The Town of Los Gatos purchased the property as early as 1994 and currently uses it as storage.64
61 Eugene Sawyer, History of Santa Clara County, California (Los Angeles: Historic Record Co., 1922), 1522. 62 Los Gatos city directories, 1930-1943. 63 Sawyer, History of Santa Clara County, California, 1211. 64 Building Permit Records, 56 Villa Avenue, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division.
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The building does not appear to be eligible for listing in the NRHP or the CRHR under Criterion A/1. It did not play a significant role in the Town’s growth and civic improvements in the 1920s, which included the establishment of regular garbage collection, the construction of paved roads, and the burial of utility poles in the downtown. Additionally, it does not appear to be eligible under NRHP/CRHR Criteria B/2, C/3, or D/4. Neither the Vedovas, Samuel Brownrigg, the Casalettos, or Mr. Scherider appear to have made a significant contribution to local, state, or national history. Constructed in 1920, the house does not appear to be a significant example of a vernacular bungalow. Bungalows typically featured horizontal profiles, the use of natural or local materials, and expansive porches to connect the building’s open interior with the outdoors and became an inexpensive design solution that spread throughout the country via popular magazines and pattern books in the early twentieth century. 65 With its major features limited to a full-width front porch and a gabled dormer on the façade, this house appears to be an undistinguished example of this typology and does not possess a significant amount of detail or design to make it an important example of a bungalow. Lastly, the house does not appear to possess the potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, state, or the nation. Although the home retains a good level of integrity, including its cladding, roof configuration, wood-sash windows, and front porch, it does not appear to be eligible for the NRHP or the CRHR.
104 VILLA AVENUE
Description The one-story residence, now an office, faces north and stands close to Villa Avenue with a driveway located to its east. The building has an L-shaped plan, drop channel siding with stucco cladding along the foundation, and a wide eave overhang. The hipped roof clad in asphalt shingles terminates in a gable roof at the western end. A gabled addition projects south from the building’s rear elevation.
The façade contains a porch with a wood staircase and simple wood railing and handrail at its eastern end that accesses the main entrance consisting of a glazed door. Two wood sash, two-over-two, double- hung windows and a small vinyl-sash slider window are also located on the façade.
The west elevation contains a wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung window; a small two-lite window in the gable; and an additional entrance with glazed door and a small porch with a concrete staircase and wood railing. The east façade has pair of wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung windows.
A concrete ramp running south and parallel of the house leads to two sets of wood, multi-lite French doors. The south elevation also contains a small, wood-sash window and wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung window. The wood siding around the doors and window has been replaced with wider siding that does not match the wood cladding on the rest of the house. Three wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung windows are located on gabled addition’s south elevation.
Significance and Evaluation The house appears to have been constructed in late nineteenth century as a simple, vernacular residence evident in its hipped and gabled roof with wide eave overhang, drop channel wood siding, cornice returns, and wood-sash, double-hung windows. However, it was moved in 1951 to the parcel, and its previous location in Los Gatos is unknown.66 Therefore, archival research did not reveal information on
65 Clark, The American Family Home: 1800-1960, 171, 186. 66 PIERS Environmental Services, Inc., Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Report, 19; Building Permit Records, 104 Villa Avenue, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division.
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its owners and occupants prior to its relocation. Wayne Wainwright lived there from around 1956 to 1961.67 Albert E. Harris, an electrician at the San Jose Canning Co., and Muriel C. Harris owned the house as early as 1962. In 1976, the Harris’ applied for building permits to repair fire damage to the kitchen. As early as 1996, the Town of Los Gatos purchased the building. In 2002, the Town reconfigured the rear of the building to make it ADA accessible. Architect Terry Martin of Los Gatos designed the accessible ramp. It currently houses the Town of Los Gatos Police Department.68
The building does not appear to be eligible for listing in the NRHP or the CRHR under Criterion A/1. Although it dates to the late nineteenth century, it did not play a significant role in the development of Los Gatos at this time leading to its incorporation in 1887. Already a bustling community with established industries and commercial businesses, this house was one on many constructed in the late nineteenth century, and research of early residences did not call out this house as important to the early growth of the Town. Additionally, it does not appear to be eligible under NRHP/CRHR Criteria B/2, C/3, or D/4. Neither Wayne Wainwright or Albert and Muriel Harris appear to have made a significant contribution to local, state, or national history. It appears to be a relatively undistinguished late nineteenth century vernacular residence; its hipped roof with an overhang; wood drop channel cladding; and wood-sash, double-hung windows are extremely typical of this era. Lastly, the house does not appear to possess the potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, state, or the nation. Although the home retains a good level of integrity, including its cladding, roof configuration, wood-sash windows, it does not appear to be eligible for the NRHP or the CRHR.
108 VILLA AVENUE
Description This one-story, wood-frame house has a rectangular plan and an asphalt shingle-clad hipped roof with wide eave overhang. The façade contains a shallow front porch with a roof overhang supported by wood posts. It shelters the main entrance consisting of a wood, paneled door with a fan light in the upper portion. Small concrete steps rise to the door. The porch also shelters a tripartite, metal-sash window with central picture window flanked by casement windows. A similar window hangs east of the porch. Additional metal casement windows are located throughout the building. Additional entrances are located on the east elevation consisting of a wood paneled door and on the south elevation consisting of a wood, glazed, paneled door.
Significance and Evaluation The house was designed by Harmony Homes and constructed around 1955 for C. A. Spotswood. It appears to have been relatively unaltered, since its construction. As early as 1995, the Town of Los Gatos purchased the building and currently maintains it as a rental property.69
The building does not appear to be eligible for listing in the NRHP or the CRHR under Criterion A/1, since it does not appear to have played a significant role in Los Gatos’ postwar growth. Additionally, it does not appear to be eligible under NRHP/CRHR Criteria B/2, C/3, or D/4. Mr. Spotswood does not appear to have made a significant contribution to local, state, or national history. Constructed in 1955, the structure is an undistinguished example of a Ranch house, which was constructed en masse after World War II and typically featured low, horizontal profiles; low-pitched roofs; prominent attached
67 Los Gatos city directories, 1956-1962. 68 Building Permit Records, 104 Villa Avenue, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division. 69 Building Permit Records, 108 Villa Avenue, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division.
Carey & Co., Inc. 24 Historic Resources Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR October 8, 2009
garages; and open plans. Lastly, the house does not appear to possess the potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, state, or the nation. Although the home retains a good level of integrity, including its cladding, roof configuration, and metal-sash casement windows, it does not appear to be eligible for the NRHP or the CRHR.
IMPACT ANALYSIS Historical resources include properties eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historical Resources, or a local register of historical resources (as defined at Public Resources Code §5020.1(k)). According to Public Resources Code §15064.5(b), a project would have a significant effect on an historical resource if it would “cause a substantial adverse change in the significance” of that resource. Specifically, “[s]ubstantial adverse change in the significance of an historical resource means physical demolition, destruction, relocation, or alteration of the resource or its immediate surroundings such that the significance of an historical resource would be materially impaired.”
The Town of Los Gatos proposes to relocate the existing residence at 17 Fiesta Way, which appears to be eligible for listing in the CRHR, in order to realign Fiesta Way and accommodate a new library building at the site. Since the proposed project results in the relocation of this historical resource, the proposed project would thereby have a significant impact on the environment, because it would result in a substantial adverse change to the residence.
However, although not favored as a method of preserving historical resources, relocation is recognized by the California Register of Historical Resources as a means to prevent demolition: “The State Historical Resources Commission (SHRC) encourages the retention of historical resources on site and discourages the non-historic grouping of historic buildings into parks or districts. However, it is recognized that moving an historic building, structure, or object is sometimes necessary to prevent its destruction. Therefore, a moved building, structure, or object that is otherwise eligible may be listed in the California Register if it was moved to prevent its demolition at its former location and if the new location is compatible with the original character and use of the historical resource. An historical resource should retain its historic features and compatibility in orientation, setting, and general environment.”
To address potential impacts associated with the relocation of 17 Fiesta Way, the Town of Los Gatos would be required to implement Mitigation Measures 1 through 4, which require HABS-level recordation; selection of a site that is compatible with the orientation, setting, and general environment of the building’s current location; documentation of the building before commencement of relocation and preparation of a structural protection plan; and repair of any damage to preserve character-defining features. With incorporation of these mitigation measures, impacts to the character-defining features of the building would be mitigated to a less-than-significant level.
Carey & Co., Inc. 25 Historic Resources Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR October 8, 2009
MITIGATION MEASURES
Mitigation Measure 1. Prepare HABS-Level Recordation Documentation of the house at 17 Fiesta Way shall be prepared in accordance with the guidelines established for the Historic American Building Survey (HABS). 70 This documentation shall consist of the following components:
1. Drawings: a sketch plan.
2. Photographs: photographic documentation of the interior, exterior, and setting of 17 Fiesta Way. HABS standard digital photography may be used, and the ink and paper combinations for printing photographs must be in compliance with National Register-National Historic Landmark photo expansion policy (2005) and have a permanency rating of approximately 75 years.71 Photography would follow the HABS/HAER Photographs: Specifications and Guidelines.72
3. Written Data: HABS Written Documentation in Short Format. A report shall be prepared that documents the existing condition of the house at 17 Fiesta Way as well as the overall history of the home within the context of Los Gatos and late nineteenth century residential architecture. The historic context information contained in this report can be used for this task.
Mitigation Measure 2. Select Location Compatible with the Original Character and Setting of 17 Fiesta Way In order to maintain the orientation, setting, and general environment of 17 Fiesta Way, the proposed location for the building shall meet the following standards (as allowed by Town Code):
1) The location shall be in a compatible residential context comprised of detached single-family homes.
2) The front façade shall be oriented parallel towards the street.
3) The building shall be located close to the street at a similar distance as its current location.
Mitigation Measure 3. Prepare Preconstruction Documentation and Structure Protection Planning Prior to relocation, a historic preservation architect and a structural engineer shall undertake an existing condition study of 17 Fiesta Way. The purpose of the study shall be to establish the baseline condition of the building prior to relocation. The documentation shall take the form of written descriptions and visual illustrations, including those physical characteristics of the resource that conveys its historic significance and that justify its inclusion on, or eligibility for inclusion on, the CRHR. The documentation shall be reviewed and approved by the Town of Los Gatos Planning Division.
70 U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Architectural and Engineering Documentation: HABS/HAER Standards (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1990). 71 U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register-National Historic Landmark Photo Expansion Policy, http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/policyexpansion.htm (accessed June 26, 2009). 72 U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record, HABS/HAER Photographs: Specifications and Guidelines, http://www.nps.gov/history/hdp/standards/HABS/photospecs.pdf (accessed June 26, 2009).
Carey & Co., Inc. 26 Historic Resources Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR October 8, 2009
To protect 17 Fiesta Way during its relocation, the Town shall engage a building mover, who has moved similar resources, and a structural engineer to determine if the building needs to be reinforced before the move. An architectural historian shall identify any character-defining features to be protected during the move.
Mitigation Measure 4. Comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Repair of Historic Resources and Preserve the Character-Defining Features of Historic Resources Upon completion of the relocation of 17 Fiesta Way, the qualified architectural historian shall document (e.g., with photographs and other appropriate means) the level of success in meeting the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and in preserving the character-defining features of the historic resource.
The project sponsor shall ensure repairs occur if any damage has occurred to 17 Fiesta Way during its relocation. Repair work shall occur in conformance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and shall restore the character-defining features in a manner that does not affect the eligibility of the historic property for the CRHR.
Carey & Co., Inc. 27 Historic Resources Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR October 8, 2009
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Arbuckle, Clyde. History of San José. San José, CA: South & McKay Printing Co., 1986.
Bloomfield, Anne. State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, Historic Resources Inventory Form, 17 Fiesta Way. Prepared in 1991. 17 Fiesta Way Vertical File, Los Gatos Public Library.
Bruntz, George G. History of Los Gatos: Gem of the Foothills. Fresno, CA: Valley Publishers, 1971.
Building Permit Records, 17 and 25 Fiesta Way and 56/56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division.
Clark, Clifford Edward Jr. The American Family Home: 1800-1960. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 1986.
Conaway, Peggy. Los Gatos. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2004.
Dallas, Alastair. Los Gatos Observed: the Architecture and History of Los Gatos, California. Los Gatos, CA: Infospect Press, 1999.
Foote, H. S., ed. Pen Pictures from the Garden of the World, or Santa Clara County, California Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co., 1888. http://www.mariposaresearch.net/ santaclararesearch/LOSGATOS.html (accessed June 17, 2009).
Hoover, Mildred Brooke, Hero Eugene Rensch, Ethel Grace Rensch, and William N. Abeloe. Historic Spots in California. Reprint, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1990.
Jacobsen, Yvonne. Passing Farms, Enduring Values: California’s Santa Clara Valley. Cupertino, CA: W. Kaufmann in cooperation with the California History Center, De Anza College, 1984.
Kelley, Edwards. Railroads of Los Gatos. San Francisco, CA: Arcadia Publishing, 2006.
Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce. “Our Rich Heritage.” http://www.losgatoschamber.com/history.html (accessed May 7, 2009).
Los Gatos city directories, 1890-1967.
Los Gatos Public Library. Hooked on Los Gatos. http://historylosgatos.org/ (accessed June 18, 2009).
Lukes, Timothy J., Gary Y. Okihiro, and Jane Goodson Lawes. Japanese Legacy: Farming and Community Life in California's Santa Clara Valley. Cupertino, CA: California History Center, De Anza College, 1985.
McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1986.
Carey & Co., Inc. 28 Historic Resources Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR October 8, 2009
Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Association of Bay Area Governments. “Bay Area Census, Town of Los Gatos, Santa Clara County.” http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/LosGatos50.htm (accessed June 24, 2009).
Mosier, Page. “A Brief History of Population Growth in the Greater San Francisco Bay Region.” In Geology & Natural History of the San Francisco Bay Area: A Field-Trip Guidebook, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2188, ed. Philip W. Stoffer and Leslie C. Gordon. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 2001.
Murphy, Martin. History of Santa Clara County, California. San Francisco: Alley, Bowen & Co., 1881.
PIERS Environmental Services, Inc. Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Report for 17 and 25 Fiesta Way and 56, 56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue, Los Gatos, California. Prepared for Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department. 17 May 2009.
Rawls, James J., and Walton Bean. California: An Interpretive History, 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, “Los Gatos, California,” 1888, 1891, 1895, 1904, 1908, 1928, 1944.
Sawyer, Eugene. History of Santa Clara County, California. Los Angeles: Historic Record Co., 1922.
Saxenian, Annalee. “The Origins and Business Culture of Silicon Valley.” In Major Problems in California History, ed. Sucheng Chan and Spencer Olin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
Sharma, U. R. Morgan Hill. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2005.
State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation. California Register of Historical Resources: The Listing Process. Technical Assistance Series 5. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, n. d.
_____. California Register and National Register: A Comparison. Technical Assistance Series 6. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2001.
_____. User’s Guide to the California Historical Resource Status Codes & Historic Resources Inventory Directory. Technical Assistance Bulletin 8. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2004.
Thompson & West. Historical Atlas Map of Santa Clara County, California. San Francisco, CA: Thompson & West, 1876.
U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. “Forbes Mill Annex.” Santa Clara County: California’s Historic Silicon Valley. http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/santaclara/for.htm (accessed May 7, 2009).
_____. National Register-National Historic Landmark Photo Expansion Policy. http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/policyexpansion.htm (accessed June 26, 2009).
Carey & Co., Inc. 29 Historic Resources Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR October 8, 2009
_____. How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, National Register Bulletin 15. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997.
_____. How to Complete the National Register Registration Form, National Register Bulletin 16A. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997.
_____. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Architectural and Engineering Documentation: HABS/HAER Standards. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1990.
U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record. HABS/HAER Photographs: Specifications and Guidelines. http://www.nps.gov/history/hdp/standards/HABS/photospecs.pdf (accessed June 26, 2009).
U.S. Federal Census, 1880-1930. http://www.ancestry.com (accessed June 16, 2009).
U.S. Public Records Index. http://www.ancestry.com (accessed June 16, 2009).
Carey & Co., Inc. 30 Appendix A
Map of the Survey Area
Historic Resource Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR
56, 56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue 17 and 25 Fiesta Way Los Gatos, California
Carey & Co., Inc.
Appendix A: Survey Area Map E. Main Street Historic Resources Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR, Los Gatos, California
Survey Area Boundary
Surveyed building
Fiesta Way 1. 17 Fiesta Way (APN 529-34-025) 2. 25 Fiesta Way (APN 529-34-024) 1 3. 56 and 56A Villa Avenue (APN 529-34-091) 4. 104 Villa Avenue (APN 529-34-091) 2 5. 108 Villa Avenue (APN 529-34-091)
3 Villa Avenue 4 5
Cleland Avenue
Image Source: bing.com/maps Appendix B
Photographs of the Survey Area
Historic Resource Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR
56, 56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue 17 and 25 Fiesta Way Los Gatos, California
Carey & Co., Inc.
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
17 FIESTA WAY
View of the façade, 17 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
View of the south elevation, 17 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009). Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
Typical fenced pit providing access to the basement, 17 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Fenced pit with a staircase providing access to the basement, 17 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009). Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the east (rear) elevation, 17 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the small porch on the east elevation, 17 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the north elevation, 17 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
View of the garage’s façade, 17 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the garage’s south elevation, 17 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
25 FIESTA WAY
View of the façade, 25 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the façade’s porch, 25 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the south elevation, 25 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
View of the east elevation, 25 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
Left: View of the north elevation. Right: View of a door on the north elevation blocked by the access ramp, 25 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View east toward the north elevation, 25 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the garage’s façade, 25 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the garage’s west elevation, 25 Fiesta Way (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
56 AND 56A VILLA AVENUE
View south toward 56 and 56A Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
View of the façade, 56 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009). Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
Detail of the tiled porch, 56 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View west toward the porch on the façade, 56 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the east elevation, 56 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the south elevation, 56 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the enclosed porch on the south elevation, 56 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
View of the façade, 56A Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the garage, 56A Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
View of the west elevation, 56A Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the east elevation, 56A Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
104 VILLA AVENUE
View of the façade, 104 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the porch on the façade, 104 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the west elevation, 104 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
View of the east elevation, 104 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009). Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the south elevation, 104 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the entrances on the south elevation, 104 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
108 VILLA AVENUE
View of the façade, 108 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
View of the west elevation, 108 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009). Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the east elevation, 108 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009). Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the south elevation, 108 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix B. Photographs of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
View of the entrance on the south elevation, 108 Villa Avenue (Carey & Co., May 22, 2009).
Appendix C
Sanborn Maps of the Survey Area
Historic Resource Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR
56, 56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue 17 and 25 Fiesta Way Los Gatos, California
Carey & Co., Inc.
Appendix C. Sanborn Maps of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
17 Fiesta Way
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1888, Sheet 3.
Appendix C. Sanborn Maps of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
17 Fiesta Way
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1891, Sheets 3 and 4.
Appendix C. Sanborn Maps of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
25 Fiesta Way 17 Fiesta Way
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1895, Sheets 4 and 5.
Appendix C. Sanborn Maps of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
25 Fiesta Way 17 Fiesta Way
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1904, Sheets 10, 11, 15.
Appendix C. Sanborn Maps of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
25 Fiesta Way 17 Fiesta Way
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1908, Sheet 11, 12, 16.
Appendix C. Sanborn Maps of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
56 and 56A Villa Avenue
25 Fiesta Way 17 Fiesta Way
Future location of 104 and
108 Villa Avenue
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1928, Sheet 18, 23.
Appendix C. Sanborn Maps of the Survey Area Carey & Co., Inc.
56 and 56A Villa Avenue
25 Fiesta Way 17 Fiesta Way
Future location of 104 and 108 Villa Avenue
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1944, Sheet 18, 23.
Appendix D
DPR 523A & 523B Forms
Historic Resource Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR
56, 56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue 17 and 25 Fiesta Way Los Gatos, California
Carey & Co., Inc.
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # PRIMARY RECORD Trinomial NRHP Status Code Other Listings Review Code Reviewer Date Page 1 of 7 *Resource Name or #: 17 Fiesta Way
P1. Other Identifier: *P2. Location: Not for Publication : Unrestricted *a. County: Santa Clara County and (P2b and P2c or P2d. Attach a Location Map as necessary.) *b. USGS 7.5' Quad: Date: T ; R ; ¼ of ¼ of Sec ; M.D. B.M. c. Address: 17 Fiesta Way City: Los Gatos Zip: 95030 d. UTM: Zone: 10 ; mE/ mN (G.P.S.) e. Other Locational Data: Elevation:
*P3a. Description:
The single-family, Italianate cottage at 17 Fiesta Way faces west and stands close to the parcel’s edge; a low concrete wall with pillars at each end separates the front yard from the sidewalk, while a narrow brick path leads from the sidewalk to the house.
The one-story-plus-basement, wood-frame house has an irregular plan, a low-pitched hipped roof, and a rear shed roof, both covered with asphalt shingles. Paired, carved brackets are located under the wide eave overhang of the front hipped roof portion. Wood, drop channel boards clad the structure, and wood-sash, two-over-two, double-hung windows with an entablature are locate throughout the building aboveground. (See continuation sheet.)
*P3b. Resource Attributes: HP2. Single-family property *P4. Resources Present: :Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other (Isolates, etc.) P5a. Photo or Drawing P5b. Description of Photo: View east toward the façade; May 22, 2009
*P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: :Historic Prehistoric Both ca. 1880; Archival research and visual estimation
*P7. Owner and Address: Town of Los Gatos 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030
*P8. Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. 460 Bush Street San Francisco, CA 94108
*P9. Date Recorded: June 29, 2009
*P10. Survey Type: Intensive
*P11. Report Citation: Carey & Co., Inc., Historic Resource Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR, Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, California, 25 September 2009.
*Attachments: NONE Location Map Sketch Map :Continuation Sheet :Building, Structure, and Object Record Archaeological Record District Record Linear Feature Record Milling Station Record Rock Art Record Artifact Record Photograph Record Other (List): DPR 523A (1/95) *Required information State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD Page 2 of 7 *NRHP Status Code 3CS *Resource Name or # 17 Fiesta Way
B1. Historic Name: B2. Common Name: B3. Original Use: Single-family house B4. Present Use: Single-family house *B5. Architectural Style: Italianate *B6. Construction History: Constructed c. 1880. Basement constructed in 1998. Porch replaced and rear addition rebuilt, date unknown.
*B7. Moved? :No Yes Unknown Date: Original Location: *B8. Related Features:
B9a. Architect: Unknown b. Builder: Unknown *B10. Significance: Theme: Residential growth Area: Downtown Los Gatos Period of Significance: c. 1880 Property Type: Single-family residence Applicable Criteria: 3
(See continuation sheet.)
B11. Additional Resource Attributes:
*B12. References:
See continuation sheet.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator: Carey & Co., Inc.
*Date of Evaluation: June 29, 2009
DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial Page 3 of 7 *Resource Name or # 17 Fiesta Way
*Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. *Date: June 29, 2009 : Continuation Update
Continuation of P3a. Description:
The façade features a full-width front porch with wood, square supports and a hipped roof. The porch shelters the main entrance consisting of a wood paneled door with four rectangular lites in the upper portion; a wood-sash, two-lite transom window punctures the wall above the door. Two primary type windows flank the entrance underneath the porch.
Due to the modern basement constructed underneath the house, the building contains below-grade, vinyl-sash, double-hung windows that are accessed via concrete-lined, rectangular pits in the ground on the north and south elevations. A metal fence surrounds each pit; the south elevation’s western pit contains a metal ladder descending to the window. The rear elevation contains a below-grade entrance with a similar metal fence. Wood steps descend to the entrance consisting of a glazed, paneled door adjacent to a vinyl-sash window.
The rear elevation also contains an additional aboveground entrance with a glazed, paneled door and a small brick staircase, a small vinyl-sash slider window, and a vinyl-sash window box.
A concrete driveway north of the house leads to a wood-frame, single-car garage standing at the parcel’s northeast corner. The small structure has a rectangular plan, stucco cladding, and a gable roof with a wide eave overhang and exposed rafter tails. Wood hinged doors are located on its façade.
Continuation of B10. Significance:
The early history of the house at 17 Fiesta Way remains unclear. Archival research revealed three conflicting stories regarding its construction and history: 1) the house was constructed in the 1880s on Grays Lane (now 17 Fiesta Way); 2) the house was relocated around the turn of the century from its previous location adjacent to the Los Gatos Canning Company west of the Los Gatos Creek; or 3) the house was relocated in the 1920s from its previous location along E. Main Street to make room for the Los Gatos High School built in 1924.
Based on its architectural style, this small Italianate cottage appears to have been constructed in the 1880s regardless of where it was originally built. An extremely popular style in the United States from around 1840 to 1885, Italianate homes typically feature a low-pitched hipped or flat roof; a wide eave overhang; decorative brackets at the cornice; tall, narrow double-hung windows often with an arched upper sash; and either a small entry porch or a one-story, full-width porch. This house features a number of these characteristics, including a low-pitched hipped roof; distinctive paired brackets; narrow, two-over-two, double-hung windows; and a full-width hipped porch with simple square wood supports.i
1) Gray’s Rental Cottage Based on an 1888 Sanborn map featuring a one-story, rectangular-in-plan house with a full-width front porch occupying the lot, architectural historian Anne Bloomfield concluded in a 1991 survey that the house was constructed in the 1880s as a pair of twin rental houses located behind the Gray’s house and school at the southeast corner of E. Main Street and Grays Lane (now Fiesta Way).ii
Angelia Castro Lucero reportedly lived at 3 Grays Lane, one of the twin houses.iii Known as “Old Tamale,” she became well known for her homemade tamales that she sold in a red wagon around town. Edward C. Yocco, owner of the Los Gatos Meat Market, supplied her with fresh meat for her tamales. According to his descendant Mary Yocco Rough, Ms. Lucero made a quilt for Mr. Yocco’s wife following his death. Ms. Lucero died on February 14, 1902 and is buried in the Los Gatos Cemetery.iv
DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial Page 4 of 7 *Resource Name or # 17 Fiesta Way
*Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. *Date: June 29, 2009 : Continuation Update
However, archival research did not conclusively link Ms. Lucero to the subject property. The house at 3 Grays Lane was most likely a non-extant house just north of 17 Fiesta Way. According to the 1895 and 1904 Sanborn maps, the house at 25 Fiesta Way was addressed as 1 Grays Lane, the house at 17 Fiesta Way was addressed as 2 Grays Lane, and the now demolished house was addressed as 3 Grays Lane.v Research revealed little additional information about Ms. Lucero, and she does not appear in United States Federal census records or in Los Gatos city directories.vi
If the current Italianate house at 17 Fiesta Way was constructed on the parcel in the 1880s, then it, along with the twin house to its north, had a porch added to its south elevation based on a comparison of 1895 and 1908 Sanborn maps.vii By 1928, this side porch had been removed, and the rear of the house reconfigured into its current plan.viii However, the current house does not show signs that a porch was added and then removed; the wood siding appears to be intact with no physical signs of repair or replacement.
2) Los Gatos Canning Company The Town of Los Gatos’ Parks and Public Works Department presented an alternative history of the home’s origin. The Town stated that the building was one of ten homes moved from their original location adjacent to the Los Gatos Canning Company to several locations throughout Los Gatos after the cannery closed at the turn of the century.ix As mentioned previously, the former Los Gatos Canning Company was located on a large parcel spanning Santa Cruz Avenue to the east and Lyndon Avenue to the west, between Bean Avenue to the south and W. Main Street to the north. It remained at this location from 1882 until around 1907 when the Hunt Brothers of Hayward, California, purchased the company and moved it to Santa Cruz and Saratoga Avenues.x
Based on a comparison of Sanborn maps from 1888 to 1908, Carey & Co. could not identify the ten houses that were reportedly relocated.xi The only major change occurs on the 1908 Sanborn map with the removal of the canning company’s buildings and rail spur. The Italianate cottage would have had to have been moved to 17 Fiesta Way after 1908, since Sanborn maps show the same building on the parcel from 1895 to 1908. The house’s plan changes extensively between the 1908 and 1928 Sanborn maps, and it is unclear if they are the same or different structures.
3) Los Gatos High School The Los Gatos Public Library presents yet a third history of the house. It identifies a house in a 1909 photograph as one originally located on E. Main Street and moved to Fiesta Way in the 1920s.xii The photograph depicts a one-story Italianate cottage with political signs protesting an 1889 ordinance prohibiting saloons in the town. Residents quickly organized both in favor and against its repeal and presented their arguments and petitions to the Town Board. Those in favor of repealing the ban placed these signs, which declare the death of Los Gatos due to loss of tax revenue in the “rotten and rusty, dull, dead, dry town,” on this vacant house on E. Main Street until the ordinance was amended in 1910 to allow liquor to be sold at restaurants and hotels only.xiii
In 1924, the Town constructed a new school building and gymnasium in front of the previous Los Gatos High School located at the end of Sixth Street (now High School Court) just north of E. Main Street and around 500 feet northeast of 17 Fiesta Way. At least a dozen homes along E. Main Street and Sixth Street were removed to make room for the new school building and its expansive landscaped front lawn.
Research could not conclusively prove that the house at 17 Fiesta Way was one of these homes. Although both the house in the 1909 photograph and the Italianate cottage that stands at 17 Fiesta Way possess similar features, including a hipped roof with a wide eave overhang and a hipped, full-width porch, they do not appear to be the same building upon close inspection. The house in the 1909 photograph has a steeper pitched roof and does not appear to have paired brackets at the cornice. Italianate style homes were extremely popular in the late nineteenth century, and Los Gatos likely had a number of examples of this architectural style. Also, the 1908 Sanborn map does not contain a house matching the current plan of 17 Fiesta Way in the area that became the new school grounds. Although the house could have been moved to Fiesta Way and its plan changed over time, research could not prove this.
Regardless of its original location, 17 Fiesta Way appears to have been located at the parcel since at least 1928, because it retains the plan depicted in the 1928 Sanborn map.xiv By this time, the street’s name had changed to La Montagne.xv
DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial Page 5 of 7 *Resource Name or # 17 Fiesta Way
*Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. *Date: June 29, 2009 : Continuation Update
A variety of people occupied the house from the 1930s to 1960: A. H. Omota, a rancher (ca. 1930), Harry Imura (ca. 1932), George K. Muranaka, a gardener, and his wife Rika (ca. 1934 to 1940), Shirley R. and Dora D. Wallbaum (ca. 1944-1948), Mrs. A. E. O’ Neil, a nurse (1949), W. J. and Edith Cotton (1952), Mary Hopkins (1954), Cyril H. Harding, an attendant at the Standard Gas Station and his wife Pauline (1956), and Dorothy J. Best, a secretary at the First Presbyterian Church (1960).xvi During this period, the Town changed the street’s name again to Fiesta Way in 1947 to honor the annual town pageant, a tradition that began in 1919.
The Pffaf family owned the property from around 1962 to the early twenty-first century. Mr. and Mrs. William Pfaff owned the house first, followed by Joe A. Pfaff by 1996. That year he removed and rebuilt the porch in kind due to dry rot.xvii The undated photograph below shows that the front porch had a shed roof prior to its current hipped roof, which may or may not have been its original form. In 1998, owners Rick and Bethany Pfaff installed a basement to add 220 square feet of living space to the building. The below-grade entrance and windows with the metal fences were added to the exterior of the house as part of the basement’s construction. An undated photograph from the Los Gatos Public Library also shows that the building’s rear elevation has been altered when the rear shed roof addition was replaced with a larger shed addition at an unknown date. The Town of Los Gatos currently owns and maintains the house as a rental property.
The house at 17 Fiesta Way appears to be eligible for the CRHR under Criterion 3 as a significant example of Italianate architecture in Los Gatos. As mentioned previously, the Italianate style was an extremely popular style in the United States from around 1840 to 1885, and this house features a number of its key characteristics, including a low-pitched hipped roof; distinctive paired brackets; narrow, two-over-two, double-hung windows; and a full-width hipped porch with simple square wood supports.xviii These features, along with its wood, drop channel cladding are its character-defining features. Its period of significance dates to around 1880 when it was constructed.
The building does not appear to be eligible for the NRHP/CRHR under Criterion A/1, because it does not appear to be associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. Although it dates to the late nineteenth century, it did not play a significant role in the development of Los Gatos at this time leading to its incorporation in 1887. Already a bustling community with established industries and commercial businesses, this house was one on many constructed in the late nineteenth century.
Its association with Angelina Lucero remains speculative at best, and the various residents that occupied the home from the 1930s to the 1950s and the Pfaff family do not appear to have made significant contributions to the history of Los Gatos, the state, or the nation. Therefore, it does not appear to be eligible under NRHP/CRHR Criterion B/2.
Lastly, the building does not appear to possess the potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, state, or the nation. Therefore it does not appear to be eligible for the NRHP/CRHR under Criterion D/4.
Despite several alterations since its construction in the 1880s, the house appears to retain a good level of integrity. Overall, the house maintains its integrity of design, materials, and workmanship, including its small scale and one-story height; its wood drop channel cladding; its narrow, two-over-two windows; its hipped roof with a wide eave overhang; and its distinctive paired brackets. The addition of the basement with the below-grade windows and entrance in the gated pits and the replacement of the front porch also do not detract from its overall design. For example, the fences are small in scale. Although the rear shed addition appears to have been replaced at an unknown date, it replaced a similar designed rear addition and does not detract from the building’s overall scale and plan. Archival research could not prove if it retains its integrity of location, since it may or may not have been moved prior to 1928. Also its setting has been altered by the construction of the Town’s Civic Center directly to its west in 1966, the construction of the Town of Los Gatos Neighborhood Center adjacent to its north in 1980, and the large Los Gatos Hotel adjacent to its east in 2002. While residential development consisting of single-family houses is located south of the building, its integrity of setting has been greatly compromised. Lastly it retains its integrity of feeling and association as an intact Italianate cottage in Los Gatos. It is still located on a small residential lot facing the street, similar to houses constructed in the Town.
DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial Page 6 of 7 *Resource Name or # 17 Fiesta Way
*Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. *Date: June 29, 2009 : Continuation Update
Research could not conclusively prove if the house was originally constructed at this location or moved from another location in Los Gatos prior to 1928. If it was moved from its original location, it was moved after its period of significance (the date of its original construction). Since moved buildings are generally not regarded as eligible for listing in the NRHP, the building must be significant under one of the four NRHP criteria and meet the requirements of Criteria Consideration B for moved properties to be eligible for this register. Per these requirements, the building must be significant primarily for its architectural value or as the surviving property if associated with a historic person or event. It must also retain enough historic features to convey its architectural values; retain integrity of design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association; and have an orientation, setting, and general environment that are comparable to those of the historic location and that are compatible with the property’s significance.xix While the building achieves its significance for its architecture and maintains a good level of integrity as discussed above, its setting and general impact have been greatly compromised by the construction of the Civic Center in 1966, the Neighborhood Center in 1980, and the new hotel spanning the width of the block between E. Main Street and Villa Avenue in 2002. The single-family houses to its south do not provided the necessary context and setting for the building to be eligible for the NRHP under Criteria Consideration B.
Continuation of B12. References:
Bloomfield, Anne. State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, Historic Resources Inventory Form, 17 Fiesta Way. Prepared in 1991. 17 Fiesta Way Vertical File, Los Gatos Public Library.
Bruntz, George G. History of Los Gatos: Gem of the Foothills. Fresno, CA: Valley Publishers, 1971.
Building Permit Records, 17 and 25 Fiesta Way and 56/56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division.
Los Gatos city directories, 1890-1967.
Los Gatos Public Library. Hooked on Los Gatos. http://historylosgatos.org/ (accessed June 18, 2009).
McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1986.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, “Los Gatos, California,” 1888, 1891, 1895, 1904, 1908, 1928, 1944.
State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation. California Register of Historical Resources: The Listing Process. Technical Assistance Series 5. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, n. d.
_____. California Register and National Register: A Comparison. Technical Assistance Series 6. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2001.
_____. User’s Guide to the California Historical Resource Status Codes & Historic Resources Inventory Directory. Technical Assistance Bulletin 8. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2004.
U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. National Register-National Historic Landmark Photo Expansion Policy. http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/policyexpansion.htm (accessed June 26, 2009).
_____. How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, National Register Bulletin 15. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997.
_____. How to Complete the National Register Registration Form, National Register Bulletin 16A. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997.
U.S. Federal Census, 1880-1930. http://www.ancestry.com (accessed June 16, 2009).
DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial Page 7 of 7 *Resource Name or # 17 Fiesta Way
*Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. *Date: June 29, 2009 : Continuation Update
i Virginia and Lee McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1986), 211-212. ii Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1888, Sheet 3; Anne Bloomfield, State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, Historic Resources Inventory Form, 17 Fiesta Way, Prepared in 1991, 17 Fiesta Way Vertical File, Los Gatos Public Library; George G. Bruntz, History of Los Gatos: Gem of the Foothill (Fresno, CA: Valley Publishers, 1971), 53. iii The Historic Resources Inventory Form states she lived at 3 Gray’s Lane according to a 1902 City Directory. Bloomfield, Historic Resources Inventory Form, 17 Fiesta Way. iv Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 61. v Bloomfield, Historic Resources Inventory Form, 17 Fiesta Way; Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1895, Sheet 4; 1904, Sheet 11. vi According to Paul Kopach, a librarian at the Los Gatos Public Library, the 1910 Census lists two families living on Gray’s Lane: Angela Lucero and her granddaughter Victoria and John Murray with his sister Margaret. However, neither the Luceros nor the Murrays are listed in the 1910 Los Gatos city directory. Also, if Angelia Lucero died in 1902, Angela may be a relative. Email from Paul Kopach, Librarian, Los Gatos Public Library, to Erica Schultz, 3 June 2009; U. S. Federal Census, 1880-1930, http://www.ancestry.com (accessed June 16, 2009); Los Gatos city directories, 1890-1910. vii Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1895, Sheet 4; 1904, Sheet 11; 1908, Sheet 11. viii Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1898, Sheet 18. ix Email from Bruce Smith, Facilities Manager, Parks and Public Works Department, Town of Los Gatos, to Erica Schultz, 15 June 2009. x Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 26-27. xi Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1888, Sheets 1-2; 1891, Sheets 5-6; 1895, Sheets 6, 8; 1904, Sheets 8-9; 1908, Sheets 9-10. xii Los Gatos Public Library, “1909 Prohibition Signs” photograph, Hooked on Los Gatos, http://historylosgatos.org/ (accessed June 18, 2009). xiii Bruntz, History of Los Gatos, 62-64. xiv Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, “Los Gatos, California,” 1928, Sheet 18. xv Los Gatos city directories list the street as La Montague, while Sanborn maps list it as La Montagne. xvi Los Gatos city directories, 1928-1960. The gap in the occupant records is due to the fact that reverse directories with listings by address did not start until 1930, and the house was listed as vacant for various years, including 1936, 1938, 1942-43, 1958. xvii Building Permit Records, 17 Fiesta Way, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division. xviii McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 211-212. xix U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register Bulletin: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, National Register Bulletin 15 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997), 29-30.
DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # PRIMARY RECORD Trinomial NRHP Status Code Other Listings Review Code Reviewer Date Page 1 of 4 *Resource Name or #: 25 Fiesta Way
P1. Other Identifier: *P2. Location: Not for Publication : Unrestricted *a. County: Santa Clara County and (P2b and P2c or P2d. Attach a Location Map as necessary.) *b. USGS 7.5' Quad: Date: T ; R ; ¼ of ¼ of Sec ; M.D. B.M. c. Address: 25 Fiesta Way City: Los Gatos Zip: 95030 d. UTM: Zone: 10 ; mE/ mN (G.P.S.) e. Other Locational Data: Elevation:
*P3a. Description:
The one-story building with a rear two-story addition at 25 Fiesta Way stands close to the sidewalk boarding the parcel. A short walkway lined with shrubs leads to the house from the sidewalk.
The wood-frame structure has a rectangular plan and stucco cladding. Asphalt shingles clad the hipped roof, which has a wide eave overhang and thin exposed rafter tails. A stucco-clad chimney projects from the roof of the one-story portion.
The façade features a small front porch with hipped roof, a closed rail, simple square supports, and concrete steps at its northern end. The porch shelters the main entrance consisting of a wood, paneled door. A wide wood-sash, six-over-one, double-hung window flanked by narrower wood-sash, four-over-one, double-hung windows punctures the façade south of the porch. (See continuation sheet.)
*P3b. Resource Attributes: HP2. Single-family property; HP14. Government building *P4. Resources Present: :Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other (Isolates, etc.) P5a. Photo or Drawing P5b. Description of Photo: View east toward the façade; May 22, 2009
*P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: :Historic Prehistoric Both 1941; Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department records
*P7. Owner and Address: Town of Los Gatos 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030
*P8. Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. 460 Bush Street San Francisco, CA 94108
*P9. Date Recorded: June 29, 2009
*P10. Survey Type: Intensive
*P11. Report Citation: Carey & Co., Inc., Historic Resource Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR, Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, California, 25 September 2009.
*Attachments: NONE Location Map Sketch Map :Continuation Sheet :Building, Structure, and Object Record Archaeological Record District Record Linear Feature Record Milling Station Record Rock Art Record Artifact Record Photograph Record Other (List): DPR 523A (1/95) *Required information State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD Page 2 of 4 *NRHP Status Code 6Z *Resource Name or # 25 Fiesta Way
B1. Historic Name: B2. Common Name: B3. Original Use: Single-family house B4. Present Use: City government office *B5. Architectural Style: Bungalow *B6. Construction History: Constructed in 1941. Rear two-story addition added in 1971. Rear ramp added in 2005.
*B7. Moved? :No Yes Unknown Date: Original Location: *B8. Related Features:
B9a. Architect: Unknown b. Builder: Unknown *B10. Significance: Theme: Residential growth Area: Downtown Los Gatos Period of Significance: 1941 Property Type: Single-family residence Applicable Criteria: N/A
(See continuation sheet.)
B11. Additional Resource Attributes:
*B12. References:
See continuation sheet.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator: Carey & Co., Inc.
*Date of Evaluation: June 29, 2009
DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial Page 3 of 4 *Resource Name or # 25 Fiesta Way
*Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. *Date: June 29, 2009 : Continuation Update
Continuation of P3a. Description:
The south elevation contains a set of metal-sash sliding doors accessed by wood steps with a wood railing and flanked by metal-sash fixed windows. It also contains a small wood-sash, four-over-one, double-hung window, and a similar tripartite window as the façade located underneath a wood lattice trellis.
The rear two-story addition has metal-sash slider windows on its east and north elevations and a wood, paneled door with small staircase on its south elevation. A concrete ramp with metal handrail wraps around the northeast corner and leads to a wood, paneled door accessing a shed addition with horizontal, vinyl cladding and four-lite, wood-sash awning windows set in wood trim on the west and north elevations. The ramp also blocks access to a wood, paneled door on the north elevation of the building’s one-story portion. The north elevation also contains a pair of wood-sash, single-lite casement windows and a solitary wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung window.
Accessed by a driveway leading from Villa Avenue, a small, one-story garage stands east of the house. The rectangular-in-plan structure has board and batten cladding, a shed roof with exposed rafter tails, and wood hinged doors on the façade. Two multi-lite, wood-sash, sliding windows puncture the west elevation.
Continuation of B10. Significance:
The building at 25 Fiesta Way was originally constructed as a one-story, single-family home in 1941. Italian immigrants Mara Dino (b. 1879) and Elrichetta Della (b. 1881) owned the house from 1941 until at least 1967 according to Los Gatos city directories. They had at four children: Gene, Amilia, Babe, and Julie.i Rodney Washington (b. 1941) owned it beginning around 1970.ii In 1971, he added the rear two-story addition. Mitsuo Natsume owned it around 1995. The Town of Los Gatos acquired the property around 2005 and added the rear ramp to make the structure, which currently houses the Town of Los Gatos Human Resources Office, ADA compliant.iii
The building does not appear to be eligible for listing in the NRHP/CRHR under Criterion A/1 for an important event in the history of Los Gatos, California, or the nation. It does not appear to have played a significant role in the history of the Town at the time of its construction.iv Additionally, it does not appear to be eligible under NRHP/CRHR Criteria B/2, C/3, or D/4. Neither the Dellas, Rodney Washington, or Mitsuo Natsume appear to have made a significant contribution to local, state, or national history. Constructed in 1941, the house is a relatively late example of a vernacular bungalow. This building typology derived from the high-style Arts and Crafts, or Craftsman, bungalows designed by such master architects such as brothers Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. The homes typically featured horizontal profiles, the use of natural or local materials, and expansive porches to connect the building’s open interior with the outdoors. As the population of cities grew, bungalows spread as an inexpensive design solution via popular magazines and pattern books. v While its low-pitched hipped roof, wide eave overhang with exposed rafter tails, and front porch are characteristics of bungalows, this house does not appear to be a significant example of this typology. Lastly, the house does not appear to possess the potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, state, or the nation. Although the home retains a good level of integrity, including its cladding, roof configuration, wood-sash windows, and front porch and despite the rear two-story addition and ramp, it does not appear to be eligible for the NRHP or the CRHR.
DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial Page 4 of 4 *Resource Name or # 25 Fiesta Way
*Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. *Date: June 29, 2009 : Continuation Update
Continuation of B12. References:
Bloomfield, Anne. State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, Historic Resources Inventory Form, 17 Fiesta Way. Prepared in 1991. 17 Fiesta Way Vertical File, Los Gatos Public Library.
Bruntz, George G. History of Los Gatos: Gem of the Foothills. Fresno, CA: Valley Publishers, 1971.
Building Permit Records, 17 and 25 Fiesta Way and 56/56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division.
Clark, Clifford Edward Jr. The American Family Home: 1800-1960. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 1986. Los Gatos city directories, 1890-1967.
Los Gatos Public Library. Hooked on Los Gatos. http://historylosgatos.org/ (accessed June 18, 2009).
McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1986.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, “Los Gatos, California,” 1888, 1891, 1895, 1904, 1908, 1928, 1944.
State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation. California Register of Historical Resources: The Listing Process. Technical Assistance Series 5. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, n. d.
_____. California Register and National Register: A Comparison. Technical Assistance Series 6. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2001.
_____. User’s Guide to the California Historical Resource Status Codes & Historic Resources Inventory Directory. Technical Assistance Bulletin 8. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2004.
U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. National Register-National Historic Landmark Photo Expansion Policy. http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/policyexpansion.htm (accessed June 26, 2009).
_____. How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, National Register Bulletin 15. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997.
_____. How to Complete the National Register Registration Form, National Register Bulletin 16A. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997.
U.S. Federal Census, 1880-1930. http://www.ancestry.com (accessed June 16, 2009).
U.S. Public Records Index. http://www.ancestry.com (accessed June 16, 2009).
i U. S. Federal Census, 1930, http://www.ancestry.com (accessed June 16, 2009). ii U. S. Public Records Index, http://www.ancestry.com (accessed June 16, 2009). iii Building Permit Records, 25 Fiesta Way, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division. ivGeorge G. Bruntz, History of Los Gatos: Gem of the Foothill (Fresno, CA: Valley Publishers, 1971), 160. v Clifford Edward Clark Jr., The American Family Home: 1800-1960 (Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 1986), 171, 186.
DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # PRIMARY RECORD Trinomial NRHP Status Code Other Listings Review Code Reviewer Date Page 1 of 5 *Resource Name or #: 56 and 56A Villa Avenue
P1. Other Identifier: *P2. Location: Not for Publication : Unrestricted *a. County: Santa Clara County and (P2b and P2c or P2d. Attach a Location Map as necessary.) *b. USGS 7.5' Quad: Date: T ; R ; ¼ of ¼ of Sec ; M.D. B.M. c. Address: 56 Villa Avenue City: Los Gatos Zip: 95030 d. UTM: Zone: 10 ; mE/ mN (G.P.S.) e. Other Locational Data: Elevation:
*P3a. Description:
This one-story bungalow with a daylight basement faces north and stands close to Villa Avenue with a small front yard. The building features a rectangular plan, stucco cladding, and a hipped roof with boxed, overhanging eave at the front and a gabled roof with cornice returns at the rear elevation.
A tall staircase with stucco-clad piers and metal handrails rises to the full-width porch spanning the façade. The porch has a closed rail with square supports and features a tile mosaic on the floor spelling “J. D. Vedova.” It shelters a wood, paneled door flanked by a wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung window to the east and a large wood-sash picture window to the west. The façade also contains a gabled dormer with a small wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung window centered above the entrance, and two wood-sash, single-lite windows at the basement level. A wood door with an operable lite provides access to the basement on the staircase’s east elevation. (See continuation sheet.)
*P3b. Resource Attributes: HP2. Single-family property *P4. Resources Present: :Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other (Isolates, etc.) P5a. Photo or Drawing P5b. Description of Photo: View south toward the façade of 56 Villa Avenue; May 22, 2009
*P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: :Historic Prehistoric Both ca. 1920; Sanborn maps, city directories, visual estimation
*P7. Owner and Address: Town of Los Gatos 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030
*P8. Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. 460 Bush Street San Francisco, CA 94108
*P9. Date Recorded: June 29, 2009
*P10. Survey Type: Intensive
*P11. Report Citation: Carey & Co., Inc., Historic Resource Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR, Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, California, 25 September 2009.
*Attachments: NONE Location Map Sketch Map :Continuation Sheet :Building, Structure, and Object Record Archaeological Record District Record Linear Feature Record Milling Station Record Rock Art Record Artifact Record Photograph Record Other (List): DPR 523A (1/95) *Required information State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD Page 2 of 5 *NRHP Status Code 6Z *Resource Name or # 56 and 56A Villa Avenue
B1. Historic Name: B2. Common Name: B3. Original Use: Single-family house B4. Present Use: Storage *B5. Architectural Style: Bungalow *B6. Construction History: Constructed c. 1920.
*B7. Moved? :No Yes Unknown Date: Original Location: *B8. Related Features:
B9a. Architect: Unknown b. Builder: John D. Vedova *B10. Significance: Theme: Residential growth Area: Downtown Los Gatos Period of Significance: c. 1920 Property Type: Single-family residence Applicable Criteria: N/A
(See continuation sheet.)
B11. Additional Resource Attributes:
*B12. References:
See continuation sheet.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator: Carey & Co., Inc.
*Date of Evaluation: June 29, 2009
DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial Page 3 of 5 *Resource Name or # 56 and 56AVilla Avenue
*Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. *Date: June 29, 2009 : Continuation Update
Continuation of P3a. Description:
The east and west elevations contain wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung windows set in a wood trim with a shallow sill. A segmental arched window set in wide trim is also located at basement level.
The south (rear) elevation contains an enclosed porch with screened windows and a screen door, wood vertical cladding on the exterior, and wood drop channel cladding on the interior. A wood paneled door is located west of the porch. A rectangular panel is located centrally in the gable; based on its size and shape, it appears to be a former opening that contained a door.
A smaller residential unit addressed as 56A Villa Avenue stands southeast of the house. The one-story, wood-frame building features a concrete foundation, a rectangular plan, and board and batten cladding. Asphalt shingles clad the gable roof, which has a wide eave overhang.
The façade has an inset porch with a simple wood balustrade and concrete steps. It shelters a wood glazed door located adjacent to a six-lite wood window the same height and width as the door. The west elevation contains a wood-sash, one-over- one, double-hung window, while the east elevation contains a similar window and an additional entrance consisting of a glazed, paneled door accessed by a wood porch with a simple wood staircase and railing.
An attached garage with vertical wood board sliding doors and a gabled roof that is lower in height projects to the west of the residential structure. Two small wood-sash windows puncture its west elevation.
Continuation of B10. Significance:
The bungalow at 56 Villa Avenue was constructed around 1920 for John D. Vedova, who installed a tiled mosaic displaying his name on the front porch. Born in Udine, Italy in 1877, John D. Vedova arrived in the San Francisco around 1907 and eventually settled in Los Gatos in 1911 after learning his trade in the cement business. A noted local cement contractor, he constructed numerous cement sidewalks, curbs, and gutters and did the concrete work on many homes in Los Gatos. He married Elizabeth Contardo, also born in Italy, and they adopted two children: his niece Eleanor Nasimbini and his nephew August Vedova, after their fathers were killed in World War I.i
In addition to the single-family bungalow, the parcel contained a small, one-story structure addressed as 56½ Villa Avenue located behind the house and a one-story, L-shaped building east of the house. It appears that the L-shaped building was demolished, and the rear building, now addressed as 56A Villa Avenue, moved to this location. Its garage is also a later addition.
Vedova may have lived at the building for only a short time, as city directories list Samuel Brownrigg as its occupant from 1930 to around 1940, followed by Lars Jacobson around 1943.ii
Around 1947, Laurence George Casaletto purchased the house. Prior to this, he lived across the street at 55 Villa Avenue. Born in Naples, Italy in 1888, Casaletto immigrated to the United States in 1892 with his parents, first to Virginia City, Nevada, and then Santa Clara County in 1901. Casaletto ran a prosperous blacksmith shop at 140 E. Main Street in Los Gatos after apprenticing under John Crosetti in San José. He married Ada Marshal, a native of Watsonville, California, and they adopted her niece Naomi Anderson.iii
Building permits indicate the house caught on fire around 1970 under the ownership of R. Sherider, although the extent of damage is unknown. The Town of Los Gatos purchased the property as early as 1994 and currently uses it as storage.iv
DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial Page 4 of 5 *Resource Name or # 56 and 56AVilla Avenue
*Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. *Date: June 29, 2009 : Continuation Update
The building does not appear to be eligible for listing in the NRHP or the CRHR under Criterion A/1. It did not play a significant role in the Town’s growth and civic improvements in the 1920s, which included the establishment of regular garbage collection, the construction of paved roads, and the burial of utility poles in the downtown. Additionally, it does not appear to be eligible under NRHP/CRHR Criteria B/2, C/3, or D/4. Neither the Vedovas, Samuel Brownrigg, the Casalettos, or Mr. Scherider appear to have made a significant contribution to local, state, or national history. Constructed in 1920, the house does not appear to be a significant example of a vernacular bungalow. Bungalows typically featured horizontal profiles, the use of natural or local materials, and expansive porches to connect the building’s open interior with the outdoors and became an inexpensive design solution that spread throughout the country via popular magazines and pattern books in the early twentieth century. v With its major features limited to a full-width front porch and a gabled dormer on the façade, this house appears to be an undistinguished example of this typology and does not possess a significant amount of detail or design to make it an important example of a bungalow. Lastly, the house does not appear to possess the potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, state, or the nation. Although the home retains a good level of integrity, including its cladding, roof configuration, wood-sash windows, and front porch, it does not appear to be eligible for the NRHP or the CRHR.
Continuation of B12. References:
Bloomfield, Anne. State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, Historic Resources Inventory Form, 17 Fiesta Way. Prepared in 1991. 17 Fiesta Way Vertical File, Los Gatos Public Library.
Bruntz, George G. History of Los Gatos: Gem of the Foothills. Fresno, CA: Valley Publishers, 1971.
Building Permit Records, 17 and 25 Fiesta Way and 56/56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division.
Clark, Clifford Edward Jr. The American Family Home: 1800-1960. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 1986.
Conaway, Peggy. Los Gatos. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2004.
Los Gatos city directories, 1890-1967.
Los Gatos Public Library. Hooked on Los Gatos. http://historylosgatos.org/ (accessed June 18, 2009).
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, “Los Gatos, California,” 1888, 1891, 1895, 1904, 1908, 1928, 1944.
Sawyer, Eugene. History of Santa Clara County, California. Los Angeles: Historic Record Co., 1922.
State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation. California Register of Historical Resources: The Listing Process. Technical Assistance Series 5. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, n. d.
_____. California Register and National Register: A Comparison. Technical Assistance Series 6. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2001.
DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial Page 5 of 5 *Resource Name or # 56 and 56AVilla Avenue
*Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. *Date: June 29, 2009 : Continuation Update
Continuation of B12. References:
_____. User’s Guide to the California Historical Resource Status Codes & Historic Resources Inventory Directory. Technical
Assistance Bulletin 8. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2004.
U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. National Register-National Historic Landmark Photo Expansion Policy.
http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/policyexpansion.htm (accessed June 26, 2009).
_____. How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, National Register Bulletin 15. Washington, DC: Government
Printing Office, 1997.
_____. How to Complete the National Register Registration Form, National Register Bulletin 16A. Washington, DC:
Government Printing Office, 1997.
U.S. Federal Census, 1880-1930. http://www.ancestry.com (accessed June 16, 2009).
U.S. Public Records Index. http://www.ancestry.com (accessed June 16, 2009).
i Eugene Sawyer, History of Santa Clara County, California (Los Angeles: Historic Record Co., 1922), 1522. ii Los Gatos city directories, 1930-1943. iii Sawyer, History of Santa Clara County, California, 1211. iv Building Permit Records, 56 Villa Avenue, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division. v Clifford Edward Clark Jr., The American Family Home: 1800-1960 (Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 1986), 171, 186.
DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # PRIMARY RECORD Trinomial NRHP Status Code Other Listings Review Code Reviewer Date Page 1 of 4 *Resource Name or #: 104 Villa Avenue
P1. Other Identifier: *P2. Location: Not for Publication : Unrestricted *a. County: Santa Clara County and (P2b and P2c or P2d. Attach a Location Map as necessary.) *b. USGS 7.5' Quad: Date: T ; R ; ¼ of ¼ of Sec ; M.D. B.M. c. Address: 104 Villa Avenue City: Los Gatos Zip: 95030 d. UTM: Zone: 10 ; mE/ mN (G.P.S.) e. Other Locational Data: Elevation:
*P3a. Description:
The one-story residence, now an office, faces north and stands close to Villa Avenue with a driveway located to its east. The building has an L-shaped plan, drop channel siding with stucco cladding along the foundation, and a wide eave overhang. The hipped roof clad in asphalt shingles terminates in a gable roof at the western end. A gabled addition projects south from the building’s rear elevation.
The façade contains a porch with a wood staircase and simple wood railing and handrail at its eastern end that accesses the main entrance consisting of a glazed door. Two wood sash, two-over-two, double-hung windows and a small vinyl-sash slider window are also located on the façade. (See continuation sheet.)
*P3b. Resource Attributes: HP2. Single-family property; HP14. Government building *P4. Resources Present: :Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other (Isolates, etc.) P5a. Photo or Drawing P5b. Description of Photo: View south toward the façade; May 22, 2009
*P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: :Historic Prehistoric Both ca. 1880; visual estimation
*P7. Owner and Address: Town of Los Gatos 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030
*P8. Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. 460 Bush Street San Francisco, CA 94108
*P9. Date Recorded: June 29, 2009
*P10. Survey Type: Intensive
*P11. Report Citation: Carey & Co., Inc., Historic Resource Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR, Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, California, 25 September 2009.
*Attachments: NONE Location Map Sketch Map :Continuation Sheet :Building, Structure, and Object Record Archaeological Record District Record Linear Feature Record Milling Station Record Rock Art Record Artifact Record Photograph Record Other (List): DPR 523A (1/95) *Required information State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD Page 2 of 4 *NRHP Status Code 6Z *Resource Name or # 104 Villa Avenue
B1. Historic Name: B2. Common Name: B3. Original Use: Single-family house B4. Present Use: City government office *B5. Architectural Style: Late nineteenth century vernacular *B6. Construction History: Constructed ca. 1880. Rear ramp constructed in 2002.
*B7. Moved? :No Yes Unknown Date: Original Location: *B8. Related Features:
B9a. Architect: Unknown b. Builder: Unknown *B10. Significance: Theme: Residential growth Area: Downtown Los Gatos Period of Significance: ca. 1880 Property Type: Single-family residence Applicable Criteria: N/A
(See continuation sheet.)
B11. Additional Resource Attributes:
*B12. References:
See continuation sheet.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator: Carey & Co., Inc.
*Date of Evaluation: June 29, 2009
DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial Page 3 of 4 *Resource Name or # 104 Villa Avenue
*Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. *Date: June 29, 2009 : Continuation Update
Continuation of P3a. Description:
The west elevation contains a wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung window; a small two-lite window in the gable; and an additional entrance with glazed door and a small porch with a concrete staircase and wood railing. The east façade has pair of wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung windows.
A concrete ramp running south and parallel of the house leads to two sets of wood, multi-lite French doors. The south elevation also contains a small, wood-sash window and wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung window. The wood siding around the doors and window has been replaced with wider siding that does not match the wood cladding on the rest of the house. Three wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung windows are located on gabled addition’s south elevation.
Continuation of B10. Significance:
The house appears to have been constructed in late nineteenth century as a simple, vernacular residence evident in its hipped and gabled roof with wide eave overhang, drop channel wood siding, cornice returns, and wood-sash, double-hung windows. However, it was moved in 1951 to the parcel, and its previous location in Los Gatos is unknown.i Therefore, archival research did not reveal information on its owners and occupants prior to its relocation. Wayne Wainwright lived there from around 1956 to 1961.ii Albert E. Harris, an electrician at the San Jose Canning Co., and Muriel C. Harris owned the house as early as 1962. In 1976, the Harris’ applied for building permits to repair fire damage to the kitchen. As early as 1996, the Town of Los Gatos purchased the building. In 2002, the Town reconfigured the rear of the building to make it ADA accessible. Architect Terry Martin of Los Gatos designed the accessible ramp. It currently houses the Town of Los Gatos Police Department.iii
The building does not appear to be eligible for listing in the NRHP or the CRHR under Criterion A/1. Although it dates to the late nineteenth century, it did not play a significant role in the development of Los Gatos at this time leading to its incorporation in 1887. Already a bustling community with established industries and commercial businesses, this house was one on many constructed in the late nineteenth century, and research of early residences did not call out this house as important to the early growth of the Town. Additionally, it does not appear to be eligible under NRHP/CRHR Criteria B/2, C/3, or D/4. Neither Wayne Wainwright or Albert and Muriel Harris appear to have made a significant contribution to local, state, or national history. It appears to be a relatively undistinguished late nineteenth century vernacular residence; its hipped roof with an overhang; wood drop channel cladding; and wood-sash, double-hung windows are extremely typical of this era. Lastly, the house does not appear to possess the potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, state, or the nation. Although the home retains a good level of integrity, including its cladding, roof configuration, wood-sash windows, it does not appear to be eligible for the NRHP or the CRHR.
DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial Page 4 of 4 *Resource Name or # 104 Villa Avenue
*Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. *Date: June 29, 2009 : Continuation Update
Continuation of B12. References:
Bloomfield, Anne. State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, Historic Resources Inventory Form, 17 Fiesta Way. Prepared in 1991. 17 Fiesta Way Vertical File, Los Gatos Public Library.
Bruntz, George G. History of Los Gatos: Gem of the Foothills. Fresno, CA: Valley Publishers, 1971.
Building Permit Records, 17 and 25 Fiesta Way and 56/56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division.
Conaway, Peggy. Los Gatos. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2004.
Los Gatos city directories, 1890-1967.
Los Gatos Public Library. Hooked on Los Gatos. http://historylosgatos.org/ (accessed June 18, 2009).
PIERS Environmental Services, Inc. Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Report for 17 and 25 Fiesta Way and 56, 56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue, Los Gatos, California. Prepared for Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department. 17 May 2009.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, “Los Gatos, California,” 1888, 1891, 1895, 1904, 1908, 1928, 1944.
State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation. California Register of Historical Resources: The Listing Process. Technical Assistance Series 5. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, n. d.
_____. California Register and National Register: A Comparison. Technical Assistance Series 6. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2001.
_____. User’s Guide to the California Historical Resource Status Codes & Historic Resources Inventory Directory. Technical Assistance Bulletin 8. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2004.
U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. National Register-National Historic Landmark Photo Expansion Policy. http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/policyexpansion.htm (accessed June 26, 2009).
_____. How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, National Register Bulletin 15. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997.
_____. How to Complete the National Register Registration Form, National Register Bulletin 16A. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997.
i PIERS Environmental Services, Inc., Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Report, 19; Building Permit Records, 104 Villa Avenue, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division. ii Los Gatos city directories, 1956-1962. iii Building Permit Records, 104 Villa Avenue, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division.
DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # PRIMARY RECORD Trinomial NRHP Status Code Other Listings Review Code Reviewer Date Page 1 of 3 *Resource Name or #: 108 Villa Avenue
P1. Other Identifier: *P2. Location: Not for Publication : Unrestricted *a. County: Santa Clara County and (P2b and P2c or P2d. Attach a Location Map as necessary.) *b. USGS 7.5' Quad: Date: T ; R ; ¼ of ¼ of Sec ; M.D. B.M. c. Address: 108 Villa Avenue City: Los Gatos Zip: 95030 d. UTM: Zone: 10 ; mE/ mN (G.P.S.) e. Other Locational Data: Elevation:
*P3a. Description:
This one-story, wood-frame house has a rectangular plan and an asphalt shingle-clad hipped roof with wide eave overhang. The façade contains a shallow front porch with a roof overhang supported by wood posts. It shelters the main entrance consisting of a wood, paneled door with a fan light in the upper portion. Small concrete steps rise to the door. The porch also shelters a tripartite, metal-sash window with central picture window flanked by casement windows. A similar window hangs east of the porch. Additional metal casement windows are located throughout the building. Additional entrances are located on the east elevation consisting of a wood paneled door and on the south elevation consisting of a wood, glazed, paneled door.
*P3b. Resource Attributes: HP2. Single-family property *P4. Resources Present: :Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other (Isolates, etc.) P5a. Photo or Drawing P5b. Description of Photo: View south toward the façade; May 22, 2009
*P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: :Historic Prehistoric Both 1955; Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department records
*P7. Owner and Address: Town of Los Gatos 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030
*P8. Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. 460 Bush Street San Francisco, CA 94108
*P9. Date Recorded: June 29, 2009
*P10. Survey Type: Intensive
*P11. Report Citation: Carey & Co., Inc., Historic Resource Evaluation Report, Los Gatos Library EIR, Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, California, 25 September 2009.
*Attachments: NONE Location Map Sketch Map :Continuation Sheet :Building, Structure, and Object Record Archaeological Record District Record Linear Feature Record Milling Station Record Rock Art Record Artifact Record Photograph Record Other (List): DPR 523A (1/95) *Required information State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD Page 2 of 3 *NRHP Status Code 6Z *Resource Name or # 108 Villa Avenue
B1. Historic Name: B2. Common Name: B3. Original Use: Single-family house B4. Present Use: Single-family house *B5. Architectural Style: Ranch *B6. Construction History: Constructed in 1955.
*B7. Moved? :No Yes Unknown Date: Original Location: *B8. Related Features:
B9a. Architect: Unknown b. Builder: Harmony Homes *B10. Significance: Theme: Residential growth Area: Downtown Los Gatos Period of Significance: 1955 Property Type: Single-family residence Applicable Criteria: N/A
(See continuation sheet.)
B11. Additional Resource Attributes:
*B12. References:
See continuation sheet.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator: Carey & Co., Inc.
*Date of Evaluation: June 29, 2009
DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information
State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial Page 3 of 3 *Resource Name or # 108 Villa Avenue
*Recorded by: Carey & Co., Inc. *Date: June 29, 2009 : Continuation Update
Continuation of B10. Significance:
The house was designed by Harmony Homes and constructed around 1955 for C. A. Spotswood. It appears to have been relatively unaltered, since its construction. As early as 1995, the Town of Los Gatos purchased the building and currently maintains it as a rental property.i
The building does not appear to be eligible for listing in the NRHP or the CRHR under Criterion A/1, since it does not appear to have played a significant role in Los Gatos’ postwar growth. Additionally, it does not appear to be eligible under NRHP/CRHR Criteria B/2, C/3, or D/4. Mr. Spotswood does not appear to have made a significant contribution to local, state, or national history. Constructed in 1955, the structure is an undistinguished example of a Ranch house, which was constructed en masse after World War II and typically featured low, horizontal profiles; low-pitched roofs; prominent attached garages; and open plans. Lastly, the house does not appear to possess the potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, state, or the nation. Although the home retains a good level of integrity, including its cladding, roof configuration, and metal- sash casement windows, it does not appear to be eligible for the NRHP or the CRHR.
Continuation of B12. References:
Bloomfield, Anne. State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, Historic Resources Inventory Form, 17 Fiesta Way. Prepared in 1991. 17 Fiesta Way Vertical File, Los Gatos Public Library.
Bruntz, George G. History of Los Gatos: Gem of the Foothills. Fresno, CA: Valley Publishers, 1971.
Building Permit Records, 17 and 25 Fiesta Way and 56/56A, 104, and 108 Villa Avenue, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division.
Los Gatos city directories, 1890-1967.
Los Gatos Public Library. Hooked on Los Gatos. http://historylosgatos.org/ (accessed June 18, 2009).
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, “Los Gatos, California,” 1888, 1891, 1895, 1904, 1908, 1928, 1944.
State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation. California Register of Historical Resources: The Listing Process. Technical Assistance Series 5. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, n. d.
_____. California Register and National Register: A Comparison. Technical Assistance Series 6. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2001.
_____. User’s Guide to the California Historical Resource Status Codes & Historic Resources Inventory Directory. Technical Assistance Bulletin 8. Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2004.
U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. National Register-National Historic Landmark Photo Expansion Policy. http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/policyexpansion.htm (accessed June 26, 2009).
_____. How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, National Register Bulletin 15. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997.
_____. How to Complete the National Register Registration Form, National Register Bulletin 16A. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1997.
i Building Permit Records, 108 Villa Avenue, Town of Los Gatos Community Development Department, Building Division. DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information