1905 house at History Park destroyed in early Sunday blaze
City's arson unit is examining cause of fire that engulfed the Nelson-DeLuz home
A two-alarm fire that destroyed a 118-year-old house at San Jose's History Park early Sunday is being examined by the San Jose Fire Department's arson unit.
San Jose Fire Capt. Jeremy Mann said there were no injuries in the fire, which was reported at 3:42 a.m. and also damaged two other structures. An investigation into the cause is ongoing and could take several weeks to complete.
“It's sad,” Mann said. “Obviously, you don't want to lose any of your buildings. This has some historical significance to the city of San Jose.”
The damage could have been much more devastating to both the park and San Jose's historic collection. The Nelson-DeLuz house, which was destroyed, is located at the Phelan Avenue entrance to History Park and is right next door to the Pasetta House, which contains a gallery displaying paintings by famed Santa Clara valley artists, including Andrew P. Hill and A.D.M. Cooper.
The rear wall of the Pasetta
House facing the Nelson-DeLuz house was scorched and windows in that area were damaged. It was actually the smoke alarm from the Pasetta House that triggered the San Jose Fire Department response. The fire was the worst ever to strike History Park, a 14-acre part of Kelley Park that opened in 1971 and contains more than 30 original and reconstructed buildings from San Jose's past.
Ken Middlebrook, History San Jose's curator of collections, said the paintings inside the David and Leonard McKay gallery suffered smoke damage but were all intact. Collections Manager Katrina Anderson, Archives Curator Cate Mills and Middlebrook carefully wrapped the paintings to transport them for storage in the city's collection center.
The Califaro Tank House, a 19th-century structure located behind the Nelson-DeLuz house, was also heavily damaged and will likely be torn down, Middlebrook said, along with the Nelson-DeLuz House.
“This is by far the worst that we've ever had here,” Middlebrook said of the fire, adding that he expects repairing damage to the Pasetta House to be priority for the organization. “Some things can be replaced, but it takes resources.”
The Nelson-DeLuz house was built around 1905 and originally stood at William and South 11th streets near downtown San Jose. John Nelson, a Southern Pacific Railroad worker, and his wife, Etta, raised four children in the house, which they moved into in 1919. The oldest of their children, Kristena Nelson DeLuz, moved back into the house with her husband, William DeLuz, following World War II while she worked in the home economics department at San Jose State.
The house and land were bequeathed to the History Museums of San Jose Association upon her death in 1986. The land was sold to move the house to History Park and pay for its restoration. It contained period furniture, including a large 1930s-era console radio that could be seen inside the wreckage Sunday.
Unlike some other historic houses at the park, the Nelson-DeLuz space was not being actively used by a partner organization. Barbara Johnson, History San Jose's director of operations, said the house was going to be used as a rentable event space and many ceramic items like tea sets were stored there.