Naglee Park homes show off San Jose neighborhood’s history, resilience

Having spent the better part of last week in New Orleans, it was a treat to see so many historic homes and buildings in that city, which is in the midst of its 300th birthday celebration. And I had to remind myself that while San Jose has built over a great deal of its own history, there are still gems here worth saving and marveling at.

Some of those architectural delights will be on display Saturday during the San Jose Woman’s Club’s biennial home and garden tour of the Naglee Park neighborhood on downtown’s eastern edge. Naglee Park may not be New Orleans’ Garden District, but it boasts an eclectic collection of early 20th century homes that have been maintained or restored over the past few decades. The tour includes Tudor, Spanish Revival, Prairie and California bungalow styles from architects including Frank D. Wolfe, Wolfe & McKenzie and designer William L. Lewis.

Several homes in the neighborhood were damaged during last year’s Coyote Creek flood, and three of the seven homes on the tour are newly restored after being deluged. It’s a nice comeback for these homes in a neighborhood that’s seen many twists and turns. Tickets for the tour are available for $35 in advance at nagleeparkhometour. eventbrite.com or $40 the day of the tour. Historian April Halberstadt will talk about Naglee Park and its interesting residents at 1 p.m.

Since the daughters of Brig. Gen. Henry Morris Naglee began transforming his 140-acre estate into San Jose’s first residential subdivision in 1902, the neighborhood has had a range of identities, including time as inexpensive faculty housing for nearby San Jose State and later a popular location for many halfway houses and other residential group homes. Former Mayor Ernie Renzel built a house there that he lived in until he died at age 100, and today the neighborhood is known as one of San Jose’s more desirable addresses and a magnet for those with an interest in history. (That — along with a desire to stay close to downtown — prompted our family to move into the neighborhood last year.)

Naglee Park formed San Jose’s first neighborhood group decades ago, and longtime residents remember the fight for parking permits when the streets were flooded with the cars of SJSU students. After commuters began using the neighborhood as a shortcut, traffic barriers were installed on many streets — creating a maze for cars but a more comfortable zone for pedestrians and cyclists.

Many of the faculty members stuck around, and many of the halfway houses were moved out as neighbors fought to return Naglee Park to its residential roots. A few houses have been lost to floods and others to monstrous makeovers. But the homes on the Woman’s Club tour — nestled around South 16th and 17th streets — are landmarks of battles with bureaucracy, modernization and even nature.

We should treasure them while we can.

COLUMBUS’ LAST STOP >> The statue of Christopher Columbus — much reviled or beloved depending on what side of the issue you were on — that had been at San Jose City Hall officially made port at its new home last week. The statue, originally a gift to the city from San Jose’s Italian community, is now on display at the Italian American Heritage Foundation’s Cultural Center on North Fourth Street.

I’m told that the marble explorer’s final journey went without incident and that about 300 people enjoyed its company last Friday at the IAHF’s annual crab feed. It’s on display whenever the center is open for those who would like to see it in the future.