City history went up in flames with Lawrence building
The devastating massive fire that tore through a 19th century building on San Fernando Street in San Jose on Thursday didn’t just destroy a set of storefronts that were thankfully unoccupied, it also threatened to incinerate decades of the city’s history.
The Lawrence Hotel building never has been deemed significant enough to warrant city landmark status, and unlike other storied downtown structures, few photographs exist from most of its 125-year history. But it has been a structure around which generations of San Joseans have created memories.
Cinebar, probably San Jose’s oldest watering hole, has hosted countless graduating San Jose State Spartans on the morning of their commencement and once boasted of having downtown’s only pool table. (It had a life before that, too, referred to as a “soft drink parlor” in a mid-1940s Spartan Daily article; and ads in the 1950s featured a gent in a sport coat, making it look like a sophisticated nightspot.)
It’s been a long time since I was a regular, but count me among those who expressed anguish over the damage to the beloved dive bar, which had been closed since March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Co- owner Stacy Sutherland has vowed to rebuild and I hope she succeeds.
The building’s other tenants — Chacho’s, Los San Patricios, and Social Lady — also were closed, but those spots have their own lineage as well. Chacho’s, which owner Jorge Sanchez had closed permanently just weeks before the fire, occupied the space where Olga Enciso- Smith once had the Inca Gardens Peruvian Restaurant, a popular and rare spot to find South American food in the San Jose during the 1990s.
Mandrake’s Shoe Repair was next door in those days and then there was Twice-read Books — also known as Woodruff & Thush — a musty, old used-book den that closed in 2003 after being open since
1928 or ’38, depending on your source. It was owned by Craig Thush, who probably charged a bit too much for old paperbacks compared to nearby Recycle Bookstore. I doubt he cared much about the lost business, though, as he also owned the building until selling it in 2003.
But personally, the space at 71-73 E. San Fernando Street seems to span a lifetime. That was the site of Comic Collector Shop, San Jose’s first comic-book store (and one of the first in the country), which the curmudgeonly Bob Sidebottom opened a block away in the late 1960s before moving to the Lawrence a couple years in. Sidebottom could scare the heck out of an 8-yearold browsing through the stacks, but I’ve heard he held court talking and listening to jazz with customers.
After Sidebottom’s death in 1993 at age 57, the comic shop eventually became Stratta Grill & Bar, where I had my first mojito. A change of names, decor and theme turned it into the Latinflavored Azucar a few years later, where actor Edward James Olmos stopped in during a Cinequest party. The next it
eration was Deluxe Eatery & Drinkery, where my family was among those who went there for a weekend breakfast heavy on comfort food and seasonal items prepared by chef Chad Ferry.
The last tenant in that spot was Social Lady, a restaurant and bar with white- and-pink decor that aimed to “celebrate femininity,” according to its website. That’s a heck of a journey from the days of Bob Sidebottom smoking and listening to Miles Davis records be
hind the counter.
What happens next to the building isn’t yet known. The entire top floor — once the Toccoa boarding house and later the Lawrence Hotel — is down to the brick façade. It’s no doubt a candidate for demolition, but one building expert who has been to the site told me it could be saved.
But whether it comes back or becomes a pile of rubble, its legacy will stay alive at least in our memories.
MIRACLE ON MURPHY AV
ENUE >> A really beautiful moment happened in Sunnyvale last month that is still worth sharing in the new year. Downtown Sunnyvale Association Executive Director Mike Johnson asked Sunnyvale Community Services to help downtown businesses owners give some holiday cheer to their workers, many of whom saw their hours cut.
Sunnyvale Community Services Executive Director Marie Bernard says they checked their food inventory from Second
Harvest and reached out to the local community for support. In no time at all, a thousand pounds of food, as well as gift cards for groceries and other essentials, were acquired for distribution.
On Dec. 21, 300 downtown Sunnyvale workers came by the distribution spot on Murphy Avenue to receive a food bag and $75 in gift cards.
“This was much needed help for them to get through the holidays with food on their tables and other essentials,” Bernard said. “We’re calling it the Miracle on Murphy Avenue — a small one, but hopefully some help for outof-work employees who need assistance this holiday season.”
SHIFTING GEARS AT SPUR >>
Teresa Alvarado is moving on after nine years of involvement with the urban advocacy group SPUR, including stints as a board member, director of its San Jose office and, most recently, its chief of local impact.
“As it has for many, this year has inspired me toward self-reflection and a transition to new opportunities,” Alvarado said in an email, adding that she’ll be returning to her consulting practice.
SPUR is recruiting for a new director for its San Jose office. Alvarado’s replacement, interim Director Michael Lane, will be moving to a newly created position as SPUR’S state policy director.
POWERFUL VOICES >> Longtime friends and changemakers Dolores Huerta and Luis Valdez will kick off the Peninsula Open Space Trust’s Wallace Stegner lecture series for 2021 with an online conversation on Jan. 26.
“Land and People” is the title of the 7 p.m. conversation between the longtime labor leader and Chicano theater pioneer, which will be presented free to the public, though advance registration is required at openspacetrust. org/wsls- dolores-huerta.
The pair of legends will reflect on their histories in the Santa Clara Valley, as well as their work toward social and environmental justice, framed around the relationships among history, land and people in the state. It’ll be facilitated by José González, founder of Latino Outdoors, which is one of the sponsors.
Future lectures will feature Erin Brockovich ( Feb. 23), climate scientist Michael E. Mann ( March 9), and humanitarian chef José
Andrés (April 6). Go to openspacetrust.org/ lectures for tickets.