If you are at the corner of Race and Park Avenue you'll notice Tillman Avenue. This grand car entrance to Hanchett Residence Park has been blocked off given that the city isn't fond of 5 way intersections in today's heavy traffic conditions.
What you won't see are the 2 beautiful columns that used to anchor the entrance. Because they were built from wood and stucco they didn't survive the 117 years of time that has passed. You can find a smaller reproduction of it's sister pillars at Hanchett Avenue & The Alameda that were dedicated in 2009. If you'd like your own pergola contact Mike Borbely at Novuspace who designed the historical recreation of our gateway.
What you won't see are the 2 beautiful columns that used to anchor the entrance. Because they were built from wood and stucco they didn't survive the 117 years of time that has passed. You can find a smaller reproduction of it's sister pillars at Hanchett Avenue & The Alameda that were dedicated in 2009. If you'd like your own pergola contact Mike Borbely at Novuspace who designed the historical recreation of our gateway.
Before World War I the concept of "Residence Parks" was emerging in America. The goal was to ensure that a neighborhood would reflect certain architecture standards and unfortunately also included racial restrictions on who could live in the neighborhood. What made the residence a "park" was the inclusion of public space being set aside for beautification, sidewalks, lighting, gateway landmarks and wide curved streets with European style roundabouts. This later became the covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R) that is common in today's homeowner's associations.
In 1907 developer Lewis Hanchett hired famed John McLaren (Golden Gate Park, San Francisco) to design Hanchett Residence Park on the former 76 acre County Fairgrounds and Race Track called "Agricultural Park." The neighborhood is 17 blocks bordered by Race Street, Park Avenue, the Alameda and Hester Avenue. Residents who bought a lot were required to commission an architect that met Hanchett's design standards. The contract also required that no "business houses" would be permitted, that this was a residence only neighborhood. Famed T.S. Montgomery & Son were the real estate agents.
Most of the homes were built between 1915 to 1930 and residents could catch the Alameda Street Trolley or drive past these gateway pillars on Tillman and Martin avenues. Hanchett Residence Park was annexed into San Jose in 1925.
McLaren's use of gateways to designate something special inspired nearby Palm Haven to add their own set in 1913, and to restore them in 2006. San Jose's historical use of pillar gateways may have inspired San Jose State University's 1997 $1.5 million dollar Heritage Gateway campaign to erect eight beautiful entrances, although it probably didn't hurt that Stanford has a nice historical gateway too!
In 1907 developer Lewis Hanchett hired famed John McLaren (Golden Gate Park, San Francisco) to design Hanchett Residence Park on the former 76 acre County Fairgrounds and Race Track called "Agricultural Park." The neighborhood is 17 blocks bordered by Race Street, Park Avenue, the Alameda and Hester Avenue. Residents who bought a lot were required to commission an architect that met Hanchett's design standards. The contract also required that no "business houses" would be permitted, that this was a residence only neighborhood. Famed T.S. Montgomery & Son were the real estate agents.
Most of the homes were built between 1915 to 1930 and residents could catch the Alameda Street Trolley or drive past these gateway pillars on Tillman and Martin avenues. Hanchett Residence Park was annexed into San Jose in 1925.
McLaren's use of gateways to designate something special inspired nearby Palm Haven to add their own set in 1913, and to restore them in 2006. San Jose's historical use of pillar gateways may have inspired San Jose State University's 1997 $1.5 million dollar Heritage Gateway campaign to erect eight beautiful entrances, although it probably didn't hurt that Stanford has a nice historical gateway too!
There was a pair of Hanchett Residence Park Gateway pillars with a trellis at the three way intersection of Martin Avenue, Race Street and the Alameda. Above is a photo of it in it's heyday complete with a state of the art electric trolley urban transit system that brought the Alameda Street Car right into the neighborhood. Talk about front door access to great public transportation. The previous generation of public transit were horse drawn carriages and a failed attempt at a buried electric cable street car system.
Currently the Tillman Gateway Pillars live on in Suhita Shirodkar's artbox mural on the utility box at Race and Park.
Hopefully the neighborhood's Hanchett Park Heritage Project can raise the $80,000 to recreate the grandiose Tillman pillars and maybe with enough support we can turn this dead end cul de sac into something John McLaren would be proud of. See previous post on the air raid siren and Peacenik Park idea.
Hopefully the neighborhood's Hanchett Park Heritage Project can raise the $80,000 to recreate the grandiose Tillman pillars and maybe with enough support we can turn this dead end cul de sac into something John McLaren would be proud of. See previous post on the air raid siren and Peacenik Park idea.