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Photograph courtesy of John De Vincenzi
The Buffington House, on Lincoln Avenue, was built in 1905 by local architect Frank D. Wolfe.
A Willow Glen Abecedary
An alphabetic account of Willow Glen's singular attributes, both past and present day
Each September, the community of Willow Glen comes together to celebrate Founders Day--to commemorate a historic past that includes a brief, proud period of cityhood and a tradition of community involvement that Glenites hold dear to this day. Founders Day is a celebration of Willow Glen's independent spirit, but it's also a reflection of where Willow Glen has been and where it's headed. In honor of this, the staff of the Willow Glen Resident has put together a brief chronicle of the Glen. These 26 vignettes, from Arbuckle to Zucchini, portray Willow Glen's unique qualities, from people and places to architecture and agriculture--in short, everything that makes the Glen a special place to live and to visit.
-Tai Moses, editor
A Is For Arbuckle. San Jose historian Clyde Arbuckle (1903-1998) was the grandson of some of the first pioneers to homestead in the Santa Clara Valley. As a boy, he delivered newspapers in Willow Glen and then drove a horse team, and later a truck, for the Railway Express. The encyclopedic knowledge he developed about the region enabled him to write the definitive History of San José. His wife, Helen Arbuckle, was also working on a book when she died in December 1998. An addendum of sorts to her husband's famous tome, it would have recounted the "herstory" of San Jose women.
B Is For Buffington House. Architect Frank D. Wolfe designed the shingled house at 1226 Lincoln Ave. in 1905. The historic landmark was home to Santa Clara County Deputy Sheriff Howard M. Buffington and his wife, Lulu. Buffington served as the first fire chief of Willow Glen, and was the sheriff during the infamous 1933 lynching of the Hart kidnappers in St. James Park.
Photograph courtesy of John De Vincenzi
Community leader Paul Fenimore Clark (on the far left wearing glasses) became Willow Glen's first mayor in 1927.
C Is For Clark. Paul Fenimore Clark became Willow Glen's first mayor in 1927. His wife, May Roberts Clark, was a president of the San Jose Women's Club and an accomplished poet and author. The Clark's house at 1147 Minnesota Ave. was built for them by architect Frank Wolfe, and Clark lived there until his death in 1932. Five years later, May shot herself in the head in the bathroom of their home, leaving specific instructions in her will that no one in her family was to have the house. Live Oak Adult Day Services recently bought and restored the house, converting it into an adult day-care center.
D Is For Dry Creek Road. In 1866 an enormous flood changed the course of Los Gatos Creek, creating an entirely new channel. When it finally receded, there was a new creek bed, today known as Dry Creek Road. Today the celebrated jumping frog family of Santa Clara County, the Fasanos, live here. Every May, the frog-loving family heads to the Calaveras County Fairgrounds in hopes of coaxing their amphibians on to record-breaking leaps.
Photograph courtesy of John De Vincenzi
From 1920 to 1930, an electric streetcar ferried Willow Glen residents up and down Lincoln Avenue.
E Is For El Abra. Lincoln Avenue, one of the earliest main roads from Willow Glen to the town of San Jose, used to be called El Abra. El Abra's name was reportedly changed to Lincoln after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Improvements to the road were the focus of many residents over the years, as winter rains regularly swelled Los Gatos Creek, washing out El Abra and flooding the village. An 1872 petition asked for the street to be widened by 60 feet. In later years, the thoroughfare had a trolley line running down its length.
F Is For Fuller Avenue. Located on the northern edge of Willow Glen (just before Palm Haven and after the "Welcome to Willow Glen" underpass), Fuller Avenue was named in honor of Benjamin Fuller, the last of 14 elective police chiefs in San Jose. During his reign of just a few months in 1916, Fuller became known more for his paunch than his policies. Weighing in at a hefty 250 pounds, big boy Fuller was always seen around town sporting a Texas cattleman's sombrero. At the end of his brief chiefdom, the gregarious businessman returned to his job of managing some of the valley's biggest dried fruit packing houses.
Photograph courtesy of John De Vincenzi
The Garden Theater has been a barometer of growth on Lincoln Avenue since its grand opening in 1949.
G Is For Garden Theatre. The movie palace had its grand opening in June 1949, and closed its doors to celluloid in 1991. The building still has its art deco façade, but the theater was gutted to create a three-story mini mall. When the city of San Jose handed former property owner Richard Alley permits to operate restaurants and retail shops inside the Garden Theater, it was on the condition that he take certain steps to protect neighbors from bright lights, smelly trash and a congested parking lot. Two property owners and almost a decade later, the conditions were met, and last May in the City Council Chambers, the curtain finally fell on the saga of the Garden Theater.
H Is For House Tours. Every spring for the past 17 years, the Willow Glen Lifestyles home tour has showcased half a dozen homes ranging from English Tudors and Cape Code colonials to ranch-style Glen homes. The tour brings neighbors and newcomers alike into some of Willow Glen's finest homes, and benefits the San Jose Day Nursery. Last year, some of the homes opened more than just their doors to visitors--several tour participants reported eyeing a few racy photos on the walls of a certain Victorian.
Photograph courtesy of John De Vincenzi
Willow Glen was a city of its own from 1927 until 1936, when the community voted to join San Jose.
I Is For Incorporation. In 1925, the San Jose City Council ordered the Southern Pacific Railroad's track off Fourth Street in downtown San Jose. The railroad planned a relocation that would have bisected Willow Glen from Coe Avenue to Almaden Road--a proposal that infuriated residents of the quiet haven of bungalow homes. In 1927, Willow Glen incorporated for the specific purpose of keeping the railroad off its streets. When the railroad went ahead and ran its right-of-way across a remote corner of Willow Glen, the new city went to the Supreme Court and won its fight against the relocated rail line. With the railroad guaranteed gone, confident Willow Glen citizens voted to annex to San Jose in 1936.
J Is For Joseph Gitin, Rabbi. When the U.S. Postal Service threatened to invade Willow Glen with an $11 million dollar post office on the corner of Meridian and Hamilton in 1973, Rabbi Joseph intervened. At an emotional community meeting, the rabbi delivered some memorable words from the book of Leviticus, reminding neighbors that the Hebrew symbol for "home" means "freedom." Postal Service planners quickly withdrew their request and found another site in industrial north San Jose for the mail processing facility.
K Is For Kirk, Theophilus and Socrates. The two brothers drove a herd of cattle from Missouri to California in 1853. Theophilus owned 468 acres near Dry Creek along what is now Kirk Road; in 1878, he built the Kirk-Farrington house, located at 1615 Dry Creek Road, an Italianate Victorian that is both a county and a city landmark. In 1979, owner Dorothy Farrington donated the house and all of its furnishings to the Junior League of San Jose in the Farrington Historical Foundation Trust.
Photograph courtesy of John De Vincenzi
Willow Glen's first public library opened in 1930.
L Is For Library. The first public lending library in Willow Glen was a county library, established in a corner of the Willow Glen Methodist Episcopal Church in 1930. Seven years later, when the city of Willow Glen was annexed to San Jose, the Willow Glen Library became a branch of the San Jose Public Library. Today the library is housed at 1949 Minnesota Ave.
M Is For Meridian. Meridian Avenue, the crosstown connector that cuts a big swath from north to south San Jose, was formerly known as Meridian Road. The thoroughfare follows the north-south map line passing through the summit of Mt. Diablo, the base point for real estate surveys throughout the Bay Area. Laid out in 1852, the road was later found to be cockeyed because the original surveyor had used magnetic compasses--and magnetic north changes over time. Using the North Star as his sighting, an astronomer at Lick Observatory determined that the original road deviated from the meridian by about 8 feet per half mile. The correction was made to the road and today Meridian Avenue is a true north-south line.
N Is For Newport Avenue. It used to be called Washington Avenue, and was part of the early Cherryhurst Subdivision, which opened for development in 1909. Large-scale residential development began to appear here at the turn of the century. In 1963, the street's name was changed to Newport Avenue, possibly to end the confusion with Washington Street in downtown San Jose.
O Is For Ohlone. These California Indians were Willow Glen's first inhabitants and true founders. They thrived in and enjoyed the region in its natural state for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. Spanish missionaries changed the tribe's name to Costanoan, meaning "coastal people." Their village sites, refuse heaps and burial sites have been found along the banks of the Guadalupe River.
P Is For Pine Avenue. In 1973, members of the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association lobbied to stop the city from widening Bird and Pine avenues. Glenites didn't want to see their bucolic avenue become a major thoroughfare. Neighbors won the battle, stopping the city from widening the roads. Even today, the quiet avenue is a continual reminder of the neighbors' fight to maintain Willow Glen's small-town feel.
Q Is For Quaint. With its eucalyptus-lined streets and historic houses, Willow Glen is the embodiment of this six-letter word. Willow Glen's neighborhoods are an eclectic mix of tiny bungalows, Tudor cottages, gingerbread-trimmed Victorians, Spanish-style haciendas and Craftsmans. As the new millennium approachs, however, gigantic monster homes threaten to gobble up Willow Glen and all its quaintness.
R Is For Roberto-Suñol Adobe. The historic adobe at 770 Lincoln Ave. is the only surviving structure from Willow Glen's pueblo days. The house is named after its original owner, Roberto Ballermino, an Indian from the Santa Clara Mission who used the adobe as the ranch house for his 2,219-acre Rancho de Los Coches. In 1847, Ballermino deeded the property to Don Antonio Suñol as payment for a $500 debt. The backyard sports San Jose's oldest known fruit-bearing tree--a 163-year-old black fig.
S Is For Squirrels. Whether romping through the trees or ending up as road kill along Lincoln Avenue, these playful critters are the Glen's favorite rodent. Unfortunately, squirrels often don't make it across all four lanes of busy Lincoln Avenue. The death of these little furballs is only one of the many prices Glenites pay as their small town blossoms into a bustling business district. The next time a squirrel tries to cross the road, take time to heed his quiet message. Slow down, Willow Glen. Cruise Lincoln at a leisurely pace and take time to smell the acorns.
T Is For Tennis. The turn of the century brought many tennis courts to San Jose, to almost every park and high school. Today, Glenites can play in public parks or can join the San Jose Swim and Racquet Club, at 1170 Pedro St. Tennis is more than a sport or a hobby for much of Willow Glen, however; it's a way of life. Whether sported at Willow Glen's Lucky supermarket or Jamba Juice on Lincoln Avenue, tennis skirts and shorts abound on Glenites of all ages, shapes and sizes.
U Is For UFOs. As far as we know, there haven't been any sightings in Willow Glen. Suspected UFOs are generally lights from planes waiting to land at San Jose International Airport or the occasional meteor falling from the sky. If extraterrestrial beings were to land in Willow Glen, however, we're quite sure they would be pleased with what they saw. Friendly faces, green foliage, quiet neighborhoods--there can't be a better place to get a first look at life on planet Earth.
V Is For Village. Although Willow Glen was annexed to the city of San Jose in 1936, local residents still consider the Glen to be a separate entity in itself--a gem inside big-city San Jose. Many consider downtown Lincoln Avenue's sampling of independently owned shops, boutiques and restaurants to be the heart of the village. From Hicklebee's and Willow Glen Coffee Roasting Company to White Dove Cafe and Details, locally owned businesses thrive along the Avenue. Chain stores beware, Willow Glen doesn't want you.
Photograph courtesy of John De Vincenzi
The original Willow Glen Elementary School building was on the corner of Minnesota and Lincoln, across the street from the gas station.
W Is For Willows. Back in 1863, Willow Glen was called "The Willows," in honor of the graceful trees that shaded its riverbanks. A newspaper article from 1894 reads, in part, "The Willows district is the most noted in the county. Most roads are gravel and kept well sprinkled, bordered by lines of walnuts, eucalyptus, elms, pepper trees and fan palms."
X Is For eXtravaganza. The community of Willow Glen comes alive for Founders Day--a weekend-long celebration in which residents proudly celebrate their community's nine years of independence from San Jose, 1927-1936. The celebration has packed Lincoln Avenue for the past 18 years, with festivities, parades, music and dancing. The first Founders Day attracted a crowd of 5,000; in 1997 a record number of people turned out for the event--nearly 25,000 participants, who were also there to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Willow Glen Elementary.
Y Is For Yontz. Although John Yontz was one of Willow Glen's original founders, no one one really knows much about him. He was the county's first elected sheriff, and a tax collector. But most importantly, Yontz's signature is one of 28 on a petition sent by prominent Glenites to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 1853, requesting a new road for the settlement of El Abra. One year after the petition was sent, the rest of the Yontz family came west to join their patriarch in his Willow Glen home.
Z Is For Zucchini. Farmers sell the squash--along with other fresh vegetables, fruits, pastas and fish--at the Willow Glen Farmers' Market. Dozens of farmers turn out for the market, held on Saturday mornings in Willow Glen Elementary School's parking lot. The size of Willow Glen-grown zucchinis is legendary. In fact, we hear that Glenites who have moved to other parts of the state tell their children bedtime stories about the late, great Glen zukes.
--By Jessica Lyons, Kara Chalmers, Sarah Gaffney and Tai Moses. With appreciative thanks to 'History of San Jose,' by Clyde Arbuckle; 'The Willow Glen Neighborhood, Then and Now,' by April Hope Halberstadt; and 'Old Willow Glen,' by Elizabeth Giarratana.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
