"I'm pleased with the revitalization of this neighborhood since I took office," says District 6 Councilman Ken Yeager. "From the establishment of the neighborhood association to the creation of Hummingbird and Fuller Park along with their traffic calming and streetscape projects, they've worked with the city to enhance the neighborhood, and deserve recognition for their efforts."

To earn this award, neighborhoods are required to show three areas of improvements. North Willow Glen showcased its gateway fences, tree plantings, and cooperation with the city to fund big-ticket projects such as the vintage lampposts, the Spencer Avenue reconstruction, and the creation of Fuller Park.

Like the neighborhood, the Victorian-style home Eklund and Palmer bought had potential.

"We were dazzled by the house's character and style," Eklund says.

The house was largely intact even though it had not been remodeled. Its age and condition were among the reasons Eklund and Palmer decided to purchase the home. But, like most homes in the neighborhood, it suffered from neglect.

"We had buyers' regret pretty quickly," he says.

The home had several large cracks in the ceilings, the kitchen was very small and in disrepair, the front room was sinking, and the house needed a paint job.

"But things changed," he says. "The joy of living in this particular home was doing the maintenance and restoration."

Eklund and Palmer began renovating the inside. They've redone a few of the rooms and are getting ready to remodel the kitchen. They added square footage to the rear, along with a master bathroom and a back foyer.

"This year is our home's 100th birthday," Eklund says.

Gaining an identity

As Eklund and Palmer settled into their community, they met other residents equally dedicated. Two of those individuals, Dan Erceg and Harvey Darnell, lived on Fuller Avenue. The residents formed an alliance based on their determination to improve the neighborhood. The men planted trees, created improvement projects, lobbied the city and rallied residents to get involved.

"The first thing that we negotiated with the city was the white fence along Fuller Avenue," Eklund says. "They sent us the posts and we did the labor. That project was a hallmark. Building the fence really galvanized the street."

The white picket fence along Fuller Avenue ended the illegal dumping by nonresidents. It also created continuity, connecting both sides of the long street from Prevost Street to Bird Avenue.

While the three men were out working on the fence, people started to come out of their homes asking what was going on and how they could help.

"A little old lady from across the street would come over every weekend and bring cookies and lemonade," Eklund says. "It's what she could do to help."

Then the three started setting their sights on other improvements.

"We started meeting other people in the neighborhood that wanted to get involved and things got done," he says.

The unofficial group planted trees, painted the graffiti-laden bridges, painted the "Welcome to Willow Glen" sign on the Bird Avenue overpass, and planted trees in the Bird Avenue median.

Then San Jose adopted the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative in 2001, neighborhood improvement programs backed with city funding. North Willow Glen and its neighboring community, the Greater Gardner Area, were on the improvement list and residents realized they would have greater clout if they created a neighborhood association. The North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association was born.

"We formed our own neighborhood association to focus on the issues that we had," Eklund says. "We shared some of the same regional issues with the rest of Willow Glen and with Greater Gardner but we had some more immediate, tactical issues that neither group was addressing."

Creating the association turned out to be a big help for North Willow Glen.

"We really did start getting better cooperation from the city as a neighborhood," Eklund says. "We learned how the city worked and who to talk to."

The association's first goal was the creation of Hummingbird Park.

As with Fuller Park, a few neighbors had done the initial maintenance and upkeep. A proposal was sent to the city and one of the neighbors, Rene Erez, designed the playground to include a tot lot. She became the liaison between the city and the neighborhood association.

"It was the first accomplishment of the association," Eklund says. "We even incorporated the signature fence into the design, trying to weave commonality throughout the neighborhood."

In the beginning the association was mostly a group of familiar advocates, such as Eklund, Palmer, Erceg and Darnell, but over time and as more people moved in to the area, new faces began to show up at the monthly meetings.

"We started out with about 10 people showing up; now we have an average of 30 people, sometimes more if there is an issue to be discussed," Eklund says. "The board of directors has also swelled in size to accommodate the increase in street projects."

Eklund sees the influx of new blood as a healthy sign.

"People move in and the association's achievements are part of why they do," Eklund says.

Still old-fashioned

When North Willow Glen was first constructed, it was designed as a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, Eklund says. "Back then, having and maintaining good curb appeal was part of being a good citizen."

Sidewalks around the neighborhood were a way for families to get to know one another and form strong community bonds, he says.

At one time, this neighborhood had people who lived here a long time but most have either sold their homes and moved away or have passed on, Eklund says. The neighborhood has become quite diverse. The average age is mixed and so are the backgrounds. It is also a community that affords young couples an opportunity to buy their first home.

"Now, people that move into the neighborhood do so to continue this tradition of community pride," Eklund says.

It's community pride that attracted resident Corrine Winters to North Willow Glen. Winters lived in Santa Cruz and was looking for a small-town feel.

"Before we bought the house, we scanned the North Willow Glen website," Winters says. "We wanted to live in a place where people put effort into their community."

She was so impressed by what she saw that she bought a home on Delmas Avenue and has been part of the neighborhood for more than a year.

"We like being in a small, family-oriented community," she says.

The fact that the house was affordable and bungalow-style sealed the deal.

"We didn't want anything new," Winters says. "We liked the character of the homes in the neighborhood and the proximity to the downtown and highways."

Winters has redone her front yard, planted a street tree and painted her house, much to her neighbors' relief.

"When we first moved in, it was the first thing people asked about after saying welcome," she says. "It was a bright pink with a dark pink trim, so we felt painting it was a great contribution to the neighborhood."

Winters has gotten involved with the neighborhood in other ways as well. She attends neighborhood association meetings and lent a hand to the Christmas decoration in the community.

Her immediate immersion into the neighborhood and association was natural, she says.

"It was apparent that there was an active neighborhood association and that neighbors cared," Winters says.

"People in this neighborhood tend to walk and talk to each other. There's an openness and friendliness, especially for a denser neighborhood, and that's really special."

Winters isn't surprised that the neighborhood is being presented a most improvement award.

"It makes sense," she says. "I talk to people about how it used to be and even in the 1 1/2 years I have lived here, the neighborhood has improved so much."

These improvements generated a domino effect, she says.

"A few people started working on things around the neighborhood 15-20 years ago and so many people have since joined in. These individuals that have changed the neighborhood from a neglected one to a neighborhood that people are proud to be part of. When you move in to a neighborhood, it's hard to know what you're getting, but I got lucky."

North Willow Glen evolves

Annette Boyer was another resident attracted to the neighborhood because of the improvements being made by the association. Boyer moved into her Spencer Avenue home in 1998.

Like most neighbors, Boyer had to do some major work on her home but the repairs needed on the street were more of a concern.

"From the beginning, there was talk among the neighborhood association about rebuilding our street," Boyer says. "It had tremendous infrastructure issues and needed an extreme amount of work. Now, after so many years working with the city, the project is coming to life."

The completion date for the Spencer Avenue street improvement project is set for February.

"A fellow years ago said that the streetscape project couldn't be done," Boyer says. "Now, we're just happy to prove him wrong."

Like Boyer, Heidi LeVell was smitten by the area.

"I used to live in downtown San Jose and my husband and I had seen the Christmas lights in Willow Glen," LeVell says. "We said to ourselves, that's a family neighborhood."

LeVell enjoys the mix of working class families, stay-at-home families and retirees.

"When you go out in the middle of the day for a walk, there are always people on their front porches," she says. "People aren't all coming home at 6 p.m. and shutting their doors. There's more of a sense of family in this neighborhood."

Along with the neighborhood, the LeVells like the architecture.

"I like the eclectic feel of the neighborhood," she says. "It's not cookie cutter. Some homes were built in the 1880s and others were built in the 1930s. So in between a Victorian, you have a craftsman and a bungalow."

She and her husband, Andrew, moved in to their blue Victorian on Coe Avenue two years ago.

"When I first moved in here, so many homes had been untouched," she says.

Her Victorian needed as much maintenance as the other homes in the neighborhood.

"This place needed some love," she says.

The gutters had not been cleaned in a decade, causing the roofline to rot. Shingles were missing and the house needed to be repainted.

"The kitchen was just a sink and a stove and nothing else," LeVell says.

So she and her husband got to work. They replaced the gutters and the roofline. The attic was converted into a master suite and the interior of her house was remodeled, painting over the Pepto-Bismol pink walls.

Fixing her house and watching as others around her restore their older homes inspired LeVell to begin a business with her mother saving old homes.

"I just thought we should save history rather than tearing it down," she says.

Her first project is a white Victorian that had been neglected on Delmas Avenue. She bought the house and is restoring it.

"People don't take this neighborhood for granted," LeVell says. "It's not sitting stagnant. There is always something being repaired or a tree-planting happening."

From the recently transplanted LeVells to the more established residents such as Eklund and Palmer, North Willow Glen continues to charm its homeowners as they rediscover its hidden beauty. Those that live here say it takes a committed neighborhood to make things happen.

"If you want something to change, you have to stay active and involved in your neighborhood," LeVell says. "So that whenever you move, you leave it better."