Willow Glen Resident

News

Photograph by Vicki Thompson

Built on History: History committee member Joan Bohnett stands in front of a Palm Haven home built in 1921. It is one of the historic houses featured in the revised 'Historical Guide to the Homes of Willow Glen' self-guided tour book.

Put on those shoes and discover history

By Alicia Upano

Willow Glen grew up when orchards ruled the land. Slowly, as the city swelled, the area filled out with homes--from the smaller, older dwellings in North Willow Glen to the unique Palm Haven tract to the historic buildings near downtown, and ranch-style homes and Eichlers to the south.

Today a confluence of circumstances has Willow Glen history buffs worried the past might be lost, as developers move in and change the landscape once more, as old-timers move out and elderly residents with memories of those early years die.

To preserve what was, the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association is updating its Historical Guide to the Homes of Willow Glen. The book contains a series of self-guided walking tours.

For months, the new 13-member history committee has scoured Willow Glen to update the book, picking homes of historical or architectural relevance. The group planned to have the new book available for purchase and hold walking tours inspired during the Founders Day event. When the event was canceled in September, the group delayed the printing until October.

The book was first produced in 1992 and revised in 2000. This year, the association received a $1,200 Community Action and Pride grant from San Jose to produce an expanded volume. The 29-page book has ballooned to 100 pages, with twice as many self-guided walking tours and color photographs.

"Acquainting people with what the value is and what the aesthetic is [of historic homes] maintains this sense of community," says history committee member Ken Eklund. "There's no better way then to walk the streets and experience it."

Own back yard

History committee member Paulette Ornellas knows the walking tours well. She conducted tours at previous Founders Day events after the first book was published.

Ornellas' interest in history began with her Minnesota Avenue home. After she moved to Willow Glen in 1976, Ornellas began researching the history of her home--looking at the deeds and finding out who lived there. During her research, she came across Willow Glen history.

When the neighborhood association sought out members for the new committee, Ornellas volunteered. She and committee chairwoman Joan Bohnett made many trips to History San Jose and rifled through the archives. They found biographies of the early pioneers of Willow Glen and old newspaper articles.

This history will be included in the new book. The book will also help residents do historical research on their own homes.

The previous edition had four walking loops, mainly between Willow Street and Pine Avenue. But Bohnett envisions the updated version as more inclusive; the committee added four more loops, including Willow Ranch and the Eichler homes south of Curtner Avenue, and North Willow Glen.

Longtime North Willow Glen residents Dan Erceg and Eklund joined the committee to develop a North Willow Glen loop. Erceg is the community's unofficial historian, and Eklund is past president of the North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association.

The North Willow Glen loop includes nearly 40 homes, though it passes by nearly 400 in the older neighborhood.

"North Willow Glen was really a very diverse neighborhood; it was pretty working class," Eklund says. "The homes are smaller. It gives it a kind of unique cohesion."

Along with the smaller homes, North Willow Glen also boasts many trees that are a century old. The North Willow Glen chapter includes history specific to that area and stresses the importance of vintage homes. Some homes, they say, have been neglected then revived by new owners. Other houses have been significantly altered or demolished.

"It takes approximately one day to undo 100 years of history," Eklund says.

Eklund will serve as art director for the book, while Erceg is lending his expertise overall. New neighborhood association board member Stuart Moore is assisting with the book layout.

Although the book is the history committee's first project, Bohnett says the idea began with Larry Ames.

Ames, a Willow Glen Neighborhood Association veteran, asked Bohnett if she was interested in working on Willow Glen history several years ago. The CAP grant lead to the revision of the book this summer.

Bohnett, Ames and many other members have put countless hours into the project. Jan Paull, Jim Arbuckle, Jean Dresden, Gerri Hodson, Catherine Kilkenny, Patsy Brown and Anna Menuz researched, wrote, spoke to homeowners, and walked the neighborhoods. Liv Ames photographed the homes.

One of the most challenging tasks has been editing down the book to 100 pages, Bohnett says. "Even though a home is not listed in the book, it's worthy of noting," she says.

As a complement to the book, the history committee will embark on an oral history project. The committee plans to interview people with a connection to Willow Glen and a story to tell. While they're focusing on seniors who can recall the neighborhood's early days, the committee welcomes children, grandchildren and relatives who lived in Willow Glen.

"It's the history of our little town," Bohnett says. "It's important to record history or we lose it."

To contact the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association History Committee about the 'Historical Guide to the Homes of Willow Glen' or the oral history project, email history@wgna.net or call 408.294.WGNA.