February 8, 2007

Fight to save Almaden Feed & Fuel building to go before City Council

Landmarks commission, archivist, local residents help block razing of structure

By Ali Abdollahi
Staff Writer

After hearing nearly two hours of passionate testimony from Almaden Valley residents on both sides of the debate, the San Jose Planning Commission unanimously approved a plan to save part of the Almaden Feed & Fuel building, while also approving a re-zoning of the property to permit the construction of 12 single-family homes.

New Almaden resident Kitty Monahan looks over the planning commission agenda before the meeting.

Almaden resident Ed Della Monica, who has spearheaded efforts over the past year of a citizen group determined to preserve the building, was the first person to take the podium. “This is about history, not about a bar,” said Della Monica. “It’s about saving the history of New Almaden from being erased by overdevelopment.”

On the heels of Della Monica’s opening statement, Almaden historian Arthur Boudreault attempted to help establish the historical significance of the building for the commission. Boudreault, who is the archivist at the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association and co-author of the book “Images of America: New Almaden,” presented archived photographs of the New Almaden area he claimed provided evidence that the Feed & Fuel building had served as a stagecoach stop, saloon or gas station as early as 1892.

Jon Carson, who purchased the Feed & Fuel and the lot that houses it in 1999, disputed claims of the site’s significance, and told the commission that he wanted to level the building to make way for a new housing development. “This structure was built as a home,” Carson said. “It was never a 19th century gas station or saloon. It is essentially a 1970s bar,” said Carson, referring to the re-modeling of the structure to its current form.
The oldest confirmed use of the building dates back to the 1930s, and since then it has been a gas station, roadhouse and restaurant. It was then the Almaden Feed & Fuel, a popular local watering hole and eatery, from 1985 until Spring 2006.

Co-author of “Images of America: New Almaden” Mike Boulland also spoke to the commission. Boulland asked, “What do I tell my (fourth grade) students?”

“We don’t live in an instant society where anything and everything can be thrown away,” added Boulland.

While dozens of citizens attended the meeting in hopes of saving the building, a small but vocal contingent of Almaden residents told the commission that the Feed & Fuel is a “blight” on the community that they want gone.
“The building itself is an eyesore,” said longtime Almaden resident Bill Gunter. “When guests come to my home, they always ask me, ‘What is that building on the corner.’ There is a bar in the middle of a residential community.”

Almaden historian and author Arthur Boudreault testified about the historical significance of the Feed & Fuel building.

Another area resident, who asked not to be named, told the committee, “This debate is not about history. It’s about a run-down drinking establishment.” Both residents mentioned the noise issues caused by the motorcycles of Feed & Fuel patrons, and the fact that a high school student was killed last year on Almaden Expressway by a drunk driver traveling from the direction of the Feed & Fuel.

The commission, attempting to find a middle ground, asked speakers for both sides if they would be willing to compromise and allow the building to remain, but as a historical site instead of a bar.

“I’m building essentially an Italian-style villa,” said Carson of his proposed housing development. “You’re asking me to incorporate a canopy made to look like a gas station? I can’t do it. It would look silly.”

Though Carson was resistant to the idea, the commission pointed to the findings of San Jose’s Historical Landmarks Commission, which in September 2006 gave the Feed & Fuel a “Structure of Merit” designation. While that designation stops short of naming the building an historical landmark, the landmarks commission did acknowledge that the structure “contributes to a neighborhood and the city,” and recommended that it be rehabilitated for reuse.

In the end, the commission seemed pleased with the idea of maintaining the structure as a link to the rich past of New Almaden. As area resident Bill Clark said, “The building should stay as a gateway to New Almaden and to the Quicksilver mining park, like an announcement or advertisement.”

For now, the devoted patrons and friends of the Feed & Fuel have survived to fight another day. “It’s not the end of the fight,” said Boudreault. “But with every battle we win, it gets a little easier. I’m just concerned that these new developers have no sense of the history of Almaden.”

Ultimately, the San Jose City Council will determine the fate of the Feed & Fuel at its Feb. 27 meeting. The Council could choose to uphold the decision of the planning commission and save the structure, or side with Carson and allow him to raze the building.