San Jose Historic Landmarks Commission – October 27, 2026

The Historic Landmarks Commission met on October 27, 2026, to conduct four public hearings related to historic properties: three landmark-designation requests paired with Mills Act historical property contracts and one Mills Act contract for an already-designated landmark. The commission recommended all four items to the City Council. Commissioner Kagura recused himself from Items 3A and 3B because of a family relationship with the applicants; Commissioner Camuso was absent and, as the applicant for Item 3C, did not participate in that item. Each application was presented as exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15331. The transcript spells the applicant family name inconsistently as Kogura, Kogora, and Kagura.

Consent Calendar

• No consent calendar items were listed or considered.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Item 3A – Ben Leach, Preservation Action Council: expressed full support for the Kogura Company Building nomination and Mills Act contract, commended the Kogura family's stewardship, and said he hoped the Mills Act would become a tool for retaining legacy businesses.
• Item 3B – Ben Leach: concurred with his earlier comments, supported the Cow Key Sixplex nomination, and commended the report for documenting the building's previously underappreciated history.
• Item 3C – A public speaker expressed strong support for the Serpa Plumbing Buildings designation and the staff recommendation.
• Item 3D – A public speaker strongly supported the Hotel De Anza Mills Act contract and praised the new owners' stewardship; Krista Van Land also spoke in support of the Mills Act for the Hotel De Anza.
• Open Forum – Ben Leach reported on the California Preservation Foundation's statewide preservation conference scheduled for May 5-9, 2027, in San Jose. He said planning is underway, expected attendance is about 500, the conference has not been held in San Jose since 1996, and volunteers and transportation sponsors are needed for mobile workshops.

Discussion Items

Item 3A – Kogura Company Building (HL26-002 / MA26-001)

• Staff and consultant Krista Van Land of Archives and Architecture presented the application for 231 Jackson Street, a 0.09-acre site with a two-story commercial building housing the Kogura Gift Shop and a contributing structure in the Japantown Historic District. San Jose's Japantown is one of only three remaining Japantowns in the United States. The building was associated with the Kita family's bathhouse, restaurant, and Cherry Blossom Shop, then purchased by the Kogura family in 1934 and given its distinctive Art Deco facade in 1936. During World War II, Executive Order 9066 authorized the forced removal of approximately 120,000 people; attorney J.B. Peckham held the property on the family's behalf during Japanese American incarceration. The report found the building eligible under four landmark criteria: 1, 3, 4, and 6.
• Richard Kogura, a family owner, described the building's importance to older Japanese Americans as one of the few places that still looks as it did before the war, and noted that families sometimes bring elderly relatives with dementia into the store to help them reconnect with familiar surroundings.
• Commissioner questions addressed Americans with Disabilities Act impacts on the storefront and whether the building would be restored to its original appearance. Staff and consultant responses said the work plan does not require major facade changes and that the full historical documentation is in the packet.
• Staff recommended approval of the landmark designation and the Mills Act contract; the commission voted to recommend the item to the City Council.

Item 3B – Cow Key Sixplex (HL26-004 / MA26-003)

• Staff and Krista Van Land presented the application for 605 North Sixth Street, a one-story masonry commercial building currently used for storage and listed as a contributing structure in the Japantown Historic District. The building was constructed in 1888 by Chinese immigrant entrepreneur Charlie Cow Key, making it the oldest surviving building in Japantown and the oldest remaining structure from the Heinlenville Chinatown era. It later housed Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino businesses, including restaurants, barber shops, and gambling operations, and served as a community bulletin board. It was stuccoed in 1952 and 1961 before becoming part of the Kogura Company complex.
• The eligibility findings covered criteria 1, 3, and 4. The proposed Mills Act contract includes a 10-year work plan focused on brick repair and structural stabilization.
• Commissioner questions addressed brick restoration, earthquake or structural reinforcement, and interior configuration. The applicant noted that seismic and stability work is included in the repair plan and could be added as a separate line item if desired.
• Staff recommended approval; the commission voted to recommend the designation and Mills Act contract to the City Council.

Item 3C – William F. Serpa Plumbing Buildings (HL26-005 / MA26-005)

• Staff and Krista Van Land presented the application for the four-building complex at 495-497 North 13th Street and 580-584 East Empire Street. The buildings housed William Serpa's plumbing and sheet metal business from about 1917 to 1960. The two North 13th Street buildings are Mission Revival commercial structures designed by architect Ralph Wykoff; the East Empire Street buildings include a 1928 companion building and a smaller garage-type building. The corner building was built in 1910 for well driller Manuel Smith and is now a laundromat.
• The report relied on criteria 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7, noting Serpa's leadership in the building trades, the business's 20 employees by 1928, and the complex's association with Northside commercial history and Portuguese American families.
• The Mills Act plan includes roof, stucco, sign, plumbing, electrical, termite, and drainage work over 10 years. Commissioner questions addressed the cornice details, the monitor-roof skylight, the timing of termite repair in year seven, and the proposed replica sign. Staff said the termite-repair timing concern would be reported back to the owner.
• Commissioner Camuso, the owner and applicant, was absent and did not participate. The commission voted to recommend approval to the City Council.

Item 3D – Hotel De Anza Mills Act Contract (MA26-004)

• Staff presented the Mills Act contract application for 233 West Santa Clara Street, the Hotel De Anza, a designated city landmark and National Register property completed in 1931. Architect William H. Weeks designed the Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival hotel, which was financed by the San Jose Community Hotel Corporation through the sale of shares to more than 200 community members.
• The proposed 10-year preservation plan covers boilers, roofing, exterior wood trim, the De Anza Room ceiling, elevator updates, cooling tower repair, sign painting, and exterior paint touch-up.
• Applicant representative Sean Curtis answered commissioner questions, explaining that the hotel's closed-loop air-conditioning system uses boilers and a cooling tower; the boilers were not operating when the current owners purchased the property. Curtis said the hotel's reopening date is pending and hoped it would reopen in about a week.
• Commissioner comments praised the owners' restoration work. The commission voted to recommend City Council approval of the Mills Act contract.

Open Forum

• Ben Leach provided the 2027 California Preservation Foundation conference update described under Public Comments & Testimony. No formal commission action was taken.

Reports, Minutes, and Next Meeting

• Staff reported no updates from the Planning Commission, City Council, or Planning Director on projects with historic-resource components.
• Commissioner Cohen forwarded correspondence on vacant properties and code enforcement. Discussion noted that the former Church of Christ property remains in ownership limbo, that replaced fencing may not be structurally secured, and that fines for properties such as 404 South 2nd Street have reached roughly $330,000 and may increase to $500,000; the fines are court-imposed and attached to the property.
• Staff reminded the commission and public of the proposed demolition-definition item PP26-003 and its web page.
• The commission approved the August 5, 2026 action minutes.
• The Design Review Subcommittee held no meetings in September or October 2026.
• The next Historic Landmarks Commission meeting is scheduled for November 4, 2026, in Wing Rooms 118-120 at San Jose City Hall.

Key Outcomes

• Item 3A (Kogura Company Building): motion to recommend approval of HL26-002 and MA26-001 passed 4-0, with Commissioner Kagura recused and Commissioner Camuso absent. The City Council hearing date was stated as November 10, 2026.
• Item 3B (Cow Key Sixplex): motion to recommend approval of HL26-004 and MA26-003 passed 4-0, with Commissioner Kagura recused and Commissioner Camuso absent.
• Item 3C (Serpa Plumbing Buildings): motion to recommend approval of HL26-005 and MA26-005 passed 5-0, with Commissioner Camuso absent.
• Item 3D (Hotel De Anza): motion to recommend approval of MA26-004 passed 5-0, with Commissioner Camuso absent.
• The commission approved the August 5, 2026 meeting minutes. No items were considered under planning referrals, general business, or council referrals.