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Item Title
River Street Historic District, Bounded by West Saint James Street, West Santa Cla, San Jose, Santa Clara County, CA
LocationWest Santa Cla,
San%25252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252BJose, CA
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Created/Published
Documentation compiled after 1933.
Notes
Survey number HABS CA-2355
Unprocessed field note material exists for this structure (N272).
Significance: The period of significance of the River Street Historic District is 1875-1925. At this time, the area was a working class neighborhood inhabited mostly by newly arrived Italian immigrants. The district also includes a remarkably diverse group of late nineteenth and early twentieth century building types. The architectural detail reflects the domestic choices made by the Italian population and the creativity achieved with relatively limited finances. The district is currently populated mostly by Hispanics, and continues to function much as it did in the past when it was inhabited mostly by the Italians. The cutoff date of 1925 was selected as a watershed between two generations of inhabitants. The proportion of Italian immigrants peaked in 1925, and began to dwindle shortly thereafter. This population decline was due to the deaths of the older immigrants and the relocation to other areas of the city. Mikesell also attributes the decline to an unnamed 1924 immigration law which successfully restricted immigration into the United States, especially from Southern Europe. The district is remarkable unchanged since its period of significance and clearly illustrates the physical layout of such a community. It is a very rare intact working class community in San Jose.
Collection
Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)
Contents
Photograph caption(s):
Pleasant Street, view looking southwest from corner of Julian and Pleasant Streets
Southwest corner of Pleasant and W. St. John Streets, view looking northwest from intersection
W. St. John Street. View looking west from intersection of Pleasant and W. St. John Streets
W. St. John Street, view looking east
Pleasant Street, view looking north
W. St. James Street, view looking south
W. St. James Street, view looking southwest
W. St. John Street, view looking northeast
Intersection of N. River and W. St. John Streets, view looking north
W. St. John Street. View looking southwest
Southeast corner of W. St. John Street and N. River Streets, view from W. St. John Street
W. St. John Street, south side of street
N. River Street, east side of street at Sound End
N. River Street, looking northeast from Santa Clara Boulevard
N. River Street, west side of street
N. River Street, west side of street looking south
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