History, Architecture, and Preservation in a Historical District

For nearly twenty years, the residents of the Schiele Subdivision and Alameda Park neighborhood in San Jose sought historical designation. That designation finally happened in September of 2024, but not before authors Krista Van Laan and Kay Gutknecht published their book Schiele Subdivision and Alameda Park: History, Architecture, and Preservation in a San Jose Neighborhood.

Krista Van Laan and Kay Gutknecht will present the story of the Schiele Subdivision/Alameda Park neighborhood and what makes it unique along with information on what it took to obtain historical designation. The presentation also includes many pictures of the architecture—from Victorian to Period Revival—that comprises the neighborhood, with stories of the architects and builders who created its distinctive character.

About the book:

Now in its second edition, Schiele Subdivision and Alameda Park: History, Architecture, and Preservation in a San Jose Neighborhood tells the story of this fascinating neighborhood and its place in Santa Clara County history. Did you know that the first honeybees in California were brought to the rancho from which this neighborhood grew? Or that Schiele Avenue was developed from the estate of a mysterious woman named Matilda Hill who owned what became the entire street? Or that Schiele Avenue has the largest collection of existing houses by the master architect Theodore Lenzen, who was San Jose’s greatest architect in the late 1800s? Or that the neighborhood played an important role in gay history in the Bay Area?

About the authors:

Krista Van Laan lives in San José, California where she works in high tech by day and pursues her love of local architectural history at night. She has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Pratt Institute and a graduate certificate in preservation from the University of Kentucky. She is the author of many articles on architectural history and the books Frank Delos Wolfe: California Prairie Architecture, Wolfe & Higgins: Master Architects of the Spanish Revival, and The Insider’s Guide to Technical Writing.

Kay Gutknecht has resided in Alameda Park over thirty years and spent more than half of that time documenting the architecture and history of her neighborhood. She holds a degree in history from the University of California at San Diego and is an adopted member of the Dartmouth class of 1973 for her pioneering role in paving the way for the first graduating class of four-year female students in 1976. She is the author of We Were Foxhole Buddies, a story of the 121st Combat Engineers during WWII told through the letters, tales, and photos of two men who lived the experience.

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