Congregation at historic San Jose church hoping for landmark designation

By JOHN RAMOS

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    SAN JOSE, California (KPIX) — A historic church in San Jose that was under threat of demolition could be saved with a possible city landmark designation.

The possibility is giving the tiny congregation hope that their beloved building “shall have everlasting life.”

Like a lot of churches, post-pandemic, the group of worshipers at Grace Baptist Church’s Sunday service was pretty small, 16 people to be exact. But they are on a mission to help people in the San Jose downtown area, and it’s important they have a place to do it.

“Right around the corner you see people walking, homeless, you know, right there on Santa Clara, a block away,” said Rev. Kenneth Love. “And we’re right in the middle of that. And that’s exactly where Grace Baptist Church wants to be.”

Rev. Love was only a guest pastor on Sunday because the congregation no longer has a pastor. They recently cut ties with their former pastor, George Oliver, after he tried to enter into an agreement with a developer to demolish the church to build housing. It’s right across the street from San Jose State, a prime location that would have netted millions of dollars.

“But I don’t believe the core of the church ever even gave that a thought,” said Worship Committee Chair, Bill Brooks. “Matter of fact, I think they were very surprised and maybe felt a little threatened when that surfaced.”

What was threatened was a historical legacy as the center of the Civil Rights Movement in San Jose. Built in 1941, it was once ministered by a famous anti-war crusader, the fiery Rev. Shorty Collins.

The basement was used as an organizing location for the early United Farmworkers and Cesar Chavez was said to have spoken there. And more recently, in 2021, it was a gathering place for the community following the guilty verdict in the killing of George Floyd.

Dr. Penny Hogg joined the church in 1961 as a student and said it turned her into a life-long social activist.

“Oh, I think it was very important,” she said. “It certainly influenced those of us who were members at the time and how we lived our life.”

The church now ministers to the homeless and those struggling in the area, offering food, showers, childcare and addiction support classes. That’s why they consider the location to be so important.

“It’s a message. And the people of this community see it as a message,” said Dr. Hogg. “It’s a reminder of what else … what else is there. There is a place that’s safe.”

And it may about to get even safer, because the city is on the verge of granting historical landmark status to the church, which would severely restrict what could be done with the building in the future.

“To me it would be an insurance against a developer coming in,” said Brooks. “This is very valuable property, and this is the jewel of the developments, always. But I feel that the importance of it is to have a piece of San Jose preserved as a community meeting place for this neighborhood.”

The San Jose City Council will decide whether to grant historical landmark status in the next few weeks. It recently passed the city’s Rules and Open Government Committee by a unanimous vote. Perhaps it was that optimism that inspired Rev. Love to quote Psalm “And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever… and ever… and ever.”

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