April 2, 2019 Historic Landmarks Commission City Council Chambers 200 East Santa Clara Street San José, CA 95113 Email: HLC5@sanjoseca.gov ; HLC3@sanjoseca.gov ; HLC6@sanjoseca.gov ; HLC1@sanjoseca.gov ; HLC2@sanjoseca.gov ; HLC4@sanjoseca.gov ; HLC7@sanjoseca.gov , Re: Chicano Murals Historical Resources Inventory List Request Members of the Historic Landmarks Commission, The Emergency Comité for the Preservation of Chicano Arts (El Comité) is writing to formally request the the addition of at least 14 surviving Chicano murals identified in this letter be included in the Historical Resources Inventory list. El Comité formed in late 2018 in response to the unlawful removal of one of San José’s most historic and iconic Chicano murals, Jose Meza Velasquez’s Mural de La Raza, located near historic King and Story Roads. The Comi té is a coalition of nonprofit community organizations that includes Silicon Valley DeBug, Jóvenes Activos (SOMOS Mayfair), San José Brown Berets, Casa Chikimalas, local artists, historians, and members of the community. The Chicano Movement was a national political and social justice movement that covered a broad range of issues centered around Chicano empowerment and identity. The origins of San José’s Chicano Movement began in 1952 when Fred Ross recruited César E. Chávez from the Sal Si Puedes barrio of Eastside San José to organize Chicanos to vote through the Community Service Organization. In 1959, Anselmo “Chemo” Candelaria organized the Black Berets, an IndioChicano nationalist, nonviolent militant youth organization that emerged prior to the more recognized Black Panthers and Brown Berets, predating the concept of Black Power and Brown Pride. San José’s Chicano Movement did not become visible until 1962 when César E. Chávez gained national attention for founding the United Farm Workers Labor Union. The rise of the Chicano Mural Movement coincided with this time, where Chicano artists across California drew from their heritage and long tradition of murals and public art to spread political messages and celebrate the diversity and culture of the Chicano community in a monumental way. San José was no exception. The period from 1974 to 1995 was a historic and culturally explosive 1 of 17
period for Chicanos in San José. Economic development in the cannery industry, and later the technology sector, allowed Chicanos to rise to the middle class and organize on a larger scale. Chicanos became business entrepreneurs, ran for public office, sponsored and created public art, and reinvested into their communities. San José was a cultural magnet, designated as the lowriding capital in 1977, bringing Chicanos together in a shared sense of identity, solidarity, and pride. However, over the last 17 years, we have witnessed these emblems of our culture disappear from the community due to redevelopment and gentrification. Mural de La Raza , painted in 1985 by José Meza Velasquez at 2048 Story Road, was one of the few remaining historic Chicano murals in San José until it was erased without notice to the artist and the community in August 2018. Velasquez, an accomplished international master muralist, had received local and international acclaim for his work, and Mural de La Raza was by far the most significant Chicano mural in San José artistically, historically, and culturally. Juanita “Jamie” Meza Velasquez, who is now Mr. Velasquez’s wife organized the efforts of Mural de La Raza with the intent of ending barrio warfare, and empowering local artists and barrio youth. For more than three decades, Mural de La Raza had been an important cultural landmark of the Eastside. It has been a source of pride for many, teaching generations of Chicano youth about their history and identity. Removal of this mural has been a tragic loss and our community strongly felt the vulnerabilities that our public art faces. The unlawful removal of Velasquez’s Mural de La Raza s purred El Comité to action to fight to protect what little remains of our murals. Members of El Comité have documented at least seven historic Chicano murals that were removed since redevelopment began in 2002 off of Story and King Roads. Casa Vicky’s Taqueria building was demolished, which displayed the East Side Story mural by graffiti artist Aladdin. In 2008, Silicon Valley DeBug campaigned to preserve Frank Torres’ Jerry Hernandez Mural de La Paz located off of Ocala and King Roads, and has since collaborated with property owner Edward Campbell to maintain and protect the mural from blight. Furthermore, El Comité discovered that the property owner that painted over Mural de La Raza also unlawfully removed Mexicatlan by Yermo Aranda, located in the historic Sal Si Puedes neighborhood, adding salt to an open wound. We believe that the protection, preservation, and honoring of these surviving murals strengthens our community, as it makes visible and reflects the cultural and historical contributions that Chicanos have made in San José. The following document is a survey of several Chicano murals throughout San José. This survey is not a complete document of all living murals, but more so a working list. With the exception of the Mural de la Raza, all of the murals surveyed are still standing. We believe they all deserve to be preserved, protected and recognized. We are asking you, the Historical Landmark Commission, to 2 of 17
add the following surviving murals to the inventory list: 1. Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe (Mosaic) 2. Mural de La Raza 3. Tierra Nuestra 4. Raza de La Paz Park 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
San Antonio Elementary School (Mosaic) Fischer Middle School Guadalajara Market No. 2 La Medicina y La Comunidad Cal Foods “Virgen de Guadalupe Huelga Bird”
10. M.A.C.S.A. (Indoor) 11. Chacho’s “Pachuco” 12. Aztec Calendar 13. Jerry Hernandez Mural de La Paz 14. La Gran Cultura Resonance The protection of these murals is vital to our history and community. They contribute a sense of diversity, history, and cultural identity within the city of San José. Where our history is not found in textbooks, it is proudly displayed within our neighborhoods as a reminder of who we are and what we have created. The murals make visible the presence of Chicanos and our fight for recognition and civil rights. At a time when displacement of the Chicano community is at an all time high due the to technology sector, redevelopment, gentrification, rising costs of living, etc., we are once again called to fight, this time for the protection of public art that our predecessors fought for. In this fight, we hope that the following murals will be recognized as contributors of cultural pride and identity. Our goal is for them to be nominated to other historical registration programs to ensure their longevity. Sincerely, The Emergency Comité for the Preservation of Chicano Arts Jose Valle jose@siliconvalleydebug.org (408) 6612604
Ashlie Andrade amandrade08@gmail.com (408) 3346593
Samantha Emmanuel syemmanuel@gmail.com (408) 6552733
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Chicano Murals Historical Resources Inventory List 1. Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe
Artist (s): Katherine M. Oppenheimer, Marie G. Hutton, Lois C. Cronemiller Year: 1967 Location: Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 2020 E San Antonio St, San José, CA 95116 (On the right side of the church’s outside wall) Photographer: Paulina Cortés
Date photographed: March, 2019
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2. Mural de La Raza
Artist (s): José Meza Velasquez
Year: 1985
Removed: 2018 Materials: Acrylics
Dimensions: 16’ x 82’
Location: Formally Payless ShoeSource, 2048 Story Rd, San José, CA 95122 Photographer: José Meza Velasquez
Date photographed: 1985
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3. Tierra Nuestra
Artist (s): Lupe Carranza, JP Soto
Year: 1974 1989
Restored by: Migi Oey
Year: 2017
Location: Las Casitas Apartments, 632 N Jackson Avenue, San José , Ca 951 33 Photographer: Paulina Cortéz
Date photographed: March, 2019
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4. Raza de La Paz Park
Artist (s): Pending
Year: Circa 1970’s
Restored by: Pending
Year: Pending
Location : Parque De La Raza Disc Golf Course, 855 Coyote Rd, San José, CA 95111 Photographer: Larry G. Renteria
Date photographed: March, 2019
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5. San Antonio Elementary School (Mosaic)
Artist (s): Pending
Year: Pending
Location: 1721 E San Antonio St., San Jos é, CA 95116 Photographer: Jose Valle
Date photographed: March, 2019
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6. Fischer Middle School
Artist (s): Pending
Year: Circa 1970’s
Location: Clyde L. Fischer Middle School, 1720 Hopkins Dr, San José, CA 95122 (On top of the roof of the front main entrance) Photographer: Paulina Cortés
Date photographed: March, 2019
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7. Guadalajara Market No. 2
Artist (s): Edward Earl Tarver III
Year: 1986
Restored by: Edward Earl Tarver III
Year: 2017
Location: Guadalajara Restaurante, 452 E Empire St, San José, CA 95112 (Off of 10th and Empire seen on Empire) Photographer: Paulina Cortés
Date photographed: March, 2019
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8. La Medicina y La Comunidad
Artist (s): Gustavo Bernal
Year: 1990
Restored by: Paul J. Gonzales
Year: 2009
Location: Gardner Health Center, 195 East Virginia Street San José, CA 95112 (Off of 5th and East Virginia) Photographer: Paulina Cortéz
Date photographed: March, 2019
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9. Cal Foods “Virgen de Guadalupe Huelga Bird”
Artist (s): Pending
Year: Circa 1980’s
Location: Cal Foods Tienda y Carniceria, 195 South 28th Street San José, CA 95116 (Off of East San Antonio & 28th Street) Photographer: Paulina Cortés
Date photographed: March, 2019
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10. M.A.C.S.A. (Indoor) Image pending Artist (s): Pending
Year: Circa 1990’s
Location: 600 Sinclair Dr, San Jos é, CA 95116 Photographer: Pending
Date photographed: Pending
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11. Chacho’s “Pachuco”
Artist (s): Francisco Franco
Year: Circa 1990’s
Location: Chacho’s (Closed), 18 South Almaden Avenue San José, CA 95113 Photographer: Paulina Cortéz
Date photographed: March, 2019
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12. Aztec Calendar
Image 1
Image 2 Artist (s): Antonio Nava Torres, Sabrina, Ivan Year: 1995
Restored by: Antonio Nava Torres
Year: Pending
Location: Gardner Community Center 520 West Virginia Street San José, Ca 95125 (Technically in Biebrach park but seen best closest to the community center.) Photographer (Image 1): Jose Valle
Date photographed: 1995
Photographer (Image 2): Larry G. Renteria
Date photographed: March, 2019
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13. Jerry Hernandez Mural de La Paz
Artist (s): Frank Torres, King 157
Year: 2009
Restored by: Jose Valle, Souleros Ball
Year: 2015 Present
Location: Pop’s Mini Mart, 1718 Ocala Avenue San José, CA 95122 (In the Back facing Bermuda) Photographer: Paulina Cortéz
Date photographed: March, 2019
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14. La Gran Cultura Resonance
Artist (s): Jesus Rodriguez, Empire 7
Year: 2013
Location: Guadalajara Restaurante, 452 E Empire St, San José, CA 95112 (Off of 10th and Empire seen on 10th) Photographer: Paulina Cortéz
Date photographed: March, 2019
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