Historic San Jose farmhouse saved after collaborative effort

Just a couple of weeks ago, things were looking grim for the 1930s house in North San Jose that once belonged to local Japanese-American farming legend Eiichi “Ed” Sakauye.

The acres of land it sat on are slated for development, and the farmhouse wasn’t part of that plan. There was room at History Park for the house, but History San Jose CEO Bill Schroh Jr. was $450,000 short of the money needed to move it — and he was facing a Nov. 15 deadline from the developer.

But by the time that weekend had ended, the historic house’s prospects were looking much, much better. The Hanover Company, which is developing the mixed-use project on Seeley Avenue, extended the deadline to raise money for the house’s relocation to mid-2025 — which should be plenty of time since Schroh says he’s heard from several interested parties already.

Schroh credits a large collaboration for working together on a new plan to ensure the house’s preservation, including the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, San Jose Vice Mayor Rosemary Kamei and Councilmember David Cohen, the Preservation Action Council of San Jose, the Hanover Company and members of the Sakauye family.

When construction starts on the Seeley Avenue project in February, the farmhouse will be moved to a temporary staging area, and its final move to History Park will happen in spring or summer, when there’s a greater likelihood of good weather. That also provides a bit more breathing room to figure out the logistics of relocating and restoring the house so it can be used as a way to teach students who visit History Park about the lives and contributions of Japanese Americans in the Santa Clara Valley.

The fundraising campaign is continuing, Schroh said, and anyone who wants to donate to the effort can email him at bschroh@historysanjose.org or go to www.historysanjose.org/get-involved/support.

My suspicion is that it took a bit of political will on the part of Kamei and Cohen — and probably others at City Hall — to encourage Hanover to ease up on the deadline and give the groups time to make sure the right outcome happened here. Even if that was the  case, the original Nov. 15 deadline certainly got everyone to sit at the table with a sense of urgency.

“Preserving the Sakauye Farmhouse is not just about saving a building; it’s about protecting the legacy of those who shaped our community,” Kamei said in a statement. “This extended timeline allows us to work together to ensure the story of Eiichi Sakauye and his family endures for future generations.”

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Christmas in the Park officially opened Friday night with its annual tree-lighting event at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, Downtown Ice is welcoming skaters to the Circle of Palms after a scuttled start last week because of the weird rainy and windy weather, and Enchant Christmas is back at PayPal Park with its illuminated holiday maze. So if you’re struggling to find ways to get into the holiday spirit this year, those are three good places to start.

The San Jose Woman’s Club is expecting a festive crowd for its 12th annual Gingerbread House Decorating Party on Sunday at its historic clubhouse at 75 S. 11th St. The club is hoping to raise $2,000 for its charitable giving program with the event — anything over that would certainly be icing on the gingerbread house. There may be a few tickets still available, and you can go to sjwcgingerbread.eventbrite.com to find out.

AT THE MOVIES: There’s good news on the horizon for downtown San Jose film fans, as 3Below Theaters is bringing back movies starting Dec. 6, with an emphasis on likely Oscar nominees like “Emilia Perez,” “The Piano Lesson,” “Maria,” and “Queer.” Of course, they’re also putting some holiday spirit into the mix with the “Santa action” comedy “Red One” and the filmed version of their show, “The MeshugaNutcracker!” You can see the lineup and showtimes at www.3belowtheaters.com.

Pruneyard Cinemas in Campbell has a good deal for holiday shoppers, too, with its new Movie Maverick Club. The $95 membership comes with monthly ticket vouchers, food and beverage credits, advance notice of new releases and other benefits — including a large bag of popcorn every month. That alone might be worth the price right there. Go to www.pruneyardcinemas.com/promotion for details.

STAGE PRESENTS: Alex Brightman and Ryan Vasquez, two Bellarmine College Prep alums who made it big on Broadway over the past decade, have been cast in the world premiere stage version of “Schmigadoon!” The musical comedy, based on the popular Apple TV+ series, will open in January at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Brightman is a two-time Tony Award nominee who appeared in the title role of “Beetlejuice,” and Vasquez has appeared on Broadway in “Wicked,” “Hamilton” and most recently, “The Notebook.”

Another thing Vasquez and Brightman have in common is San Jose’s Children’s Musical Theatre, where they performed under Kevin Hauge, who is retiring as CMTSJ’s artistic director after this season. Hauge’s farewell season is underway, with the young Rising Stars performers just having wrapped “A Christmas Carol.” Up next is “Beautiful: The Carol King Musical,” which runs weekends Dec. 6-15 at the Montgomery Theater in downtown San Jose. This is one of CMT’s Marquee Productions shows, which showcase CMT alumni and other Bay Area actors, and you can get more information on it and the rest of the 57th season at www.cmtsj.org.

By the way, if you’re looking for a fun holiday treat, San Jose Stage has something special with “A Sherlock Carol.” Stage favorite Kenneth Kelleher directs Mark Shanahan’s mash-up of Charles Dickens’ ghostly tale and Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective fiction, and L. Peter Callender pours every expression possible into his performance as Sherlock Holmes. The game is afoot through Dec. 15; head to www.thestage.org for showtimes and tickets.