The Wilcox Building Circa 1920
The Wilcox Building Circa 1920 |
Local developers have proposed renovating the three-building Wilcox Block on the northwest corner of S. First and San Fernando Streets.
The Wilcox Block, 93-99 S. First St., is located on the south half of Lot 13 of Block 1 Range 1 North (B1R1N) of William Campbell’s original survey of the Pueblo de San Jose. The parcel was first developed in 1850-51 as the Price Hotel, which thrived on passengers between San Francisco and the gold fields.
In the mid-1850s, Elbert J. Wilcox bought a one-half interest in the hotel with his partner, W.O. Barker. The building was then called the Morgan House. Barker’s interest was purchased by Newton Johnson and, in turn, by Wilcox. In 1867, Wilcox hired prominent architect Levi Goodrich, to design a 20-foot six-inch by 90-foot brick structure on the northerly portion of his lot. Wilcox continued to operate the Morgan House in the upper floor of this building, and a pharmacy operated at street level. The Morgan House was a temperance hotel, meaning that no alcohol was allowed on the premises.
When the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, uniting the metropolis of San Francisco by rail for the first time to the East Coast, the demand for hotel space dropped dramatically. By 1870, the hotel and adjacent frame buildings housed 28 fulltime residents in addition to Wilcox himself. The pharmacy continued in operation until 1917, operated in succession by L.H. Hare (circa 1870), J.A. Conboie (circa 1876) and Louis Callisch (early 1880s to 1917).
In 1871, Wilcox removed the structures from the southern portion of his lot. These included an 1850s adobe structure that had housed the Grey Eagle Livery Stable and the frame portion of the hotel. The new brick Wilcox Block was constructed on the south side of the Morgan House and measured 48-feet by 67-feet. This building may have also been designed by Goodrich, or perhaps by J.O. McKee, Wilcox’s brother-in-law and a prominent San Jose architect and building contractor during the period.
Wilcox acquired the shoe business of McGowan & Co. and moved it to his building, operating it at 95 S. First St. from 1871 until his retirement in 1900. One of Wilcox’s upstairs office tenants was Dr. Benjamin Cory, San Jose’s first practicing physician and former mayor, who occupied the premises from the early 1970s until his death in 1896.
In 1874, the newly-formed Farmer’s National Gold Bank took over part of the second floor of the block. In 1881, it became the First National Bank. In 1887, the Garden City Bank moved into the corner storefront, which it occupied until 1906. By 1888, a single story building had been added along San Fernando, expanding the frontage to 138 feet.
Until his death in April 1918, Wilcox was active in local politics and promoted the downtown business district. In 1919, E.J. Wilcox, Jr. took over his father’s property interests.
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In 1907, the corner storefront was leased to jeweler William C. Lean, and the store was managed by William H. Jung, who later became a partner in the business. In 1920, Lean and Jung purchased the block from the Wilcox heirs. Wilcox’s attorney, H. Ray Fry, who had offices on the second floor, did the deal. The Wilcox Block has been in the Jung family ever since.
In 1950, in an attempt to modernize the building, the Jungs hired the architectural firm of Kress & Gibson to redesign the facade of the three buildings comprising the Wilcox Block. Their ground-level jewelry store, W.C. Lean Jewelers continued to operate at the site until 1984. The last tenants vacated in 1999.
PAC*SJ board members were given a tour of the vacant property by property owner Bill Jung in April 2001 and were uniformly impressed by the structure. Although the building’s exterior is no longer much to look at, according to veteran preservationist Jack Douglas, the facade could easily be restored to its nineteenth century grandeur.
The interior is in remarkably good condition. There are beautiful suites of offices upstairs, with original moldings, painted glass doorways, elegant fireplaces, and skylights throughout. A first-rate suite of 12-15 offices could easily be accommodated upstairs, with retail or a restaurant below. Although the offices are dusty and in need of refurbishment, they are in better shape than were those now occupied by the Hopkins & Carley law firm in the Letitia Building a half block away or those currently undergoing renovation in the Metropole along Market St. The Wilcox building offices are evocative of a 1930s private eye pulp fiction novel.
In 2001, PAC*SJ had requested involvement in the future of the building and extended an offer to City and RDA officials to tour the Wilcox Building.