San José City Landmarks

The residential building at 340 North Third Street in San Jose’s Hensley Historic District is an 1882 Victorian-era design created during the 1880s when Queen Anne Cottages began to be built in the downtown frame. Queen Anne houses superseded the National-style and Italianate residential architecture that had predominated in San Jose’s neighborhoods during the early town-building era. Built early during this period, the house has a Second Empire influence with its steeply sloped Mansard roof over a front square projecting bay. A simple design element, the bay sets the building apart from other Italianate residential designs of this period. A few more fully developed Second Empire houses were built in the downtown frame later during the 1880s, including the landmark Frier House at 483 South Sixth Street. The property lies within the Hensley Historic District, a large residential neighborhood of over 225 historic homes that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and designated a San José Historic Landmark District in 1990.

No architect has been identified for the building, but it was likely built by the first owner, Charles C. Maynard. At the time of acquisition of the property by his wife, Clara, and during the subsequent construction process, Charles Maynard was working in the law offices of Sherman Otis Houghton. Houghton and his wife Eliza Donner had just completed construction of his own new family residence across and to the south of this site at North Third and East

Julian Streets. The Houghton-Donner building was designed by architect J. T. Burkett, and it is possible that Burkett may have assisted Maynard with the design of the subject property. Although not confirmed that he built the subject house, in 1887 Maynard built another residence for himself and Clara, and they moved to that house that year. They sold the property at 340 North Third Street to Elmer E. Chase, who was then foreman at the nearby Golden Gate Packing Co. cannery.  

--Excerpt from 2023 DPR Form, Franklin Maggi, author