San José City Landmarks

“Friendship, Love & Truth,” the official motto of the International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), is still inscribed on the parapet of this Victorian Eclectic commercial block on the southwest corner of 3rd and Santa Clara Streets. Built in 1883 and designed by Jacob Lenzen, Odd Fellows Hall combines Venetian Gothic and Italianate elements in an impressive three-story structure that originally housed an IOOF fraternal lodge, apartments for club members, and retail storefronts. Most San Joseans know the building as Hank Coca’s Downtown Furniture, which occupied the building from 1957 to 2018.

The building survived a partial collapse in the 1906 earthquake and still retains much of its original architectural character, though its original corner octagonal domed tower and rooftop finials no longer survive. These and the original IOOF Hall entrance are visible in a c.1920 photograph, which reveals yet another furniture store, the McKenley Glans Furniture Company, also once occupied the building.