Journeys in Suburbia: Downtown San Jose--Part 2: San Jose State

Downtown San Jose
The R2-D2 building, the last hanging ground in California, and a statue that looks like feces.

Scale: ***** Must Visit
          ****   Worth Detouring
          ***     If in the Area
          **       May be Worth Visiting-Once
          *         Interest only

2. San Jose State **

First established in 1857 in San Francisco as Minns' Evening Normal School, San Jose is the oldest public college in California. In 1862 it became the California Normal School and in 1871 moved to San Jose. San Jose State serves some 5400 people and is among the highest ranked colleges in the nation and is a major source of the computer and software engineers.  A few interesting sites are scattered throughout the campus, and some of the usual college shops and cafes are arrayed nearby.

San Jose State is a relatively small school, but it is a large are for Downtown.  The total trip should take around 20 minutes to 1 hour.

Enter San Jose State through the Paseo de San Antonio Walk near 4th and San Carlos.  Large pillars guard the entrance to the school.  Continue straight along the path to the old center of San Jose State, a large grassy lawn dominated by a large old tower. Take a left.
 

A.Tower Hall **

Built in 1910 to replace the previous building destroyed during the 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake, Tower Hall is a mixture of Art Noveau, Gothic, Renaissance, Moorish, and Spanish-revival.  According to tradition, Tau Delta Phi sets up a chair and paddle on the bell tower, but the school has stopped it due to it being a fire hazard. 

Art Noveau, Moorish, Gothic, Spanish, Renaissance and Mission art - See more at: http://spartandaily.com/3588/a-century-later-sjsus-tower-hall-stands-tall#sthash.JZdmuX7H.dpuf

Art Noveau, Moorish, Gothic, Spanish, Renaissance and Mission art - See more at: http://spartandaily.com/3588/a-century-later-sjsus-tower-hall-stands-tall#sthash.JZdmuX7H.dpuf

Behind the Tower Hall to the left is a lawn containing a bell.


B. The Tower Bell *

Cast in 1881 to commemorate the California Normal School, it served the tower of the Tower Hall.  The bell rung until the 1906 Earthquake and was finally replaced in 1946.

To the right of the bell is a larger lawn with two figures.


C.Tommie Smith and John Carlos Statues ***
In one of the most overt political statements in the Olympic Games, San Jose State University students Tommie Smith, winner of the Gold Medal, and John Carlos, winner of the Bronze Medal in the 200m race of the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, raised their fists up in support of human rights.  Peter Norman of Australia, winner of the Silver Medal, wore a badge for the Olympic Project for Human Rights in solidarity to the Americans.  The three were booed by the crowd at the podium and suspended by order of the controversial IOC President Avery Brundage, who stated the acts to be political (though he himself has quite some controversy with being a Nazi supporter and later the decision to continue the Olympics after the Munich Olympic Massacre).  Smith and Carlos endured heavy controversy upon their return to the United States, as did Norman in Australia.  The act remains somewhat controversial, but generally most currently see it as a brave act for supporting civil rights in the United States and the world. In 2005, artist Rigo 23 created this statue of Smith and Carlos at San Jose State in honor of their actions. Norman is not depicted, though he spoke at its dedication.  Supporters occasionally place shoes at the statues.

Continuing East, you work your way around a building to another large palm-lined boulevard. You are heading towards the newer sections of campus.  In the middle of the boulevard is an impressive arch.


D. César Chávez Memorial ***

This memorial is dedicated to prominent United Farm Workers activist César Chávez, instrumental in leading the nonviolent Delano Grapes Strike of 1965 and the Salad Bowl Strike in 1970, leading to increased wages and collective bargaining rights of farm workers in California.  The memorial includes an UFW Aztec eagle on top, with images of Dolores Huerta (left) and Mahatma Gandhi (right) below.

From the arch, turn left, going Northward up 7th St. After 1.5 blocks (backtracking half a block) turn left to go Westward. Eventually you'll see Tower Hall on the left.  In front is the next stop near the corner of San Fernando and 4th St.


E. Martin Luther King Jr. Library ****

In 2003, San Jose State University and the San Jose Municipal Public Library agreed to form a single library integrating both the municipal stacks and the university literary collection, despite some controversy over whether a single collection could effectively serve its dual functions. The library appears to have been successful. With 1.6 million volumes, eight floors and 44,000 m² of space, it is the largest single library building in the Western United States. Also included is the Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies, the only museum devoted to Ludwig van Beethoven in North America, and collections related to John Steinbeck, California History, and Civil Rights History.