To Decision Makers:

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     Grace Baptist Church has been an anchor of the downtown San Jose, California, community for more than a century, and has occupied its beautiful Gothic Revival sanctuary at Tenth and San Fernando Streets since its construction in 1941. The church was designed by prominent local architects Binder and Curtis, and proudly features the only remaining pipe organ from San Jose's silent movie era.  The organ was originally built for the Liberty Theater over one-hundred-years ago where it played for 20 years before moving to the church.

 

     Sadly, an out-of-state developer now wants to build a mid-rise luxury student housing development on the site, which would require the complete demolition of the sanctuary and a residential rezoning of the parcel. Suggestions to preserve and build around the sanctuary have not been given a fair chance to be heard.

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     We urge you to support the designation of Grace Baptist Church as a City Landmark and to maintain the current zoning of the site for public/quasi-public uses. Other parcels in the immediate vicinity are more appropriate for new housing developments and would not require the destruction of this irreplaceable historic resource or the displacement of this storied congregation. Our history is too important to throw away!