The Alameda "The Beautiful Way"
Then & Now: Hester Grammar School
California's First True Road 1799
San Jose, CA
The Hester School, founded by Judge Craven P. Hester on property adjacent to his estate on the Alameda in 1870. The school has been rebuilt twice.
The school has been converted and is being used for students with special needs.
ARTISTS: BILL GOULD AND GLEN ROGERS (2000)
Spirit Gate creates an entry transition between The Alameda and the school building. The artists worked with 4th graders from Hester, who choose "power words" such as Honor, Inspire, and Dream, which were then cut into the steel of the gateway.
Local historian Rev. Nancy Schell, who grew up on The Alameda, gave students a presentation about local history as inspiration for their work. The students drew scenes reflecting this history and worked with Lincoln High School students to translate the drawings into mosaics spiraling around the gate's columns.(Resource https://www.sanjoseca.gov/…/FacilityDirectory/2725/1396…
Originally shared on Explore San Jose · October 6, 2020