Places
Mixed Use on Stockton Avenue
Detail
of map of City of San Jose First Ward , from the Historical Atlas of
Santa Clara County, CA, 1876.In the latter half of the 19th century, the area known as the Stockton Ranch developed unevenly. The grand Alameda connecting San José with Santa Clara ran directly through the land. In the 1860’s, railroad investor Charles B. Polhemus purchased the Stockton Ranch to gain right-of-way for the long-awaited railroad link to San Francisco. Within a few years railroad lines connecting San Jose with the East Bay, Sacramento, southern California and Santa Cruz crisscrossed the area.
Portions not covered by railroad lines were sold off separately to developers, including well-known San José architect Theodore Lenzen and entrepreneur Samuel Bishop. Some entrepreneurs created grand plans for housing developments. But in the end, these investors did not pursue their projects and eventually sold the lots. A few homes were built in the late 19th century but much of the land continued to be pasturage.
In the late 19th century, one section of the former potrero was sold to F. Krohenberg, who established a brewery, later called the Fredericksburg Brewery, along The Alameda. The location had the great advantage of a spur line of the railroad running directly behind it. The Muirson Label Company would later use this line to bring in materials and take out their finished products.
