Hensley Historic District

North of downtown San Jose lies a neighborhood of 279 properties, 207 of them contributing, built mostly between 1865 and 1930 on a street grid surveyed in 1848 and finalized in 1850. Most buildings are still single family homes, in styles ranging from Italianate and Queen Anne to San Francisco Stick and early bungalows. Third Street became the prestige address, lined with ornate Queen Anne villas, while Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Streets hold smaller houses and cottages built for business owners and working families. Horse-drawn railroads, the Southern Pacific line and electric streetcars ran through the area, and their locations appear to have shaped the value and stature of the homes. North Fifth Street, laid out 100 feet wide, now has a landscaped median. The district is considered the largest surviving concentration of intact Victorian residences in San Jose, home to industry founders, financiers, civic leaders, merchants and laborers. Many buildings have been altered, yet the overall character remains intact.