Clock Tower At Agnews
Help Save Historical Agnews What's Happening
What's Happening
The State of California has declared the Historical District of the Agnews State Hospital as surplus property and is selling it off to Sun Microsystems.
The proper procedures for the disposition of surplus properties have not been followed by the State. These procedures are in place to safeguard the public interest, and to prevent the squandering of public assets.
Sun Microsystems is planning to raze the historical district of Agnews except for two and part of two other buildings. More than sixty historically significant, architecturally beautiful, and structurally sound buildings will be destroyed. California will lose a significant part of its history when this happens.
There is much more to Agnews than just some historical artifacts. Agnews is a whole Historical District, as desrcibed by the National Register of Historic Places.
Corporate Welfare
The deal between the State of California and Sun Microsystems is an excellent example of "Corporate Welfare". It will be shown as an example in the "Market Place" program on channel 7 on Sunday morning June 1, 1997. Corporte welfare is the subsidy of corporate business by the public.
The Governor of California and the chairman and CEO of Sun Microsystems are apparently long time school friends. There is nothing wrong with that. We all need friends. We function better when we can work with friends. We are all better off that way.
However, when friendship becomes political - and financial - favoritism, then it is wrong.
Sun will receive the 80+ acre core of Agnews for less than $51 million - the State refused to disclose the exact number, but it acknowledged it was less than 51 million. That makes the price Sun would pay slightly under $600,000 per acre.
Paramount, the parent company of the Great America entertainment park very close by, also in the "Golden Triangle", very recently purchased some land for their park. They paid very close to $1,400,000 per acre. That is 2.3 times as much. In other words, if Sun were paying the going rate, they would have to pay approximately $120 million.
Who do you think is paying that tidy sum of $70 million that Sun isn't paying? Well, it is you and me, buddy, it is us tax payers. Don't kid yourself.
Hey, listen to this! I've got a great idea, let's you and me get together, offer the State $60 million for Agnews. That outbids Sun, and then we can sell it for $120 million on the open market, we'll make $60 million in quick bucks, and we'll split it between us. Well, what do you say, pal?
Of course I'm not serious. The State would never sell Agnews to you and me for $60 million, because we are not properly connected. We're not big business.
Another interesting thing is that Sun was a major (if not the largest nationally) campaign contributor to the Dole campaign. Nothing wrong with that. The Governor was the Dole campaign manager in California. Nothing wrong with that either. Silicon Valley is strongly pro Clinton, so there is nothing wrong with somebody standing up for the Dole side of things. Actually, I'm sort of proud of Sun to have stepped up to the plate.
What is wrong, is when this patriotic action results in favoritism. We all are very troubled by the Agnews situation having the appearance of a deal between Sun and the State.
What is more troubling is that legislators in Sacramento acknowledge that, as far as they are concerned, the Sun-Agnews matter is a done deal.
Let me assure you, that it is not. If you and your friends, if all of us together, if we as citizens make it patently clear that we want the disposition of Agnews to be conducted in a legal and straight forward manner, then the present deal will fail, and a proper and legal process will commence.
We don't condone Corporate Welfare
Historical Preservation
At their May 29, 1997 quarterly meeting, the California State Historical Preservation Office voted to support the nomination of the West Agnews Campus to the National Register of Historc Places. This is an important step towards the preservation of Agnews, because the State of California is now officially on record as recognizing the historical importance of the entire West Agnews Campus, and has not merely singled out an arbitrary select few of the more than 100 buildings. SHPO should be lauded for their action. The next step is to include Agnews in the National Register.
Mere recognition of Agnews as historic does not by any means guarantee its survival. It does make it illegal for the government, while it own it, to let it get run down, and then destroy it. Enforcing this would prove difficult. It also does not prevent a future owner - Sun Microsystems - from destroying it.
It was very encouraging that the Santa Clara Commission of Historical Landmarks voted unanimously to recommend to the City Council that the nomination to SHPO be supported, and that then the Santa Clara City Council voted unanimously to support the nomination to SHPO. During that Council hearing one of the council members asked and was assured by staff that historical designation would in no way protect Agnews from Sun's wrecking ball, nor that the name Agnews was to be preserved. But in the end, even this council member voted in favor of historical registration.
What the historical registration has achieved is a formal recognition by the government of Agnews' historical significance. This does require some additional formal scrutiny to be applied prior to its destruction by Sun Microsystems.
We must continue to work hard to preserve this beautiful site for community use.
If we let these 300 historical acres in the middle of residential areas get bulldozed and converted to high tech office space, we will have to explain to our grandchildred why we didn't care enough to save the open space and cultural facilities for them.
Draft Environmental Impact Report
The Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR) was issued on May 5, 1997, and made available for purchase. There is a 45 day time within which the public can respond to this item. How these 45 days are counted is not clear, June 7, 1997 has been heard as a cutoff date, and we have asked for clarification.
The Draft EIR is the document which contains information on how the changed use of Agnews will affect the environment, and supposedly quality of life of those who live in this environment. All items NOT included in the Draft EIR will NOT be considered in the EIR. It is extremely important that any citizen input to the Draft EIR is included in the EIR.
If you have any concern over the Agnews issue which you would like addressed by the EIR, you MUST see to it that your issue is included in the Draft EIR.
Contact the Santa Clara City Planning Office BEFORE June 7, 1997 to have your item included in the Draft EIR so that it will be considered in the EIR.
This EIR is a very important document, because only the items covered by the EIR need be considered by the city government in its decisions for Agnews. Even if they are wrong, or superficial. It is up to you to assure that the legislative process will include your issues in the EIR.
Scanning over the Draft EIR quickly shows some glaring omissions and misrepresentation. It is important that we all read this document, and demand its correction before the final EIR issues.
Agnews Preservation Coalition
The Agnews Preservation Coalition (APC) is a group of concerned citizens, who strive to preserve Agnews for Community use. It was formally organized with officers and bylaws on Thursday May 29, 1997.
APC came about from individuals bumping into each other an various Agnews related matters. These individuals had very different reasons for being involved in the Agnews matter, but all had the preservation of Agnews as part of their reasons for being involved. From these informal discussions developed a casually organized group. These individuals recognized that by joining together, they would be stronger in achieving their common goal of preserving Agnews for Community use.
And so the Agnews Preservation Coalition was formed.
There are now regular action meetings scheduled for Thursday evenings, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. Anyone with the preservation of Historical Agnews at heart, and who is willing to do some hard work, is welcome to attend.
About Agnews
The Agnews State Hospital dates back to 1885. The fully functioning time piece in the Clock Tower is still the original Seth Thomas time piece installed in the original Clock Tower when it was built in 1888. During the quake of '06 Agnews suffered badly. The single greatest loss of life - as a direct result of the '06 tremor - occurred at Agnews. It was when the Clock Tower and Main Treatment Building collapsed, crushing 112 residents and staff under a pile of rubble. A cemetery was created where the victims were buried in a mass grave.
Agnews was rebuilt with the then relatively new technique of inserting iron bars as strengthening when pouring concrete. Agnews was one of the early large scale applications of this technique, which we now commonly know as reinforced concrete.
During the Loma Prieta quake Agnews suffered no damage. Actually, inspectors found one crack in one building. They are still trying to decide whether that crack was caused by the quake, or whether it was already there. Considering that there are more than one hundred buildings at Agnews, that is quite a testamonial to the quality of the structures of Agnews almost a century later.
The landscaping at Agnews is a horticultural delight. Trees were brought in from all corners of the world. This is apparent when one enters the Agnews Campus from Lafayette Street by turning into Palm Drive. One passes the Governor's Mansion with its rose lined carriage drive, and stops at the first cross road, facing the Clock Tower. The Ballroom with its full production stage, dual 35 mm carbon arc movie projectors, and superb acoustics is on the right. Between you and the clock tower is a grassy area sprinkled with trees, the likes of which you have never seen gathered before. For example, on the right is a beautiful example of the original 'jungle gym' tree. This is a South African tree, it is beautiful, and different from anything you have ever seen. Then there is the orange tree, which provides you with oranges like you will - unfortunately - never find in the supermarket.
Community Use For Agnews
There is a conspicuous lack of public and cultural facilities in the area around Agnews. There is a great need for such facilities. This fact. although well recognized, is not materially addressed.
Around 1950 Agnews was a community of some five thousand residents and staff. These facilities are very well suited for community use. Agnews can be used for many community services, including Housing, Cultural Center, Performing Arts Center, Public Park, Office Space, Community Shopping Center, Library, College/School, and many more activities which the general public can envision.
The Agnews facilities are expasnive, and under proper management can become a self supporting and self sufficient economic unit. This is not 'pie in the sky'. This is for real.
What Santa Clara Can Do
Through its zoning authority the City of Santa Clara can save the histirical structures, including the Ballroom. Please write the Mayor and Council members of Santa Clara to let them know your wishes.
What The State Can Do
Our elected representatives in the legislature of the State of California need to represent our interest; the public interest.
Our Representatives Must Follow The Law
State law relating to the disposition of surplus State property was established to safeguard the public interest, and to prevent the squandering of public assets. Right now we are losing a major public asset.
The Governor and the legislature can stop the current boondogle, and proceed with the proper process of disposition of surplus property.
This requires the consideration of all uses, including public uses. It requires following the law, and not making a back room agreement with one of the largest political contributors in the country, pre-determining the sale of Agnews, and then going through some shameful act of 'public availability'.
Corporate Welfare
Historical Registration
Environmental Impact Report
Agnews Preservation Coalition
Send E-Mail
About Agnews
Community Use for Agnews
What Santa Clara Can Do
What The State Can Do
The Left Overs
What You Can Do
The Agnews Campus ranks with San Francisco's Golden Gate park and Presisio, with New York's Central Park, and America's Ellis Island, in terms of historical significance.
Agnews has been associated with the less fortunate in our country, and so is less well known than Ellis Island. Where Ellis Island represents America's heart as it welcomed immigrants to their pursuit of happiness in a new land, so Agnews represents America's heart as it strives to provide happiness to the lives of the less fortunate amongs us.
Agnews is every bit as important as Ellis Island as a national historical artifact, and deserves all our support to save it from the wrecking ball.
The City Council of Santa Clara
1500 Warburton Avenue
Santa Clara, CA 95050
