The Willow Glen Trestle’s chances of hitting the century mark were significantly reduced earlier this month when a Santa Clara County judge ruled it isn’t historical enough to preserve. In a 32-page ruling, Superior Court Judge Helen E. Williams sided with San Jose city leaders who have tried for several years to raze the bridge. Williams’ Oct. 5 ruling said San Jose’s determination that “the trestle is not a historical resource is supported by substantial evidence, slim as i

The city has sent a letter asking the California Historical Resources Commission to reconsider its recent decision to place the Willow Glen Trestle on the state historic register, which could save it from demolition. The letter, written by city manager Norberto Duenas, argues that state commissioners used faulty information in determining the 95-year-old wooden railroad bridge should be designated a historic structure. Duenas wrote that the commission should “reverse or alter

The case for preserving the nearly century-old Willow Glen Trestle in San Jose got a big boost last week when the state Historic Resources Commission voted to place the wooden railroad bridge on the California Register of Historical Resources. The commission’s May 10 vote in Pasadena followed a hearing where a group called Friends of the Willow Glen Trestle, the city’s historic preservation officer, a certified city-commissioned historian and former District 6 councilman Pier

San Jose’s attorneys last week urged the court to quickly decide whether the Willow Glen Trestle should be torn down. Too long a delay means a prefabricated bridge built to replace the trestle will have to sit in storage another year even if Santa Clara County Superior Court rules in the city’s favor, they said. And that could throw the long-planned connection between Los Gatos Creek Trail and Three Creeks Trail in limbo. City officials have been anxiously awaiting a ruling s

Residents who have been fighting to save the Willow Glen Trestle from demolition were dealt a blow last week when they got word that the National Register of Historic Places declared the old railroad bridge ineligible for historic status. But the decision came as good news to San Jose city officials who have been trying for almost three years to tear down the span and replace it with a prefabricated one. Although the state Historic Resources Commission unanimously determined

The San Jose City Council has voted for a fourth time to remove the Willow Glen Trestle, a wooden railroad relic nestled at the junction of Los Gatos Creek and the expanding Three Creeks Trail, and replace it with a steel bridge. Despite a showing of dozens of residents who support a May 6 recommendation by the Historic Landmarks Commission to nominate the trestle for historic designation and postpone demolition pending a determination, the council voted 7-2 Tuesday to go wit

Because of legal wrangling, the 1920s-era Willow Glen Trestle still stands despite another San Jose City Council vote to raze the old railroad bridge. When the council voted again May 21 to demolish the 210-foot trestle and replace it with a steel bridge–already built and sitting in storage, according to District 6 Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio–it looked like the end for the railroad relic. The plan was to have the fabricated bridge in place by October. The council previously

A group of San Jose residents is savoring a recent victory in the ongoing battle to save the Willow Glen Trestle from being razed. The California State Historical Resources Commission unanimously declared the railroad relic eligible for historic preservation at an April 18 public hearing in San Francisco. The fate of the trestle likely won’t be settled until next month, however, when the federal government is supposed to decide whether it fits criteria for inclusion in the Na

A group of residents fighting to save the Willow Glen Trestle from demolition returned last week for another round in court against the city of San Jose. Friends of the Willow Glen Trestle and their attorney appeared at the Santa Clara Superior Court on Feb. 3 to argue there is substantial evidence the old bridge is historic and should therefore remain standing. “The sole question on remand is whether the trestle qualifies as historic when the substantial evidence standard is

A group of San Jose residents says it recently uncovered a “rich and intriguing background” that warrants declaring the Willow Glen Trestle a historic landmark. The group, which calls itself Friends of the Willow Glen Trestle, has asked state historians to consider the new information in evaluating the old railroad bridge it wants to save from demolition. In May, the San Jose City Council voted to raze the relic and replace it with a prefabricated steel bridge that has been s