What San Jose looked like in the 1880s Through Fabulous Historical Photos

The Alameda was the principal road between San Jose and the city of Santa Clara. Willow trees line the center and sides of the road. The track of a horse car line can be seen on the right. In the far distance a horse car is approaching.

A group of men is posed along the sidewalk. Two boys with dogs are posed in front of the horses. The building is multi-story, with rounded windows, and has a sign on it that reads.

T.W. Spring Company located in the Newhall Building at the corner of Market and Santa Clara Streets, San Jose. Spring was a very prominent advertiser, especially on horse drawn streetcars. He advertised his store as the great American cheap store.

San Jose Electric Tower under construction at Santa Clara Street looking north on Market Street. The two-story building in the lower left corner of the picture housed the San Jose News from 1889-1897.

Southern Pacific steam Locomotive on tracks at station, with a building in the background, likely a hotel.

A celebration near San Jose's City Hall (built 1887). Militia in formation, military band, men in uniform on horses, men in horse-drawn carriages and several onlookers, some with bicycles.

A marching band and a column of men form part of a parade on Second Street near San Fernando Street. The Empire Fire House at 76 Second Street can be seen. Some people stand on the building's roof near the bell tower to get a better view.

The Hotel Vendome opened in February 1889. It was one of the finest hotels in California, located on thirteen landscaped acres. In 1930, it was demolished to make way for houses.

Looking southward through San Jose's Financial District, at the intersection of First Street and Santa Clara Street. Three banks and a large office building can be seen. On the left is the Bank of San Jose, with its four-way tower clock. Across the street, also on the left, is the Commercial and Savings Bank.

The Commercial and Savings Bank, also known as the McLaughlin and Ryland Bank, at the corner of First Street and Santa Clara Street.

A photographer and camera stand in the dirt road leading to the main entrance of the asylum. The asylum consisted of an administration building in the center flanked on either side by wings housing more than 900 patients. The building was 750 feet long and was constructed at a cost of $750,000.

Designed by Levi Goodrich, this City Hall was constructed in 1855 at what later became 35 North Market Street. It was a two-story brick structure with council chambers on the ground floor and two small rooms and an assembly hall upstairs. The county leased the second floor as a courtroom for a short time but the lease was not renewed in 1862 because the city needed the space. In the 1890s the building was converted to a fire station and the castellations were removed. The building was demolished in 1951

Commercial & Savings Bank on the corner of First and Santa Clara. This local bank was absorbed by the Bank of Italy and the building was replaced in 1912.

San José's Chinatown on Market Street prior to the fire which destroyed it in 1887. This Chinatown was on the present site of the Fairmont Hotel.

The Alameda was once merely a path that linked Mission Santa Clara and the Pueblo of San José. The trees lining either side of The Alameda were planted in 1799 by Father Magin Catala, using the labor of 200 Native Americans. Over time, the street was developed with Victorian mansions

Street railroad tracks extended throughout San José and the Santa Clara Valley. The last line closed in 1938.

San Jose's Electric Light Tower under construction at Santa Clara Street looking north on Market Street. The two-story building in the lower left corner of the picture housed the San Jose News from 1889-1897. Editor James J. Owen led the efforts to build the 237-foot tower as a beacon to progress.

Newspaper building at 65 South Market Street, housing the Morning Times, Daily Times and Evening Herald.