The photos on this page are of the County Fire Marshal's Office, no longer connected to the department.
Many of these photos are reduced-size or cropped thumbnails. Click any photo with a border to see the full-sized image.
Two photos of the first County Fire Marshal's office. [1 and 2 in map below] The house was located on the northeast corner of N. San Pedro St and Younger St, facing Younger St. The building under construction in the background is the Santa Clara County Dept. of Social Services building which is being located on the northwest corner of Younger St and N. First St. The house was either demolished or relocated, possibly to Alviso, to make room for the Dept. of Social Services parking lot which was to be located on the west side and back of the building. For these photos, the photographer is facing NW. N. San Pedro St extends off the left side of the photo, and Younger St extends off of the right. If you could follow N. San Pedro beyond the edge of the left side of the photo, the street would end at a left-turn corner onto Hamline St. Photos 22 Mar 1962.
The first listing for a County Fire Marshal is in the 1955 San Jose telephone directory. At that time, the CFM's office is listed at 800 N. 1st Street, San Jose (corner of Mission St). The Fire Marshal was Bruce C. Wiggins. In 1959, the address is listed at 885 N. 1st Street, room 113, telephone CYpress 5-1050. In 1960, the address has been changed to 20 W. Rosa St, room 113, same telephone number. This is probably a readdressing of the same building, since the addresses are around the corner from each other. Rosa St has since been renamed Hedding St. In 1962, the Fire Marshal's office moved to 140 Hamline St.
Because the streets indicated no longer exist, this map is provided to help clarify locations.
Numbered circles indicate approximate positions and site lines of the photographer when taking the photos on this page.
Photos of the Hamline St County Fire Marshal's office. Note there is still a lack of paving on the streets. The address of this office was 140 Hamline St, San Jose, an address which no longer exists. It was located at what is now the Valley Transit Authority (VTA) light rail yard, near highway 87 and Interstate 880. The first and second photos [3 and 4 on map above] are looking SE. The third photo [5 on map] is looking east; note the building through the trees, possibly the National Guard armory. The fourth photo [6 on map] is looking SW. Photos July 1968.
This building apparently didn't go quietly. Demolition was accomplished with explosives, and when it was detonated, the building's toilet shot straight up quite impressively.
Three photos of the office sign. Note, in the background, the complete lack of most everything. The view of the first photo [7 on map] is looking NE. The second photo [8 on map] is looking north towards what is now Interstate 880 and the southern end of the San Jose airport runway. The third shot [9 on map] is looking west, towards the highway construction of the East Hedding bridge over the Guadalupe Parkway (highway 87). These views are now almost entirely blocked off by the recent highway redevelopment of highway 87. Photos July 1968.
A photo showing the County Fire Marshal's office fleet, and it's officers [10 on map]. Note construction in background. Looking west. Front to back: Bruce Wiggins A-1; James Dunnigan A-2; Cliff Johnson B-1; Al Hoffmeyer B-2; Harold Stalker B-3; John Baker B-4; Dan Chabraya B-5; Dayton Foote B-6; Ray Gamma B-7. Photo July 1968.
An interior photo of the County Fire Marshal's office, showing personnel consulting a blueprint. Front to back: James Dunnigan A-2; Harold Stalker B-3; Ray Gamma B-7. Photo July 1968.
Current County Fire Marshal car, 1 May 2004, at the Los Altos Station. This car serves the Stanford College campus. It is a Chevrolet Crown Victoria.
Two shots of the County Photographer, Charles A. Taddo's office, situated next to and north of the County Fire Marshal, at 146 Hamline St [12 and 13 on map]. In the left side photo, the Fire Marshal's office is in the background. Most of the photos on this page, and all of the photos on this website attributed to "Official County photo" were taken by the County Photographer.
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