The History San José Collection

History San José manages the City of San José’s historic collection as part of its contract with the City. The seismically retrofitted, climate-controlled Collection Center is located in the City of San José’s Central Services Yard and is managed by our Collections & Exhibitions full-time staff members.

In 1998, the City of San Jose purchased the former Beechnut Building on Senter Road, across from Kelley Park. The building was renovated to include 40,000 square feet for the City’s historic collection to include offices and work areas, a reading room, and two storage rooms. In 2006, a large federal grant, matched by community donations, allowed HSJ to move the Archives and Library from the Pacific Hotel in History Park to the Collection Center. The artifact collection continued to be relocated from disparate warehouses in the park, as well as downtown San Jose, over the next decade.