O
Morgan Hill's
Historic Downtown
n a cold but sunny Saturday morning
in December,
TODAY joined a
small group of eight for the two-hour
walking tour of Morgan Hill's historic downtown district.
We were lucky that morning to have two guides from the
Morgan Hill Historical Society. Clay Pytlik took the lead. Rick
Smith was the back-up with a notebook of historic photos
that helped provide context for the dialogue.
Both Clay and Rick have interesting backgrounds. While
Clay is a relatively new Morgan Hill resident, she is an
established colonial history scholar with experience leading
historic tours in Iowa and West Virginia. Rick is a long-term
Morgan Hill resident and has been a docent at Villa Mira
Monte. This year, he hopes to be a lead tour guide.
The tour starts below the Poppy Jasper glass wall on the
north side of the Fourth Street Plaza Garage. We received a
well-designed brochure on the highlights of the tour, but the
commentary was more than enough to keep our attention
and interest. Walking tours create an awareness of details
that are lost on most drivers. I have often driven along Third
Street and never noticed the Victorian Queen Anne details on
homes in that area.
The tour is an interesting experience well worth the
two hours. One little piece of info, the Grange Hall (circa
1907) on Fourth Street did not start out as a Grange but
as the second grammar school built in Morgan Hill. This is
indicative of a different way building in 1907.
The third grammar school, originally located at the corner
of Dunne and Monterey, is now the home of Morgan Hill’s
Community & Cultural Center. Over a period of ten years,
the home was moved, in 13 pieces, to its current location
at 410 Llagas Road. It received the Governor’s Award of
Excellence in Historic Preservation in 2003, and has taken
on a new life as the Stratford School.
Another fact: during the widening of a downtown section
of Monterey Road in the late 1930s, the buildings along the
west side of the road were moved back by approximately 17
to 20 feet. The structures built on mudsills, including the
Methodist-Episcopal Church (circa 1893) at 17175 Monterey
Road, were pulled back by horses. This building has several
unique features including the bull’s-eye window facing
Monterey Road and the original pressed tin ceiling.
Ladera Grill was originally the Skeels Hotel (circa
1910). The front of the building had to be blasted off for
the widening of Monterey. In 1926 the Crown Prince and
Princess of Sweden stayed at the Skeels Hotel during their
visit to dedicate Sveadal, the Swedish resort located along
Uvas Creek.
Continuing our walk down Monterey Road, there were
stories upon stories connected with most of the buildings.
56
gmh
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018
gmhtoday.com