CC 06-21-2022 Item No. 20 Historiacal Society Update_Written CommunicationsCC 06-21-2022
Item No. 20
Council
Subcommittee_
Cupertino
Historical
Society Update
Written
Communication
From:Rhoda Fry
To:City Clerk; City Council; Cupertino City Manager"s Office
Subject:Cupertino City Council 6/21/2022 #20 Cupertino Historical Society
Date:Tuesday, June 21, 2022 4:11:19 PM
Attachments:Historic Snyder Hammond House Lehigh Cupertino Historical Society with A....pdf
snyder hammond also.pdf
G – Historical Society Grant Application FY 2021-22 (1).pdf
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Dear City Council,
Pertaining to #20 Cupertino Historical Society, I am writing you about the Snyder Hammond home,
the oldest home in Cupertino that has fallen into disrepair because the Cupertino Historical Society
has failed to abide by our City’s General Plan. You will find from the attached minutes of the March
12, 2012 City Council meeting that the Historical Society considered the home to be important – so
important that it asked the City to move the home to McClellan Ranch. Actually, there are a number
of reasons why it is important to be where it is. It needs to remain in place and it needs to be
repaired.
Long story short:
1. The home is historically important and the Historical Society purchased it for $1.
2. The Historical Society had Lehigh personnel on its board.
3. The house is very close to Lehigh. Lehigh had a choice – it could either install modern
pollution controls or make sure that the house was empty. At the time the house was
emptied of its caretaker’s family, the youngest child was about 10 years old.
4. The Historical Society leased the home to Lehigh for about $100K. The lease was signed by a
member of the Historical Society who was simultaneously employed by Lehigh (conflict of
interest? Using non-profit to benefit for-profit company?)
5. The home fell into disrepair and needs to be repaired.
Attachments:
1. History of the house and lease agreement with Lehigh
2. March 12, 2012 City Council minutes – Historical Society says that home is important
(they’ve since changed their tune, why?)
3. Historical Society Grant Application 2021-22 asks for money for the house even though it is
getting rent from Lehigh
4. There is another document that I cannot find now that said that the rent was used to fund
other programs. It is wrong to have allowed our City’s oldest home to fall into disrepair.
Through all these years of ownership, there hasn’t even been a plaque installed on-site. You’ll find
the fascinating history of the house and its occupants attached. And oh, by the way, Dr. Hammond
was Santa Clara County’s physician, the Sara Cody of his day. He’d be turning over in his grave if he
learned that his home was vacated so that its neighbor could make his home uninhabitable and
pollute the general area.
Sincerely,
Rhoda Fry