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For its stoicism, the Del Monte building
could be characterized as the Calvin Coolidge of structures:
In the face of hardship, it has stood, quiet and unflappable
for almost a century.
The Sunnyvale Historical Society and the Native Daughters of
the Golden West acknowledged the building's good fortune and
endurance this past weekend with a plaque marking the structure
as a historic site.
The Del Monte building's beginnings are as patchy as they come.
Assembled in 1904 using a hayloft as a base, the building was
pieced together on redwood slabs next to the railroad on Evelyn
Avenue. Those humble beginnings foreshadowed its future more
than anyone could have realized.
A fruit company called Madison and Bonner built the large wooden
structure for drying and packing its products. For 22 years the
building weathered the strong Santa Clara Valley sun and wind,
as dried apricots, peaches and prunes passed between its walls
on their way to railroad cars headed to San Francisco, and, eventually,
the East Coast. In 1926, Madison and Bonner, which became California
Packing Corporation, abandoned the building for a larger, more
modern facility in San Jose.
After standing empty for the next couple years, the structure
faced its first rescue by an unlikely savior: a 22-year-old named
Hermann Horn.
The California Packing Corporation sent Horn down from its Marin
headquarters to scout out potential locations for the company's
seed-testing division. The corporation, which changed its name
to Del Monte in 1967, was pretty fussy about its seeds--it only
sold produce that originated from its own pods.
So Horn came to Sunnyvale and peered in the windows and sized
up the empty building and partially sealed its lucky fate by
recommending it as the new seed-operations site.
"Probably the only reason [Horn] ever said OK was because
of hard times," said Jan Camp, president of the Sunnyvale
Historical Society. "It was pretty bad times, right after
the stock market crash. No one was building new things. It probably
would have been demolished if it wasn't for the hard times."
But instead it became the international headquarters for Del
Monte's seed processing operations under Horn's supervision,
and became known as the Sunnyvale Seed Germinating Laboratory.
And the building continued in that capacity until Del Monte moved
its operations to Gilroy in 1986.
So again the building stood vacant, facing likely demolition
to make way for a city parking lot. But it was once again rescued
in 1993, when Dubrovnik Associates, Inc. purchased the building,
moved it to its present site facing Murphy Avenue, and renovated
the interior to house retail shops and banquet rooms.
"I guess it's a pretty lucky building," Camp says.
"A lot of people didn't want to bother with saving it, but
it worked out. It was built to last."
Story credited to The Sun Newspaper, March 17 1999
http://www.sunnyvalesun.com/
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