Electroliers
Electroliers
There were seven, poured-in-place concrete pillars in the Mission-Revival style called "electroliers" originally installed by Eaton, Vestal, & Herschbach in 1913 at the entrances to Palm Haven in the parkways. One more was installed in the center of Palm Haven on the Plaza. All but one had a pair of electric lanterns hanging from the brackets protruding from the top of the pillars. The pillar on the Plaza had a slightly altered design using four brackets on each side of the pillar with lanterns hanging from all four brackets.
Eaton,
Vestal, & Herschbach indicated in early documents that they intended to erect
pillars at all entrances to Palm Haven but there are none at Riverside & Bird
today. Photos from the early 1920s show no pillars at that location at that time
either. So it is possible that the developer ran out of time and/or money to
erect the last pair of electroliers and never went back to finish the work.
(They sold their interest in Palm Haven in 1916 likely because of the halt in
real estate sales as a result of the first World War.)
The electroliers were the only public lighting originally installed in Palm Haven. In the 1920s, after the remainder of Palm Haven was annexed into the City of San Jose, 4 traditional streetlamps were installed in Palm Haven. They survive to this day and are being renovated. (See photo at right.) Click HERE for more on the streetlamps of Palm Haven.
In 2002, the Palm Haven Restoration Committee was formed by neighborhood residents who wanted to restore the pillars to their original condition. The first phase of the restoration project resulted in completion of the pillars at the Plaza Drive entrance and the one on the Plaza in August of 2004. Click HERE for details on the restoration project.
The drawing is from original 1913 marketing material. The black & white photo was taken around 1921 with 701 Palm Haven Avenue in the background. The two boys are John Bohnett and Lewis Bohnett.
The photo at left was taken in 2002 prior to restoration. The photo at right was taken in the evening of Aug. 2004, after restoration.
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