Campbell, California Since 1999
City Beat
|
for a school that is gone 
Getting Around: Nicholas Pass, 5, practices in-line skating while his dad, Terry, looks on. Nicholas has been working on his form since he was 3. By Sheila Sanchez The wind chimes and whirligigs decorating homes in the sleepy Coventry neighborhood in northwest Campbell remind young and old that nothing stays the same. The area, like other parts of Campbell, has changed from rural open land to a neighborhood full of homes built in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. Today, those homes shelter an urban mix of working-class families. The neighborhood, also known by some as the Cloverdale neighborhood, is bordered by San Tomas Expressway, San Tomas Aquino Road, Campbell Avenue and Latimer Avenue. Some residents also refer to the neighborhood as Westgate because its boundaries border the Westgate West Shopping Center, located on Prospect Road and Lawrence Expressway in San Jose. The center was one of the first ones built in Silicon Valley in the 1960s. Neighbors say they shop there because it's only a few miles away. 
Sitting Back: Bob and Sally Hansen have been residents of the Coventry neighborhood for 42 years. Having raised seven children, they are enjoying working in their garden. Sally and Bob Hansen, one of the few original homeowners in the neighborhood who remain, moved into the area from San Jose in March of 1960, more than 42 years ago. They bought their one-story home on 235 Michelle Drive because of its price - $18,000. At the time, the home, located on a 6,000-square-foot lot, had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The Hansens expanded the house to accommodate their seven children. "It's been a marvelous neighborhood," said the 70-year-old Bob on a recent sunny, windy Sunday afternoon in this calm and quiet part of town. "Our neighbors all had young children. They grew up together, played together and looked out for each other." A unifying factor in the neighborhood in the '60s and '70s was the Cloverdale Cabana Club, 183 Radford Drive, still tucked into a cluster of houses in the neighborhood. "It drew people together and there was a lot of community effort involved in that operation," Bob says. "It was a great thing for kids and families to rally around and be a part of the neighborhood." A neighborhood native is Chris Carver, the world-famous swimming coach who leads the Santa Clara Aquamaids, winners of several consecutive national titles. Carver also coached the 2000 U.S. Olympic team in synchronized swimming. In its beginnings, neighborhood families sent their children to the now-closed Coventry Elementary School, 1128 W. Campbell Ave. The school, which is owned by the Moreland School District, shut its doors in June of 1979; the district now leases its premises to Primary Plus daycare center and preschool, 1125 W. Campbell Ave. The neighborhood's other daycare center and preschool is the Kinderwood Children's Center, 1190 W. Latimer Ave. Today, neighborhood children attend Baker School, 4845 Bucknall Road, in San Jose; and Latimer School, 4250 Latimer Ave. The neighborhood also sends children to Prospect High School, 18900 Prospect Road, in Saratoga, which belongs to the Campbell Union High School District. The neighborhood is also home to Campbell Christian School, 1075 W. Campbell Ave., located next to the only church in the neighborhood - the Church of Christ, which has the same address. The church and the preschool are located next to a large sports field that is used by neighborhood residents. Coventry residents talk about the "dividing line" when they refer to W. Latimer Avenue, which represents the San Jose border. On one side of the street, the homes have a Campbell address and on the other, the homes have a San Jose address. The neighborhood has just a few apartment complexes and duplexes. There are no high-rises and no commercial areas. Some two-story homes have begun to make their appearance on Del Prado Drive, and four new Habitat for Humanity homes are being built on Victor Avenue. The neighborhood is also home to the Retirement Inn of Campbell, 290 San Tomas Aquino Road, at the corner of Latimer Drive. "A new generation of people is coming in and finding houses here, and the neighborhood is starting to get full of children again," Dan says. Campbell Plaza, 2952 N. Campbell Ave., offers residents a place to shop. Most neighbors say they buy their groceries at the Nob Hill Foods store, 1602 W. Campbell Ave. and at the Kirkwood Plaza Shopping Center. Residents also shop at San Tomas Plaza, on the corner of San Tomas Aquino Road and Campbell Avenue. Coventry founder In 1950, 70-year-old Raelene Bohnett's father, Raymond Steindorf, bought five acres at the corner of Latimer Avenue and Michelle Drive. Steindorf, who also owned 10 acres on Hamilton Avenue in the '40s, built two houses on each corner of Latimer Avenue. He would later sell most of the land to build the subdivision, paving the way to the development of the Coventry neighborhood. Bohnett's parents lived across the street from her house at 1280 W. Latimer Ave. When her mother, Bertie Steindorf, died three years ago, Bohnett sold the house and lot at 1240 W. Latimer Ave. to a new family wanting to move into the neighborhood. She remembers the property's many fruit trees and the strawberries she grew once the trees were removed. "We didn't have sidewalks; there were no subdivisions. There was open land all the way around. Cloverdale Lane was just beginning to be built, but it was a dead end. It was just ranch land and fruit trees. We could see through to Campbell Avenue," Bohnett says. Raelene and her late husband, Elver, had two children. Elver and Raelene were raised in Campbell. They attended Campbell High School, and her parents attended Campbell High School. Elver's parents were Cutting and Duncan. "We're in the Campbell book," Raelene says. "We're Campbell." Block parties Neighborhood residents Cindy and Dan Campbell, who live at 215 Michelle Drive, represent the new batch of young, working-class families moving into the neighborhood. They bought their home in the Coventry neighborhood 11 years ago. The Campbells have been holding an annual block party for residents on Michelle and Paula drives since 1997. The party is usually held in late September, after Labor Day. About 50 people attend the festivity and Cindy says, "Now everyone knows each other. It's been great." Cindy says she's willing to expand the party to include residents living on the neighborhood's other streets, such as Victor Avenue, Sondra Way, Marianna Way, Branbury Drive, Hayford Drive, Mendenhall Drive and Cassiar Drive. "We would love to have more neighbors come," Cindy says. "Knowing our neighbors has always been important to us." Cindy says the party has been a great instrument to help her and others learn each other's names and phone numbers and "have a cohesive voice." She says that prior to the party, there were people in the neighborhood who had lived near each other for 30 years but had never seen each other. "It was amazing to us that people could have lived here so long and not know their neighbors," Cindy says. Cindy, who works as a Campbell Police Department financial crimes investigator, says the Coventry neighborhood impressed her from the beginning, particularly Michelle Drive, with its tall, bushy green trees lining both sides of the street. "When we came to this particular street, we just knew that this was the street we wanted to live on. It's a very mature neighborhood, with lots of shade. I just felt good." Cindy says that long before moving to the area, when she lived with her parents in South San Jose, she would dream of living in Campbell one day as she drove through the area on her way home from her workplace in Brisbane. "At night, when we sit in our backyard, we can hear crickets," Cindy says. "We don't hear traffic. We feel like we're in a protected area, without the intrusion of Silicon Valley." The Hansens The Hansens met on a blind date in 1954. Bob, who is originally from Seaside, Ore., had just gotten out of the Navy, where he earned the rank of second-class petty officer. The couple was married in August of 1955. He then enrolled at San Jose State University, receiving a degree in electrical engineering. He still works in that field, in a part-time position with Northrup Grumman, an electronic devices company in San Carlos. They moved into the neighborhood five years later with two of the seven children they would have. Sally, 65, has been a homemaker her whole life. She was born and raised in Talusa, in the Sacramento Valley. Bob is an ordained Episcopal priest of 36 years who volunteers his time at St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Cupertino. The Hansens have a daughter who lives in Campbell, and the rest of their children live in Vacaville, Chico, Michigan and Colorado. They have 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild on the way. The Hansens say they choose to remain in the area because they love Campbell and enjoy being close to the family and friends who live in the Bay Area. "Our house is paid for," Bob says. "It's a fairly pleasant part of town." 
View in '61: (Upper Picture) This is how Michelle Drive looked to those strolling in the neighborhood in 1961. In The '50s: (Lower Picture) Longtime Coventry neighborhood resident Raelene Bohnett snapped this shot of her home (right) on Latimer Avenue in 1956. |
Feedback, or story ideas for the Campbell Reporter?
(Close this Window to go back to our home page.)
Copyright © SVCN, LLC. Maintained by GoGuys, Inc.