san jose neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Rose Garden, San Jose Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
Tree-lined blocks west of downtown San Jose around the 1937 Municipal Rose Garden and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, between The Alameda, Hester Ave, W. San Carlos St and N. Bascom Ave.
Rose Garden by the numbers
rose garden by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Rose Garden: Forest Ave to The Alameda, Bascom Ave and I-880 to Hester Ave (approximate). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in rose garden · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Rose Garden
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Rose Garden from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
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Listings come from MLSListings and other MLSs through IDX and show their listing brokerage; confirm details with the listing agent. The map outline is the neighborhood boundary used by our listing search (Rose Garden: Forest Ave to The Alameda, Bascom Ave and I-880 to Hester Ave (approximate)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Rose Garden came to be
The neighborhood takes its name from the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden at Naglee Ave and Dana Ave. The City's historic inventory dates the garden's construction to 1927-1931, and it opened in 1937; the volunteer Friends of the San Jose Rose Garden give May 15, 1937 as the grand opening. A 1931 concept plan with tennis courts and a ball field was turned down because it did not fit the original goal of "a place of tranquility" for the region. The garden is now a City Landmark.
Most of the neighborhood joined the City of San Jose in a single annexation dated December 8, 1925, which the City's records call College Park/Burbank Sunol. Smaller pieces, mostly along N. Bascom Ave and the Burbank side, came in through annexations between 1941 and 2004. Some never did: the Burbank blocks just past Forest Ave and Wabash Ave are still unincorporated Santa Clara County land with San Jose addresses.
Houses went up over about seven decades. On the streets between Park Ave and The Alameda, the City's Historic Resources Inventory records houses from the 1880s through the 1930s, including City Landmark houses such as a 1917 Dutch Colonial Revival on McKendrie St, a 1923 Tudor Revival on Emory St and a 1920 Craftsman bungalow on Randol Ave. Census survey estimates put the median year built at 1939 or earlier toward The Alameda and Hester Ave, and in the late 1940s to mid-1950s toward N. Bascom Ave and the south end. On Park Ave, the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum opened its first building in 1932 and its current one in 1966.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
The street grid is turned about 45 degrees so it lines up with The Alameda. Long avenues run northeast to southwest from The Alameda toward N. Bascom Ave (Naglee Ave, University Ave, W. Hedding St, Emory St, Davis St and McKendrie St), and Park Ave, Dana Ave, Chapman St, Morse St and Garden Dr cross them. Naglee Ave is the wide one, with about 80 to 90 feet of right-of-way in the City's street data and buffered bike lanes; most side streets have 55 to 62 feet. Rosecrest Ter breaks the pattern with a curving planned-development tract, as do the short loops of Sandringham Way and Burrell Ct.
About four of every five parcels are zoned R-1-8 single-family. County parcel data puts the median lot near 7,000 sq ft, with the middle half between about 5,500 and 8,300 sq ft and roughly 260 lots over 10,000 sq ft. The styles in the City's inventory run from Italianate and Craftsman houses to Tudor Revival, Dutch Colonial Revival, Spanish Eclectic and Pueblo Revival designs of the 1910s-30s; toward Bascom Ave and Forest Ave, Census estimates point to more houses from the 1940s and 1950s.
Apartments, offices and shops sit on the edges: The Alameda, Park Ave, the R-M multifamily blocks on Davis St, and W. San Carlos St. The City's General Plan maps urban villages along W. San Carlos St and along The Alameda near I-880, so taller mixed-use buildings may come to those corridors. The City's heritage-tree list also counts more than 90 coast live oaks on University Way, Bel Air Ave, W. Hedding St, Dana Ave, University Ave and Davis St, so the shade here is officially on the record.
streets in rose garden
- Naglee Ave
- Dana Ave
- University Ave
- University Way
- W. Hedding St
- Emory St
- Davis St
- McKendrie St
- Chapman St
- Morse St
- Randol Ave
- Garden Dr
- Rosecrest Ter
- Bel Air Ave
- McDaniel Ave
- El Dorado Ave
- Calaveras Ave
- Topeka Ave
- Cleveland Ave
- Brooklyn Ave
- Park Ave
- Hester Ave
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Rose Garden
- park
San Jose Municipal Rose Garden
At Naglee Ave and Dana Ave: about five and a half acres of rose beds with nearly 200 varieties around a central fountain, inside a City park of about 10.6 acres. Volunteers pruned 4,000 roses in 90 minutes at one 2010 session, so the garden does not lack for helpers.
- landmark
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
At 1660 Park Ave, with free parking in the lot at Naglee Ave and Chapman St. The current building opened in 1966 and holds more than 4,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts.
- library
Rose Garden Branch Library
San Jose Public Library branch at 1580 Naglee Ave. The 0.16-acre City pocket park beside it is named Hester Park, though it is about half a mile straight-line from the Hester Park tract.
- landmark
Old Hoover School
The original early-1930s building of Hoover Middle School at Park Ave and Naglee Ave is a City Landmark (City Historic Resources Inventory).
- shopping
The Alameda and W. San Carlos St
Both edges are City-designated neighborhood business districts. The Alameda frontage here includes the 1916 Alameda Square building, and the 1920s storefronts at Hester Ave are about 0.6 mile straight-line from the neighborhood's center. The City's Valley Fair/Santana Row urban village is about 1.5 miles straight-line west, across I-880.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Nearly all of the Rose Garden is in San Jose Unified School District. Census district maps put the Luther Burbank School site, a few parcels at the W. San Carlos St and Hester Ave corner, and the county Burbank blocks beyond Forest Ave and Wabash Ave in Luther Burbank School District for elementary grades and Campbell Union High School District for high school; Campbell Union School District begins at the N. Bascom Ave frontage near Forest Ave. Public schools inside this guide's outline are Trace Elementary (651 Dana Ave), Hoover Middle School (1635 Park Ave) and Lincoln High School (555 Dana Ave), all San Jose Unified, plus Luther Burbank School (4 Wabash Ave), the Luther Burbank district's school. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with the district.
Getting around
- Caltrain, ACE, Amtrak Capitol Corridor and the VTA light rail Green Line stop at San Jose Diridon station, about 1.3 miles straight-line east of the neighborhood's center.
- The Green Line's Race station, near Race St south of W. San Carlos St, is about 1.4 miles straight-line southeast.
- VTA Rapid 522 and route 22 run on The Alameda (Rapid 522 stops at The Alameda and Naglee Ave), route 61 runs on Naglee Ave and Bascom Ave, and route 23 and Rapid 523 run on W. San Carlos St and Stevens Creek Blvd (Rapid 523 stops at San Carlos St and Bascom Ave).
- I-880 runs along the west edge, with ramps at The Alameda and at Bascom Ave/Stevens Creek Blvd; I-280 is about half a mile straight-line south of W. San Carlos St.
- City bikeway data shows buffered bike lanes on Naglee Ave and parts of Park Ave and W. Hedding St, and shared-lane markings on Dana Ave.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Rose Garden: what we check
Buying here
- Check jurisdiction on the south and west edges. The Luther Burbank School site, the south side of Forest Ave, most of the west side of Wabash Ave and the Brooklyn Ave, Cleveland Ave and Olive Ave blocks beyond them are unincorporated county land with San Jose addresses: county planning and permits, and confirm the sewer and other service providers for the address.
- Ask whether the house is on the City's Historic Resources Inventory or is a City Landmark (several are on the blocks between Park Ave and The Alameda). Exterior changes to inventory-listed houses can need a Single-Family House Permit or another planning permit with historic review, and a few houses here carry Mills Act contracts, which pass to the new owner.
- Most houses here are 50 to 100-plus years old. Budget inspections for foundation, original wiring, galvanized supply lines and the sewer lateral, and get permit history for past additions.
- FEMA's flood map shows most of the area as Zone D, 'possible but undetermined' flood hazard, with a small Zone AO strip at the I-880/Bascom Ave interchange. Check the zone for the exact address and ask your lender and insurer how they treat Zone D.
- Check the zoning and the General Plan around the address: R-1-8 covers most lots, but Park Ave, Davis St and The Alameda have multifamily, mixed-use and planned-development zoning, and urban villages are mapped along W. San Carlos St and The Alameda near I-880. The City's heritage-tree list also covers many street oaks; check before planning work near one.
Selling here
- Pull the City inventory entry, landmark status or Mills Act contract for your address, if any, and have permits for past remodels ready; buyers here ask about both.
- If your house is on a county block on the Burbank edge, have the county permit history and sewer details ready and say plainly that the address is unincorporated.
- Choose comparable sales carefully: the MLS splits these blocks between its Rose Garden and Shasta Hanchett Park areas, and blocks next to the garden, on Park Ave and on Bascom Ave or W. San Carlos St are different settings.
- Lot size and house age vary a lot here (lots from under 5,500 to over 10,000 sq ft; houses from the 1880s to the 1950s), so lead with the specifics of your lot, the house's era and any heritage trees.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Rose Garden questions, answered
Is the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in the Rose Garden?
Yes, as this guide draws it. The museum is at 1660 Park Ave, on the north side of Park Ave at Naglee Ave, about a third of a mile straight-line from the rose garden. The City's own neighborhood map puts that block in a separate 'Alameda' area, so you will see both labels.
Is any of the Rose Garden unincorporated?
A small part. Inside this outline only the Luther Burbank School site is county land, but the blocks just past Forest Ave and Wabash Ave (the south side of Forest Ave, most of the west side of Wabash Ave, and Brooklyn, Cleveland and Olive avenues beyond) are unincorporated Santa Clara County with San Jose addresses, under county planning and permits.
When did the Municipal Rose Garden open?
In 1937. The City's historic inventory dates its construction to 1927-1931, and the volunteer Friends group gives May 15, 1937 as the grand opening. It is a City Landmark.
Which ZIP codes cover the Rose Garden?
Mostly 95126. Blocks along N. Bascom Ave, Forest Ave, Wabash Ave and the southern end of Hester Ave use 95128, according to the City's street data and county parcel addresses.
Is the Rose Garden a historic district?
Not as a whole. The rose garden, the Old Hoover School building and several houses are City Landmarks, The Alameda itself is a City Landmark District, and the Hanchett and Hester Park Conservation Area starts just east of Singletary Ave. Check the City's inventory for a specific address.
next door
More San Jose neighborhood guides
From the blog: Beautifully Remodeled Rose Garden, San Jose Home w/ Permitted ADU · Best Silicon Valley Neighborhoods for Tech Commuters · Best San Jose Neighborhoods
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on the home styles field guide
Home styles in Rose Garden
Rose Garden shows up on these plates in our home styles field guide. Each plate shows how to spot the style from the sidewalk, with live listings opened to San Jose.
- plate 02c. 1905–1930Craftsman & bungalowCraftsman houses among 1910s–30s Tudor, Dutch Colonial and Spanish Eclectic designs, including a 1920 Craftsman landmark on Randol Ave.open the plate and live listings →
- plate 03c. 1915–1940Spanish & MediterraneanSpanish Eclectic and Pueblo Revival designs of the 1910s–30s on the city inventory.open the plate and live listings →
- plate 04c. 1920s–1940sTudor, storybook & traditionalA 1923 Tudor Revival on Emory Street and a 1917 Dutch Colonial Revival on McKendrie Street are City Landmarks.open the plate and live listings →
live market · san jose
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Listing data comes from the MLS through our IDX feeds and is shown as reported; it isn’t guaranteed. Repeat listings from overlapping feeds are removed, and land and mobile homes are left out.
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