John Mitchell campaigned for decades to finish the historic tower so the bell contained within could ring again; Now, the Preservation Action Council may get it done.
San Jose lost one of its real characters — and a strong voice for historic preservation — when John Mitchell died last month at age 74. A July 9 gathering at his Naglee Park home, hosted by his daughter Sarah Rush, drew dozens of longtime friends and colleagues, who swapped stories about his antics, his right-leaning politics and his passion for San Jose and its history.
Anyone who talked to Mitchell for any length of time quickly discovered the topic that occupied him most: The restoration of the clock tower at what’s now the San Jose Museum of Art downtown. The sandstone structure, originally built in 1892, served as San Jose’s post office for its first 40 years before becoming the main library and then part of the museum.
But the tower was never completed, so there was no belfry in which to place the bell. Anytime it was rung, the sound would be trapped by the stone walls and reverberate down to the building below — remember it’s been a post office, library and a museum — instead of out into the city.
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