Table: All My Warehouses

In our last episode, our heroes struggled bravely against the question "So, what are you using for a roof?" That question led to some half-assed guesses, which led to the Sanborn map key, which led to possible roofing materials. But which roofing materials were generally in use in San Jose in 1930, and which roofing materials are appropriate for the generic warehouses our heroes are building.

Needless to say, our heroes did the only correct thing: they gathered up all the data and made a big honking table.

Here's a quick summary of the warehouses north of the tracks around the Market Street station. My schematic map shows where the various warehouses were in relation to the railroad tracks, the Market St. passenger station (disused after 1935), and the San Jose freight station. Note that the row of three warehouses (395 N. First, "395 N. First (back of lot)" (my name for it), and 386 N. San Pedro St) appeared between 1915 and 1950, and on top of the former site of several yard tracks. These warehouses might be the ones I see in the pictures such as the one from 1935 of SP locomotive 3105. I've used these warehouses as my prototype for the latest model.

Obvious details from all this information? Wood shingles were seen in 1915, and metal roofs were common on corrugated buildings, but composition and metal roofs were the norm in the 1950's. Buildings existing in 1915 otherwise didn't change much between 1915 and 1950. Sounds like my best bets are wood shingles or composition roof, and be safe either way I ought to go with composition. Unless, of course, I find a 1930 Sanborn map and learn the actual truth.

(Thanks to Tom Campbell for explaining that a small x in a corner of the building box indicates wood shingle roof; hollow o, metal roof; solid o, composition roof. The only Sanborn key I have must be a bit more modern than that, and doesn't indicate any of those symbols.)

Address	1915 Sanborn map	1950 Sanborn map
405 N. First St. (east end)	J. W. Chilton Fruit Packing. 3 floors, 35' high, composition roof. Firewall between west and east halves of building.	C. L. Dick Dried Fruit. 3 floors, 33' high, wood posts on first and second floor, composition roofing., boiler.
405 N. First St. (west end)	J. W. Chilton Fruit Packing. 2 story, 24' high. Three rows of wooden posts, truss roof, composition roofing.	C. L. Dick Dried Fruit. 1 story, 12' high, only occupies portion of original footprint. Boiler in separate building. (Hmmm.. fire in the past?)
395 N. First St.	No building.	Fruit packing. 1 floor, 18' high, truss roof, composition roofing.
395 N. First St. (back)	No building.	Shelling Plant. Same as above.
386 N. San Pedro St.	No building.	Fruit packing warehouse. Same as above.
392 N. San Pedro St.	Mark-Lally Plumbing Warehouse. 1 story, 14' high. Corrugated iron on studding, metal roofing, one row wood posts, no chimney.	Fruit packing. 1 story, wood floor, metal roof, patent chimney.
391 San Pedro St.	No building	Vegetable packing. 1 story, composition roof.
395 San Pedro St.	Farmer's Union Warehouse. 1 story, 16' high, truss roof, wood shingles, no chimney.	Warren Dried Fruit in western half of building. Beer warehouse in eastern half. 1 story, 16' high, truss roof, composition roofing.
100/200 Ryland St.	Warren Dried Fruit. 2 story, 20' high. Corrugated iron on studding. Wood posts and truss roof, metal roofing.	Warren Dried Fruit. Unreadable.
236 Ryland St.	J. B. Inderrieden & Co. Dried Fruit Packing. 2 story, 24' high, wood posts on frist floor, wood shingle roof. Receiving and shipping on first floor, grading on second.	Abinante and Nola Packing Co. 2 story, 24' high, 2' parapet on top. Composition roofing. Boiler.
280 Ryland St.	No building	Western Metal and Export tin salvage plant. 1 story, 16' high, wood floor (4' open underneath), truss roof, metal roofing. No chimney.