Andrew P. Hill House

Andrew P. Hill House. . Andrew Putnum Hill was an artist and photographer who used political advocacy to create a conservation legacy for future generations. His paintings and photographs exemplify his appreciation for both the natural and man-made environments but it was Hill's fight to save the California coastal redwoods that solidified his reputation as the model citizen advocate who can make a difference., The origin of the California State Park system can be traced to Hill's effort to save Big Basin in the Santa Cruz Mountains in the early days of the twentieth century. Hill organized relentlessly founding the Sempervirens Club, California's oldest land trust, in the process. He did not stop until the California State Legislature listened and began the process whereby the State became an active participant in the conservation movement., Hill's studio was located at 85 South Second Street in downtown San José but it was in this Queen Anne styled house, originally located at 1350 Sherman Street, that Andrew Hill and his family lived from late 1898 until Hill's death in 1922. The Hill House was landmarked and relocated to History Park in 1997 where Victorian Preservation Association volunteers Tony and Paulette Ornellas led the restoration that was completed in 2009.