San Jose Quakers Raise Funds to Make Historic Meeting House ADA Accessible

The oldest Quaker meeting house west of Iowa, the historic San Jose Meeting House, is celebrating its 140th anniversary with a renewed commitment to accessibility. The congregation is raising funds to bring the landmark building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The remodeling has proved more extensive than expected because of the house’s historic nature. To date, the congregation has raised $350,934 and needs an additional $40,667 to reach its goal. The house is listed in San Jose’s Historic Resources Inventory, which requires additional permits for adjustments made while preserving the building’s original integrity.

Anna Koster, co-clerk and longtime member of the San Jose Friends Meeting, told San José Spotlight that the cost is considerable. “It’s not just a ramp. The foundation has to be adjusted, and the door needs to be widened. The whole entryway is extensive.” To reach the goal, the congregation is holding a series of benefit events, which are also intended to increase the congregation’s visibility.

Quakers, or the Religious Society of Friends, are a historically Protestant Christian denomination that emphasizes the “Inner Light” and personal reflection. During worship, individuals typically sit in mostly silent services unless they feel moved to speak. Koster named the testimonies of community, equality and stewardship, saying, “Each of those plays into being open as a community to everyone.” Congregation member Patti Bossert, who has been a member of the San Jose Friends Meeting for 41 years, described the community as grounded in community, equality and sustainability. “It’s all about bringing peace to myself and the world, and living with the thought of everyone coexisting together,” she said.

Quaker roots in San Jose date to 1885, when Joel and Hannah Bean left Iowa with other members amid theological controversy that had fractured their community. Division persisted after they arrived in California, and the faction split twice more over the same disputes. The Beans later aligned with a smaller, like-minded circle of Friends, and four families pooled their finances to secure the funds needed to build what would become the San Jose meeting house.

The meeting house was moved 200 feet in 1958 to make room for the construction of Highway 17. Today the congregation lends the facility to other nonprofit organizations, a practice that reflects hospitality toward neighbors (Hebrews 13:16). The congregation has 49 members and has relied on a small base for funding. Koster said Quaker membership has not fluctuated much since the 1940s, apart from a brief increase in the 1960s in response to the Vietnam War. “It’s a refuge, it gives us a place where we can live our values and encourage each other,” she said. “But we don’t want to be secret.”

The next benefit event will be held March 22 at 1041 Morse St., featuring performers Jody Yeary and Nathan Ladyzhensky as the musical duo Sweet Grits. The performance will be the final event before the meeting house celebrates its 141st anniversary on April 26.

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