San Jose’s Grace Baptist Church on path to landmark status

Grace Baptist Church in San Jose — a nexus for the peace and civil rights movements in the 1950s and ’60s — is finally on the path to becoming a city historical landmark, a designation that congregation members have wanted for years.

The San Jose City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to nominate the 83-year-old structure as a city landmark, closing the loop on a proposal made by Councilmember Omar Torres last year. The process isn’t automatic — the Historic Landmarks Commission will have a hearing and a vote.