HomeMy WebLinkAboutAttachment 4 LSA Report
State of California C The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
PRIMARY RECORD Trinomial
NRHP Status Code: 6Y
Other Listings
Review Code Reviewer ____________________Date
Page 1 of 8 Resource Name: 546 Higuera Street
P1. Other Identifier: Lot 30, Block 61, McDougall Tract; Sinclair House; Mission Trailer Court, Mission Trailer Park
P2. Location Not for Publication Unrestricted:
a. County: San Luis Obispo
b. USGS 7.5' Quad: San Luis Obispo, CA Date: 1995; T30S/R12E; NE¼ of the NE¼, Section 34; M.D.B.L.
c. Address: 546 Higuera Street City San Luis Obispo Zip 94704
d. UTM: Zone 10S; 712114mE/3906344mN
e. Other Locational Data: San Luis Obispo Township, APN 002-402-030
P3a. Description: This two-story, approximately 2,300-square-foot, wood-framed residence on an L-shaped plan, built circa
1886-1890, is situated at the southern end of a 2.07-acre parcel in an urban setting. It is a Gothic Revival/Carpenter Gothic
residence covered by a steeply-pitched, cross-gabled roof clad in composition asphalt over wooden shake roofing. The roof has
open, exposed eaves with decorative bargeboards, and two, unreinforced masonry chimneys. Decorative triangle attic vents are in
the south, east, and west gable peaks. The walls are clad in horizontal, wood lap siding of variable widths. The building rests on
stacked brick and wooden post piers. The main entrance is in the center of the symmetrical, southern, street-facing façade and
consists of a solid wooden door with a small, 4-paned window, under a lattice glass transom, and is accessed via a raised, full-
width, single-story wooden porch. The windows are likely the original wooden, fixed-paned, and double-hung sash windows set
within wide surrounds and shallow window hoods. The building is in an urban, mixed commercial and residential setting west of
downtown San Luis Obispo. This building appears in fair-to-poor condition and is currently vacant. Landscaping elements include
a grassy area, bushes, a concrete walk, street trees, and a mature palm tree. The rest of the parcel contains the Mission Trailer Park,
a 33-unit mobile-home estate established in 1948.
P3b. Resource Attributes: (HP2) Single-family building; (HP3) Multiple-family property; (HP30) Trees/vegetation
P4. Resources Present: Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other (Isolates, etc.)
P5a. Photograph:
P5b. Description of Photo:
546 Higuera Street, south façade, view
northwest. Photo taken 6/24/14. Portion
of Mission Trailer Park at right.
P6. Date Constructed/Age and
Source: Historic Built circa 1886-
1890; San Luis Obispo County
Assessor.
P7. Owner and Address:
Higuera Commons, LLC.
3480 South Higuera Street, Suite 130
San Luis Obispo, California 93401
P8. Recorded by:
Michael Hibma, M.A., RPH
LSA Associates, Inc.
157 Park Place
Point Richmond, California 94801
P9. Date recorded: July 9, 2014
P10. Survey Type: Intensive
P11. Report Citation: Hibma, Michael. 2014. Eligibility Evaluation of 546 Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo
County, California. LSA Associates, Inc., Point Richmond, California.
Attachments: Location Map Continuation Sheet(s) Building, Structure, and Object Record
DPR 523A (1/95)
ATTACHMENT 4
State of California C The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD
Page 2 of 8 NRHP Status Code: 6Y
Resource Name: 564 Higuera Street
B1. Historic Name: Sinclair House, Mission Trailer Court
B2. Common Name: Mission Trailer Park
B3. Original Use: Single family residence
B4. Present Use: Mobile home estate
B5. Architectural Style: Gothic Revival/Carpenter Gothic
B6. Construction History: According to records on file at the San Luis Obispo County Assessor’s Office, this building was
constructed circa 1886-1890. Subsequent alterations include the the single story kitchen addition at the rear, north-facing
façade, the single-story, square-shaped washroom/laundry addition on the west façade, evidence of patchwork wooden
siding repair on the east, north, and west facades, the removal of the original square-shaped wooden, porch supports and
balustrade atop the full-width, front porch on the southern, street-facing façade, repainting the originally white-colored
house in red, the removal of the original front door, and conversion of the remaining property from a single-family
residential property to a 33-unit, mobile home estate in 1948.
B7. Moved? No
B8. Related Features: None
B9. a. Architect: Undetermined
b. Builder: Undetermined
B10. Significance: Theme: Late-19th century residential development, architecture Area: San Luis Obispo
Period of Significance: circa 1886-1890 Property Type: Residential building/trailer park Applicable Criteria: A,C
This two -story, 2,300-square-foot, former single-family residential building is situated on a 90,000-square-foot parcel in an urban
setting. The period of significance for this residence is 1886-1890, which is the approximate date of construction. Research
indicates that 564 Higuera Street is associated with the residential growth of San Luis Obispo in the late-19th century; an event
which made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of the history of San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, California,
and nationwide. However, 546 Higuera Street is one of thousands of buildings in San Luis Obispo and San Luis Obispo County
that are associated with this theme, and no evidence was identified to elevate the building in associative stature; it does not possess
specific, important associations with this context that distinguish it from many of other buildings with similar design, construction
history, and use (Criterion 1). (see continuation sheet).
B11. Additional Resource Attributes: None
B12. References:
City of San Luis Obispo
2012 City of San Luis Obispo Master List of Historic Resources,
updated March 2012. Electronic document,
http://www.slocity.org/communitydevelopment/Long%20Range/S
LO%20Final%20Historic%20Context%20Statement_1.21.2014.p
df, accessed June 4, 2014.
2010 City of San Luis Obispo Historic Preservation Program
Guidelines. Electronic document
http://www.slocity.org/communitydevelopment/historicpreservati
onord/New_Folder/HistoricGuidelines%20%284-18-11%29.pdf,
accessed June 4, 2014.
Hibma, Michael
2013 Eligibility Evaluation of 546 Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, San
Luis Obispo County, California. LSA Associates, Inc., Point
Richmond, California.
B13. Remarks: None
B14. Evaluator: Michael Hibma
LSA Associates, Inc.
157 Park Place,
Point Richmond, California 94801
Date of Evaluation: July 9, 2014
DPR 523B (1/95)
(This space reserved for official comments.)
546 Higuera Street
North
ATTACHMENT 4
State of California C The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
Page 3 of 8 Resource Name: 546 Higuera Street
Recorded by: Michael Hibma Date: July 9, 2014
B10. (continued)
The building at 546 Higuera Street is associated with Dr. James Sinclair, a late-19th century San Luis Obispo-based physician
who lived with his family in the building at 546 Higuera Street. Dr. Sinclair was later appointed head physician of the San Luis
Obispo County Hospital. However, records were not located which indicate that Dr. Sinclair was responsible for building 546
Higuera Street, he did not operate his medical practice there, and the Sinclair family left 546 Higuera Street by 1906, when his
wife Ida and their two sons moved to the Alameda County community of Berkeley. Dr. Sinclair died in 1913 at the Noyes
Lodging House at 667 Monterey Street from complications of tuberculosis. This indicates that the association of the building at
546 Higuera Street with Dr. Sinclair and his family is peripheral in associative stature under this criterion (Criterion 2). The
building at 546 Higuera Street possesses some of the general architectural characteristics of the Gothic Revival/Carpenter
Gothic, an architectural style well represented in the existing building stock of San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County,
California, and nationwide (Criterion 3). The building is not likely to yield information important to history (Criterion 4).
Integrity
The building at 546 Higuera Street has not been moved and retains integrity of location. The building at 546 Higuera Street
retains integrity of association with Gothic Revival/Carpenter Gothic architecture in San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County,
California, and nationwide.
The building at 546 Higuera Street does not retain integrity of setting and feeling. This is due to the removal of associated
outbuildings and associated equipment that were located in the northern portion of the property from the 1880s and the late
1940s and the establishment of Mission Trailer Park. Other changes to setting and feeling are reflected in the gradual
transformation of the surrounding neighborhood from the mid-20th century through today. This change has altered the once
predominately single and multi-family residential and light-commercial character of the area into one more reflective of
downtown business core expanding along Higuera Street, a busy, one-way thoroughfare. This decades-long change resulted in
more property allocated to serve commercial growth and businesses once closer to downtown. Many of the older single-family
Victorian-era homes were demolished to accommodate commercial and residential construction along Higuera Street, converted
into multi-unit flats or apartments, or refashioned as a mixed-use property, as was 546 Higuera Street.
The building at 546 Higuera Street does not retain sufficient integrity of workmanship, design, or materials. This is due to
alterations to the original function and historic fabric of the building as a result of renovations to the building, which include the
single story kitchen addition at the rear, north-facing façade, the single-story, square-shaped washroom/laundry addition on the
west façade, evidence of patchwork wooden siding repair on the east, north, and west facades, the removal of the original square-
shaped wooden, porch supports and balustrade atop the full-width, front porch on the southern, street-facing façade, replacement
of the original, large, three-vertical paned square-shaped gable peak window above the front porch, repainting the originally
white-colored house with red paint and the replacement of the original front door. These alterations, taken together, diminish the
integrity of workmanship, materials, and design.
Conclusion: The building at 546 Higuera Street is a two -story, Gothic Revival/Carpenter Gothic residential building built circa
1886-1890. The building was originally used as a single-family home. Subsequent uses include a boarding house, multi-unit
rental property, and a used clothing store. It is currently vacant. The surrounding parcel was converted to a 33-unit mobile home
estate property in 1948. Based on background research and field survey, the building at 546 Higuera Street does appear eligible
for inclusion in the CRHR under Criterion 3 as it possesses expressive Gothic Revival/Carpenter Gothic architectural qualities.
However, it does not retain the integrity necessary to convey those significant characteristics in a manner that would render it
eligible for inclusion in the CRHR. The same deficiencies support a conclusion that the building is also not a candidate for
inclusion in the City of San Luis Obispo Master List of Historic Resources. For these reasons, the building at 546 Higuera Street
is not a historical resource for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CCR Title 14(3) §15064.5). This
conclusion affirms the status of the parcel at 546 Higuera Street as presented in the 2012 City of San Luis Obispo Master List of
Historic Resources and the 2013 San Luis Obispo Master List of Contributing Historic Resources, both of which indicate that the
building at 546 Higuera Street is not a recognized Historic Resource, nor is it a contributing element to an existing or proposed
Historic District.
DPR 523L (1/95)
ATTACHMENT 4
State of California C The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
Page 4 of 8 Resource Name: 546 Higuera Street
Recorded by: Michael Hibma Date: July 9, 2014
P5a. Photograph (continued)
546 Higuera Street, east façade. View to the west. 6/24/14.
546 Higuera Street, north and east façades. View to the southwest. 6/24/14.
DPR 523L (1/95)
ATTACHMENT 4
State of California C The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
Page 5 of 8 Resource Name: 546 Higuera Street
Recorded by: Michael Hibma Date: July 9, 2014
P5a. Photograph (Continued)
546 Higuera Street, east façade. View to the east. 6/24/14.
546 Higuera Street, north façade. View to the south from mid-parcel (Mission Trailer Park). 6/24/14.
DPR 523L (1/95)
ATTACHMENT 4
State of California C The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
Page 6 of 8 Resource Name: 564 Higuera Street
Recorded by: Michael Hibma Date: July 9, 2014
P5a. Photograph (Continued)
San Luis Obispo, circa 1900. View east along Higuera Street toward downtown.
546 Higuera Street at left, medium distance.
Photo courtesy of History Center of San Luis Obispo County
DPR 523L (1/95)
ATTACHMENT 4
State of California C The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
Page 7 of 8 Resource Name: 546 Higuera Street
Recorded by: Michael Hibma Date: July 9, 2014
P5a. Photograph (Continued)
546 Higuera Street, south façade. View to the north. Circa 1904. Note balustrade atop porch, flat-arched bracket at far left porch
support, faux storm shutters and brick chimney at roof peak. Source: Souvenir of San Luis Obispo. San Luis Obispo Fire Department,
June 1904. On file at History Center of San Luis Obispo County, San Luis Obispo, California.
546 Higuera Street, south and west façade. View to the northeast. Circa 1935. Note balustrade atop porch is gone and porch supports
appear tapered, and more substantial, and the brick chimney at roof peak is gone. Picket fence shown in 1904 is replaced by masonry
wall. On file at History Center of San Luis Obispo County, San Luis Obispo, California.
DPR 523L (1/95)
ATTACHMENT 4
State of California C The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
LOCATION MAP Trinomial
Page 8 of 8 Resource Name: 546 Higuera Street
Map Name: USGS 7.5-minute San Luis Obispo, CA Scale: 1:24,000 Date of Map: 1995
DPR 523J (1/95)
ATTACHMENT 4