HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 4a. REVIEW OF UPDATES TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION ORDINANCE AND HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT
CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMITTEE AGENDA REPORT
SUBJECT: REVIEW OF UPDATES TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION ORDINANCE
AND HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT
BY: Brian Leveille, Principal Planner
Phone Number: (805) 781-7166
Email: bleveille@slocity.org
PROJECT ADDRESS(ES): Citywide
RECOMMENDATION
Provide input and any comments for consideration by the Planning Commission and City
Council and recommend the Planning Commission forward a recommendation to the City
Council to approve and adopt updates to the Historic Preservation Ordinance and Historic
Context Statement.
1.0 BACKGROUND
1.1 Overview of Current Program
The City’s Historic Resources Inventory (HRI) is the main component of the City’s overall
historic resources framework and historic preservation program. Properties on the HRI
have been identified by the City as important historical resources that should be
preserved. The HRI comprises the City’s identified historic resources including Master
List properties, Contributing properties, and five historic districts.1
In order to implement the City’s preservation policies2, proposed alterations and new
construction on listed properties or in historic districts are required to meet standards of
the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance3. The City’s HRI is also important because
listed properties are also categorized as resources under the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA)4.
1 The City’s Historic Districts include Downtown, Old Town, Mill Street, Chinatown, and Railroad
2 General Plan Conservation and Open Space (COSE) Policies 3.3.1 through 3.3.5 call for
identification, and preservation of historic resources including historic districts through
protections from demolition, relocation, and by ensuring alterations are consistent with
Secretary of Interior Standards.
3 The Historic Preservation Ordinance implements General Plan policies for the protection of
historic resources through review for consistency with the Secretary of Interior Standards and
the Historic Preservation Program Guidelines.
4 Properties included in a local register of historic resources or determined to be eligible for a
local register are presumed historically significant and are historic resources for the purposes of
CEQA (CEQA Guidelines 15064.5)
Meeting Date: 9/29/2025
Item Number: Item 4a
Time Estimate: 90 minutes
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The City’s HRI has been in place for over 35 years with most of the properties on the HRI
dating back to major surveys in 1983 and 1987, and then through targeted surveys and
individual property evaluations over the years. Currently there are a total of 760 listed
historic properties comprised of 200 Master List properties and 560 Contributing list
properties.
The City’s Historic Preservation Program has evolved significantly over time with the most
notable changes occurring in 2010, when the Historic Preservation Ordinance (HPO) and
Historic Preservation Program Guidelines (HPPG) were adopted. The HPO and HPPG
added statutory authority and an enforceable framework for the identification and
protection of historic resources5 that applied to the existing HRI that was already in place.
Following this the City also became a Certified Local Government (CLG) in 2012.
Consistent with requirements from the State Office of Historic Preservation (OHP), CLG
status carries a commitment to meeting ongoing certification requirements6 which are
reported annually including the requirement to maintain a current inventory of historic
resources meeting locally adopted criteria.
In 2013, the City adopted the Historic Context Statement (HCS). This was a key element
needed to support the Historic Preservation Program. The HCS is a reference document
that describes broad patterns of historical development in the community, contexts,
associated property types, and a thematic framework to help staff, the public, and
decision makers understand and evaluate the City’s historic resources. The HCS is used
together with the significance criteria of the HPO to determine a property’s significance.
1.2 Necessity to update the Historic Resources Inventory
The majority of properties were added to the HRI before the City had adopted the
significance criteria of the Historic Preservation Ordinance (HPO) and the guidance of the
Historic Context Statement (HCS) for what property types should be classified as
historically significant. This means that most of the properties on the current list have
never been evaluated comprehensively for their ability to meet current criteria.
The City made significant progress towards having an up -to-date historic preservation
program consistent with “best practices” of preservation with adoption of the HPO and
HCS, and with membership as a CLG. It has also long been a necessary next step to
complete a comprehensive review of the historic inventory to determine which properties
should remain on the list based on current adopted criteria.
5 Adoption of the Historic Preservation Ordinance implemented General Plan COSE Program
3.6.10
6 CLG’s are required to maintain a historic preservation commission and to make preservation
decisions based on adopted criteria of a local ordinance consistent with Secretary of Interior
Standards. For the full list of CLG requirements see:
https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/pages/1072/files/clgrequirements.pdf
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The practical implication to this situation has been that case -by-case individual property
evaluations often have to be completed to determine if an already listed prope rty is
actually significant according to current criteria, and to identify character-defining features
so that alterations or new construction can be properly evaluated to more recently
adopted standards that did not apply at the time most properties were added to the
inventory. This situation has led to impacts on property owners with delays, cost, and
uncertainty; and has also resulted in ongoing difficulties for staff and the CHC to
effectively implement the historic preservation program.
The City Council has been receiving feedback on this issue over the years from members
of the public, including former members of the CHC, and with a formal request by the
CHC as part of the City’s budget goal setting process. For the 23 -25 fiscal years, the
Council included initiation of an update of the City’s Historic Resources Inventory as an
implementation task of the City’s Major City Goal for Cultural Vitality, Economic
Resilience, and Fiscal Sustainability.
1.3 Approach to updating the Historic Resource Inventory
The City is approaching the project in two phases with Phase 1 (current) being updates
of the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance (HPO) and Historic Context Statement
(HCS). The HRI relies on the interconnected rules and guidance of these documents, and
their update will provide the updated definitions, criteria, and themes/context to guide
subsequent work in Phase 2 of the project which will be initiated once the HPO and HCS
are updated. Phase 2 will consist of surveys for new candidate properties t o be added to
the historic inventory, and evaluation for potential reclassifications of properties on the
existing HRI into alignment with updates made in Phase 1.
1.4 Previous CHC Review
On December 12, 2022, a “kick-off” meeting with a subcommittee consisting of Committee
Members Tischler, Ulz (former member), and Crotser (former member) was held with the
consultant team to receive early feedback on the recommended two-phase approach and
main items identified for revision. Staff also provided an overvie w to the committee at the
CHC regular meeting that evening to confirm the recommended approach prior to
submitting final Budget Goal Setting recommendations to the City Council.
On February 27, 2023, the CHC reviewed the consulted recommended draft Preliminary
Assessment and recommendations memorandum for the update of the Historic
Resources Inventory.
On September 25, 2023, staff provided updates and requested any feedback from the
CHC on the draft scope of the project that would be included in Requests for Proposals
(RFP) for assistance with the effort from qualified historic consultants.
A study session was held with the CHC on April 22, 2024. The project consultant provided
a presentation with an overview of the main recommended updates and rec eived
feedback from the Committee.
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A subcommittee consisting of Committee Members Tischler, Gray, and Bernard was
appointed at the meeting of November 18, 2024, to review administrative draft updates.
On May 20, 2025, a meeting was held with the subcommittee to hear comments on
administrative draft updates prior to final revisions to be included in draft public review
updates.
2.0 DISCUSSION
Main updates to the Historic Preservation Ordinance (HPO) are discussed below. For a
more detailed summary of all changes to the HPO and the complete recommended HPO
update, see Attachments A & B. For the Historic Context Statement, see Attachments C
& D for a summary table of updates and the full 2025 Draft Historic Context Statement
(HCS) update. Additional background documents and project information can be found at
on the project webpage at: https://www.slocity.org/government/department-
directory/community-development/historic-and-archeological-preservation/historic-
resources-inventory-update
2.1 Historic Preservation Ordinance
The main updates to the Historic Preservation Ordinance (HPO) include revisions to
historic resource designations, and evaluation criteria for historic significance. The
recommended updates generally follow an approach to be more consistent with guidance
from the National Park Service and State of California Office of Histori c Preservation
(OHP) for the definition and evaluation of historic resources7.
2.2 Historic Resource Designations
Current resource designations in the HPO include “Master List” and “Contributing” historic
properties. The updated HPO will revise classifications in the HRI to “Landmark (aligns
with current Master List)” and “Local Register (new classification).” This recommended
update will communicate a clear difference in significance and protection for the between
resource types and will set up the City for effective future surveys and review of the
current HRI. Future surveys will now be able to correctly classify properties that meet
significance criteria individually (and that qualify for the HRI-Landmark and Local
Register) and those that are resources because they contribute to the Historic District that
they are located in.
2.3 Evaluation Criteria for Historic Listing
The current significance criteria are complex and unusual as they could require
evaluations to address up to sixteen different potential aspects of significance
(Attachment E, current significance criteria). It also includes “Integrity” itself as a potential
area of significance, where it should be a separate requirement for properties to have
sufficient integrity in order to convey their significance.
7 OHP Technical Assistance Bulletin #14-Drafting Effective Historic Preservation Ordinances: A
Manual for California’s Local Governments
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The recommended updates include the below simplified set of criteria, which are more
consistent with other Certified Local Governments (CLG) and similar to the National
Register and California Register. Similar to the current HPO which also confers eligibility
for the Mills Act tax incentive program to Master List properties, properties with the
updated designation of “Landmark” would also be eligible for the Mills Act tax incentive
program.
14.01.050 Evaluation Criteria for Historic Resource Designation.
A. In order to be eligible for designation, a Landmark, Local Register Resource, or
Historic District shall be at least fifty years old (if less than fifty it must be
demonstrated that sufficient time has passed to understand its historical
importance), demonstrate significance under at least one of the following criteria,
and retain integrity as defined in Section 14.01.020.28. Consult “National Register
Bulletin No. 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation” for
guidance on determining significance.
1. Events. Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the
broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or
the United States.
2. Persons. Associated with the lives of persons important to local, California, or
national history.
3. Architecture. Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or
method of construction, or represents the work of an architect or design
professional of merit or possesses high artistic values.
4. Information Potential: It has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information
important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California, or the nation.
2.4 Historic Context Statement
The HCS has been updated to provide better context for a more inclusive approach to
preservation of the City’s varied resources, and to align with the revised resource
categories and significance criteria in the updated HPO. The historical overview and
context sections of the current HCS, adopted in 2013, has largely retained its overall
structure of time periods with associated subthemes. Within this, the revised version
reorganizes and expands discussion of minority and ethnic communities within San Luis
Obispo to include their contribution as part of the major thematic groupings and includes
additional discussion of later 20th-century themes and property types. In addition, the
evaluation criteria and integrity considerations have been revised to utilize the four basic
significance criteria included in the HPO update. Along with revisions to the HPO, this
change will make the process of evaluation more straightforward for property owners,
consultants, and City staff, and the findings more comparable to that of other CLGs.
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3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The recommended updates to the Historic Preservation Ordinance and Historic Context
Statement consist of actions by a regulatory agency authorized by the state or local
ordinance, to assure the maintenance, restoration, or protection of the environment, and
are categorically exempt from environmental review (Section 15308, Actions by
Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment).
4.0 ACTION ALTERNATIVES
1. Staff Recommendation: Provide input and any comments for consideration by the
Planning Commission and City Council and recommend the Planning Commission
forward a recommendation to the City Council to approve and adopt updates to
the Historic Preservation Ordinance and Historic Context Statement.
2. Continue the item. The Committee may continue the item if additional information
is required to reach a recommendation.
5.0 ATTACHMENTS
A - Summary Table-Historic Preservation Ordinance (HPO)
B - Draft Historic Preservation Ordinance (HPO) Update (legislative draft)
C - Summary Table-Historic Context Statement (HCS) revisions
D - Draft Historic Context Statement (HCS) Update
E - Current HPO significance criteria (SLOMC 14.01.070)
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San Luis Obispo Historic Preservation Ordinance Update Revisions Summary
September 17, 2025
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In addition to minor language or terminology clariflcations and corrections, the following substantive changes were made in the draft Historic
Preservation Ordinance Update:
Original
Section #
New
Section #
Section Name Revisions
14.01.020 14.01.020 Deflnitions Definitions removed due to redundancy elsewhere in City code, change in procedure, or
lack of relevance to the HPO: accessory structure, community design guidelines,
contributing list resource or property, cultural resource, historic property, historic
preservation report, massing, master list resource, modern contributing resource,
noncontributing resource, preservation, primary structure, reconstruction, rehabilitation,
restoration, scale, sensitive site, siting, statement of historic signiflcance, survey ,
threatened resource
Definitions revised for accuracy and clarity: adverse effects, alteration, archaeological
site, character-deflning features, demolition, deterioration, historic district / historical
preservation district, historic resource, historic status, inappropriate alteration, integri ty
(architectural or historical), inventory of historic resources, listed resource, minor
alteration, National Register, neglect, qualifled professional, relocation, site
Definitions added due to changes in subsequent HPO sections: contributing resource
(district), department, eligible resource, historic resource evaluation, landmark, local
register resource, Mills Act program, project analysis report, non-contributor, reversible,
traditional cultural property
14.01.030 14.01.030 Cultural Heritage
Committee
Section revised to combine previous sections B and C and remove redundancies.
14.01.040 14.01.040 Community Development
Director Role
Section revised to align with changes to 14.01.030.
14.01.050 14.01.050 Historic Resource
Designation
Revised to include “landmarks” (replaces “master list resources”) and “local register
properties” (replaces “contributing list resources”) to better communicate the status of
highest-level resources and rectify the confusing situation in which “contributing”
resources may exist independent of historic districts.
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San Luis Obispo Historic Preservation Ordinance Update Revisions Summary
September 17, 2025
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Original
Section #
New
Section #
Section Name Revisions
14.01.055 None Historic gardens, site
features, signs, and other
cultural resources
Section removed and contents incorporated into deflnition and designation sections.
14.01.070 14.01.055 Evaluation Criteria for
historic resource
designation
Revised the criteria to align with those used for the National Register and California
Register. Removed “integrity” as a criterion for signiflcance, and clarifled that it is required
for eligibility under any criterion. Provided additional requirements for historic districts.
Extensive guidance and examples removed from the HPO should be incorporated in and
update to the HPPG.
14.01.060 14.01.060 Designation procedures
for Landmarks and Local
Register Resources
Changed section title and wording to refiect changed category names, added
requirement for historic resource evaluation, revised roles and responsibilities for
initiating, reviewing, and acting.
14.01.080 14.01.070 Historic district
designation—Purpose and
application.
Revised “Where Applied” to align with current approaches to historic districts, including
requirements for signiflcance under one or more criteria.
14.01.090 14.01.080 Process for establishing or
amending Historic
Districts
Revised report requirements to align with current best practices in preservation.
Removed requirements for preservation goals/concerns, design guidelines. Added
property owner notiflcation requirement.
14.01.100 14.01.090 Demolition of listed or
eligible historic resources
Added historic resource evaluation requirement at discretion of Director.
14.01.110 14.01.100 Relocation of listed or
eligible historic resources
Added evaluation and project analysis report requirements at discretion of Director.
Revised language regarding appropriateness of receiving site.
14.01.130 None Historic and cultural
resource preservation
fund established
Removed section, as fund has not been established.
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Chapter 14.01
HISTORIC PRESERVATION ORDINANCE
14.01.010 Findings and purpose.
A. Findings.
1. The city of San Luis Obispo has a distinctive physical character and rich history that are
reflected in its many cultural and historic resources, such as historic structures and sites.
These irreplaceable resources are important to the community’s economic vitality, quality
of life, and sense of place, and need protection from deterioration, damage, and
inappropriate alteration or demolition.
2. The city of San Luis Obispo has been fortunate to have owners who care about the
history of their community and have undertaken the costly and time-consuming task of
restoring, maintaining and enhancing their historic homes and commercial buildings. Their
efforts have enhanced the distinctive character and sense of place of the community.
3. The California Environmental Quality Act requires special treatment of (“CEQA”) considers
historic resources andto be part of the environment which may be adversely affected by
projects subject to public agency review. The establishment of clear local guidance for the
identification and preservation of such resources lends clarity and certainty to the review of
those development applications involving historic resources. See Section 3.1.4 of the
Historic Preservation Program Guidelines, and whichthat are subject to review under CEQA.
B. Purpose. The broad purpose of this chapter is to promote the public health, safety, and
welfare through the identification, protection, enhancement and preservation of those
properties, structures, sites, artifacts and other cultural and historic resources that represent
distinctive elements of San Luis Obispo’s cultural, educational, social, economic, political and
architectural history. Specifically, this chapter sets forth regulations and procedures to:
1. Identify, protect, preserve, and promote the continuing use and upkeep of San Luis
Obispo’s historic structures, sites and districts through establishment and maintenance of
the Inventory of Historic Resources.
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2. Foster the retention and restoration of historic buildings and other culturalhistoric
resources that promote tourism, economic vitality, sense of place, and diversity.
3. Encourage private stewardship of historic buildings and other culturalhistoric resources
through incentives where possible.
4. Implement the historic preservation goals and policies of the conservation and open
space element of the general plan.
5. Promote the conservation of valuable material and embodied energy in historic
structures through theirthe continued use, restoration and repair, and on-going
maintenance of historic resources.
6. Promote the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the City’s distinctive
character, culturalhistoric resources, and history.
7. Establish the procedures and significance criteria to be applied when evaluating
development project effects on historic resources.
8. Fulfill the City’s responsibilities as a certified local government under state and federal
regulations and for federal Section 106 reviews.
9. Establish the policy of the City to pursue all reasonable alternatives to achieve
compliance with this chapter for the protection of historic resources prior to initiating
penalty proceedings as set forth in Section 14.01.110140. (Ord. 1557 § 3 (part), 2010).
14.01.020 Definitions.
For the purposes of this chapter, certain terms, words and their derivatives are used as follows:
1. “Accessory structure” means a structure which is subordinate or incidental and directly
related to a permitted use or structure on the same parcel. Accessory structures that
include habitable space, as defined by the California Building Code, shall be no larger than
four hundred fifty square feet. Accessory structures are located on the same parcel and are
related to the primary structure but are subordinate or incidental, but may include
structures that have achieved historic significance in their own right, as determined by the
director, committee or council. (See “Primary structure.”)
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1. 2. “Adjacent” means located on property which abuts the subject property on at least
one point of the property line, on the same property, or located on property directly
across right-of-way from subject property and able to be viewed concurrently.
2. 3. “Adverse effects” means effects, impacts or actions that are detrimental or
potentially detrimental to a historic resource’s condition or architectural or historical
integrity and significance.
3. 4. “Alteration” means change, repair, replacement, remodel, modification, or new
construction to: (1) the exterior of a historic resource or adjacent building on the same
parcel, (2) the structural elements which support the exterior walls, roof, or exterior
elements of the historic resource or adjacent building on the same parcel or within the
project site, (3) other construction on a lotparcel shared with a historic resource or
within the project site, or (4) character defining features of the interior of a historic
resource if the structure’s significance is wholly or partially based on interior features
and the resource is publicly accessible. “Alteration” does not include ordinary
landscape maintenance, unless the landscaping islandscape features are identified as
significantcharacter-defining at the time a property is listed or found eligible.
“Alteration” also does not include ordinary property maintenance or repair that is
exempt from a building permit, or is consistent with the Secretary of the Interior
Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties.
4. “ARC” means the Architectural Review Commission as appointed by the City Council.
5. “Archaeological site” means those areas where archaeological resources are present and
may be larger or smaller than the project site. An archaeological site may include
prehistoric Native Americanprecontact or historic-period archaeological materials and
deposits. Archaeological sites; historic archaeological sites; sites may extend horizontally
across multiple parcels or natural landscapes associated with important human events;
and Native American sacred places and cultural landscapesproperty lines.
6. 7. “California Register” means the California Register of Historical Resources defined in
California PRC 5024.1 and in CCR Title 14, Chapter 11.5, Section 4850, et seq., as it may be
amended.
79. “Character-defining features” means, as outlined in the U.S. Department of the Interior’s
National Register Bulletin 15 and Preservation Brief 17: “Howrefer to Identify Character
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Defining Features,”those elements of the architectural character and general composition of
a resource, including, but not limited to, type and texture of building material; type, design,
and character of all windows, doors, stairs, porches, railings, molding and other
appurtenant elements; and fenestration, ornamental detailing, elements of craftsmanship,
and finishes, etc.
8. “CHC” means the Cultural Heritage Committee as appointed by the City Council.
9.10. “City” means the City of San Luis Obispo.
11. “Community design guidelines” means the most recent version of the city’s community
design guidelines as adopted and amended from time to time.
12. “Contributing list resource or property” means a designation that may be applied to
buildings or other resources at least fifty years old that maintain their original or attained
historic and architectural character, and contribute either by themselves or in conjunction
with other structures to the unique or historic character of a neighborhood, district, or to
the city as a whole. They need not be located in a historic district. In some cases, buildings
or other resources that are less than fifty years old, but are nonetheless significant based
on architecture, craftsmanship or other criteria as described herein may be designated as a
contributing list resource.
10. “Contributing Resource” means a property which is within the boundaries of and
contributes to the significance of a Historic District.
13. 11. “Council” means the Council of the City of San Luis Obispo.
14. “Cultural resource” means any prehistoric or historic district, site, landscape, building,
structure, or object included in, or potentially eligible for local, state or national historic
designation, including artifacts, records, and material remains related to such a property or
resource.
12. 15. “Demolition,” for the purpose of this chapter, refers to any act or failure to act that
destroys, removes, or relocates, in whole or part, a historical resource such that its historic or
architectural character and significance are materially alteredimpaired.
13. “Department” means the Community Development Department, or the staff thereof.
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14. 16. “Deterioration” means the significant worsening of a structure’s condition or
architectural and/or historic integrity, due to lack of maintenance, organisms, neglect,
weathering and other natural forces.
15.17. “Director” means the director of the Community Development Department, or another
person authorized by the director to act on his or her behalf.
16. “Eligible resource” means any building, structure, object, site, or historic district, or historic
district contributor which has been found eligible for designation through a historic
resource evaluation prepared by a qualified professional and accepted by the Director
and/or City Council, but which has not been formally designated in the Inventory of Historic
Resources, California Register of Historical Resources, or National Register of Historic
Places.
17. 18. “Feasible” means capable of being accomplished in a successful manner within a
reasonable period of time, taking into account cultural, economic, environmental, historic, legal,
social and technological factors. “Structural feasibility” means that a building or other structure
can be repaired or rehabilitated so as to be safe and usable without significant loss of historic
fabric. Factors to be considered when making this determination include the existence of
technology that will allow the design of the work and the ability to repair, supplement or
replace load-bearing members and the thermal and moisture protection systems required for
continued use of the structure; and the physical capacity of the structure to withstand the
repair and/or rehabilitation process without the danger of further damage.
19. “Historic Building Code” means the most recent version of the California’s State Historical
Building Code, Title 25, Part 8, as defined in Sections 18950 to 18961 of Division 12, Part 2.7 of
Health and Safety Code (H&SC), a part of California state law..
18. 20. “Historic context” are those patterns, themes or trends in history by which a specific
occurrence, property, or site is understood, and its meaning and significance is made clear.
19.21. “Historic district/historic preservation district” means areas adopted as a Historical
Preservation “H” Overlay Zone by the City under Chapter 17.56, and which has a with a
collection or concentration of listed or potentially contributing historic properties or
archaeologically significant sites, where historic properties buildings, structures, objects, or
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sites which help define the area or neighborhood’s uniquesignificant architectural, cultural,
and historic character or sense of place.
20. 22. “Historic Preservation Program Guidelines” means the most recent version of the
Historic Preservation Program Guidelines, as adopted by City Council and amended from time
to time.
23. “Historic preservation report” means a document which describes preservation,
rehabilitation, restoration, or reconstruction measures for a historic resource, based on the
Secretary
24. “Historic property” means a property, including land and buildings, which possesses
aesthetic, architectural, cultural, historic or scientific significance, and which is included in, or
potentially eligible for local, state or national historic designation.
21.“Historic resource” means any building, structure, object, site, property, or district which is
designated locally as a Landmark, Local Register Resource, or contributor to a locally
designated Historic District, or which has been designated or found eligible for designation in
the California Register of Historical Resources or National Register of Historic Places as an
individual resource or district contributor. This definition includes, but is not limited to historic
gardens, site features and improvements, accessory structures, signs, Traditional Cultural
Properties, cultural landscapes and areas or objects of archaeological, architectural, cultural or
historic significance. Elsewhere in City publications, the terms “historic property” or “cultural
resource” may be used to refer to the same definition.
22. “Historic resource evaluation” means a report prepared by a qualified professional
which evaluates the significance of a resource within its historic context. It explains how the
resource meets the eligibility criteria and integrity thresholds as established by local, state or
federal government.
25. “Historic resource” means any building, site, improvement, area or object of aesthetic,
architectural, cultural, historic or scientific significance, and which is included in, or potentially
eligible for local, state or national historic designation.
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23.26. “Historic status” means historic designation of a listed resource or property as as
authorized by the Director or approved by the city council.
24.27. “Improvement” means any building, structure, fence, gate, landscaping, hardscaping,
walllandscape features (including gardens), permanent site features, work of art, or other
object constituting a physical feature of real property or any part of such feature.
25.28. “Inappropriate alteration” means alterations to historic resources which are inconsistent
with these provisionsthe Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic
Properties and/or the Historic Preservation Program Guidelines.
26.29. “Integrity, architectural or historical” means the ability of a property, structure, site,
building, improvement or natural featurehistoric resource to convey its identity and
authenticity,significance, typically evidenced by the retention of attributes that existed during a
resource’s period of significance and including but not limited to its original location, period(s)
of construction, design, setting, scale, design, materials, detailing, workmanship, usesfeeling,
and association.
27.30. “Inventory of Historic Resources” means the City’s list of historically designated resources
and properties consisting of master listLandmarks, Local Register Resources, and contributing
properties list of historic resources,Historic Districts, inclusive of their contributing resources,
and any properties, objects, sites, gardens, sacred places and other resources subsequently
added to the inventory as determined to meet criteria outlined herein and approved by the city
councilDirector or City Council as described herein.
28. “Landmark” is the highest level of individual local designation and may be applied to a
historic resource which has been found significant at the local, state, or national level under one
or more of the criteria described in Section 14.01.050, and which retains sufficient integrity to
convey its significance as defined in Section 14.01.020.28.
29. “Listed resource” means properties and resources included in the Inventory of Historic
Resources.
32. “Massing” means the spatial relationships, arrangement and organization of a building’s
physical bulk or volume.
33. “Master list resource” is a designation which may be applied to the most unique and
important historic properties and resources in terms of age, architectural or historical
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significance, rarity, or association with important persons or events in the city’s past meeting
criteria outlined The term “designated” as used herein refers to the same definition.
34. “Minor alteration” means any structural or exterior change to a historic“Local register
resource which the director determines to be consistent with the Historic Preservation Program
Guidelines, Secretary of the Interior Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties and other
applicable standards.
30.35. “Modern contributing resources” “Local Register Resource” is a an individual local
designation whichthat may be applied to properties and resources which are less than fifty
years old, but which exemplify or include significant works of architecture or craftsmanship or
are associated with a person or eventa historic resource which has been found significant at the
local level under one or more of the criteria described in Section 14.01.050, and which retains
sufficient integrity to the city’s historyconvey its significance as defined in Section 14.01.020.28.
31. “Mills Act Program” refers to a program established under State law in which owners of
historic buildings may, under a contract with the City, agree to preserve, maintain, and improve
their property in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and local regulations
in exchange for property tax savings.
32. 36.“National Register” means the National Register of Historic Places, the official inventory
of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant in American history, architecture,
engineering, archaeology and culture which is maintained by the Secretary of the Interior under
the authority of the Historic Sites Act of 1935 and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966,
as amended.
33.37. “Neglect” means the lack of maintenance, repair or protection of a listed property,
resource, site or, structure, or property which resultsmay result in significant deterioration, as
determined by the director or city council based on visual and physical evidence.
38. “Noncontributing resource” means designation which may be applied to properties and
resources in historic districts which are typically less than fifty years old and do not support the
prevailing historic character of the district or other listing criteria as outlined herein.
34.39. “Preservation“Non-Contributor” means a property which is located within the act or
processboundaries of applyinga Historic District but does not contribute to the significance of
that district.
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35.40. “Property owner” means the person or entity (public or private) holding fee title interest
or legal custody and control of a property.
41. “Primary structure” means the most important building or other structural feature on a
parcel in terms of size, scale, architectural or historical significance, as determined by the
committee.
36. 42. “Qualified professional” means an individual meetingdetermined by the Director to meet
the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards (36 CFR Part 61, Appendix
A) in history, architectural history, historic architecture and other designated categories, or an
individual determined by the CHC to have the qualifications generally equivalent to the above
standards based on demonstrated experience, or archaeology.
43. “Reconstruction” means the act or process of recreating the features, form and detailing of
a non-surviving building or portion of building, structure, object, landscape, or site for the
purpose of replicating its appearance at a specific period of time and in its historic location.
44. “Rehabilitation” means the act or process of making possible a compatible use for a
property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features
which convey its architectural, cultural, or historic values.
37.45. “Relocation” means removal of a resource from its original site and its reestablishment in
essentially the same form, appearance and architectural detailing at another location.
Relocation may refer to movement of a resource outside of the parcel within which it was
originally built or established, or movement within its original parcel in a manner which alters
its spatial relationships and/or orientation.
38. 46. “Responsible party” means any person, business, corporation or entity, and the parent
or legal guardian of any person under the age of eighteen years, who has committed,
permitted, directed or controlled any act constituting a violation of this chapter.
47. “Restoration” means the act or process of accurately depicting the form, features, and
character of a property as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal
of features from other periods in its history and reconstruction of missing features from the
restoration period.
39. 48. “Scale” means the proportions of architectural design that relate to human size or other
relative size measure.
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40. 49. “Secretary of the Interior’s Standards” means the Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties as published by the U.S. Department of
the Interior and as amended from time to time.
41. 50. “Setting” means the character of the site, physical area, environment, or
neighborhood in which a resource is located.
42.51. “Sensitive site” means a site determined by the community development director,
planning commission, architectural review commission or council, upon recommendation
of the cultural heritage committee, to have special characteristics, constraints or
community value such as: historic significance, historic context, creek-side location or visual
prominence, requiring more detailed development review than would otherwise be
required for other similarly zoned lots.
43. 52. “Site,” as used in this chapter, means the location of a significantan event, a
prehistoric or historic occupation or activity, or of a building or, structure, or object
whether standingintact, ruined, or vanishednon-extant, where the location itself possesses
known or potential historic, cultural, or archeological value regardless of the value of any
existing structurearchaeological significance.
53. “Siting” means the placement of structures and improvements on a property or site.
44.54. “Stabilization” means the act or process of applying measures designed to reestablish
a weather-resistant enclosure and/or the structural stability of an unsafe or deteriorated
property while maintaining the essential form as it exists at present.
55. “Statement of historic significance” means an explanation of why a resource is important
within its historic context. It explains how the resource meets the eligibility criteria and
integrity thresholds as established by local, state or federal government.
45.56. “Structure,” as used in this chapter, includes anything assembled or constructed on
the ground, or attached to anything with a foundation on the ground, including walls,
fences, buildings, signs, bridges, monuments, and similar features.
57. “Survey” means a systematic process for identifying and evaluating a community’s
historic resources using established criteria. “Survey” may also refer to the documentation
resulting from a survey project.
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58. “Threatened resource” means properties or resources at risk of loss of architectural,
cultural or historic value due to physical alteration, relocation or demolition.
46. “Traditional Cultural Property” refers to a site or natural landscape associated with
human activities and events, including Native Americantribal cultural resources, sacred
places and cultural landscapes. Traditional cultural properties which meet one or more of
the criteria described in Section 14.01.050 may be designated as historic resources.
47.59. “Zoning code” means Title 17 of the City’s Municipal Code, as amended from time to
time. (Ord. 1557 § 3 (part), 2010)
14.01.030 Cultural Heritage Committee (CHC).
A. Committee membership and terms. The City shall have a Cultural Heritage Committee (the
“CHC” or “committee”), consisting of seven members who shall be appointed by the City Council
(“council”) for terms of up to four years, which shall commence immediately upon appointment
by the council consistent with Resolutions 6157 (1987 Series) and 6593 (1989 Series), and CHC
bylaws or as subsequently amended. The CHC shall function within the guidelines and policies
of the “Advisory Body Handbook” and perform other duties as assigned by council. The CHC is
assisted by the Director and staff of the Community Development Department.
B. Duties. The CHC shall make recommendations to decision-making bodies on the following:
1. Amendments to the Historic Preservation Program Guidelines.
2. Applications for designation of Landmarks, Local Register Resources, and Historic
Districts.
3. Requests for removal of designation from Landmarks, Local Register Resources, and
Historic Districts (including status of Contributing Resource within Historic Districts).
4. Adoption of historic context statements, historic resource surveys, and design standards
or guidelines.
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5. Actions referred by the Director that may affect historic resources, including but not
limited to new construction, additions or alterations, demolition, or relocation of or to
individually designated properties, contributing resources to Historic Districts, or
archaeological sites.
6. Consolidation of information about cultural and historic resources and promotion,
participation in, or sponsorship of educational and interpretive programs that foster public
awareness and appreciation of cultural and historic resources.
7. Development and implementation of, including review of applications for incentive
programs approved by the council that are directed at preserving and maintaining historic
resources (e.g., Mills Act Contracts).
8. Providing information to property owners preparing local, state and federal historic
nominations to utilize preservation incentives, including the Mills Act and federal or state
tax incentives, such as rehabilitation tax credits.
B. Duties. The CHC shall make recommendations to decision-making bodies on the following:
1. Historic and archaeological resource preservation program guidelines that implement
this chapter and provide guidance to persons planning development projects subject to
cultural heritage committee review, and for city and property owner decisions regarding
cultural resources in San Luis Obispo. Once adopted by the city council, a record copy of
the guidelines shall be maintained in the office of the city clerk and in the community
development department. Copies shall be available on the city’s website and printed
versions will be available at cost.
2. Properties for inclusion on the city’s list of historic resources—those properties, areas,
sites, buildings, structures or other features having significant historical, cultural,
architectural, community, scientific or aesthetic value to the citizens of San Luis Obispo.
3. The master and contributing properties lists of historic resources, and historic property
and archaeological site inventories.
4. Actions subject to discretionary city review and approval that may affect significant
archaeological, cultural or historic resources.
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5. The application of architectural, historic, and cultural preservation standards and
guidelines to projects and approvals involving historic sites, districts, and structures.
6. Consolidation of information about cultural resources and promotion, participation in,
or sponsorship of educational and interpretive programs that foster public awareness and
appreciation of cultural resources.
7. Alterations related to development or demolition applications involving listed resources
and properties within historic preservation districts.
8. Incentive programs approved by the council that are directed at preserving and
maintaining cultural resources.
9. Information for property owners preparing local, state and federal historic nominations
to utilize preservation incentives, including the Mills Act and federal tax incentives, such as
rehabilitation tax credits.
C. Actions Subject to Cultural Heritage Committee Review. The committee shall review and make
recommendations to the Ddirector, architectural review commission, Pplanning Ccommission,
or City Council on applications and development review projects which include any of the
following:
1. Changes to the listing status of properties listed on the inventory of historic resources
and district contributors.
2. Changes to historic districts and applications to establish new historic districts.
3. Statements of historic significance and historic inventories for existing and proposed
historic districts.
4. New construction, additions or alterations located in historic districts, or on historically
listed properties and resources, or sensitive archaeological sites.
5. Applications to demolish or relocate listed historic resources or structures and district
contributors.
6. Referrals to the committee by the Ccommunity Ddevelopment Ddirector (“director”),
architectural review commission, Pplanning Ccommission, or Ccouncil.
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7. Proposed actions of public agencies that may affect historic or cultural resources within
the Ccity. (Ord. 1557 § 3 (part), 2010)
14.01.040 Community Ddevelopment Ddirector role.
The CHC is assisted by staff of the Ccommunity Ddevelopment Ddepartment. The Ccommunity
Ddevelopment Ddirector (“Ddirector”) is responsible for interpreting and implementing this
chapter and helping the CHC carry out its duties. The Director may refer applications to the CHC
for review consistent with 14.01.030 (5). Notwithstanding Section 14.01.030through (5) and (7),
Tthe director Director may determine that CHC review is not required for actions or projects
that: (1) do will not adversely affect historic resources, or (2) are consistent with this chapter,
the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, and the Historic Preservation Program Guidelines, and
no public purpose would be served by requiring CHC review. (Ord. 1557 § 3 (part), 2010)
14.01.050 Historic resource designation.
The following classifications shall be used to designate historic resources and properties.. The
primary categories of historic significance are master list and contributing properties.
Contributing properties include those properties that by virtue of their age, design and
appearance, contribute to and embody the historic character of the neighborhood or historic
district in which they are located.
A. Master ListLandmarks, Local Register Resources,. The most unique and important resources
and properties, in terms of age, architectural or historical significance, rarity, or association with
important persons or events in the city’s past, which meet one or more of the criteria outlined
in Section 14.01.070. and Historic Districts. The Department shall make the current list of
designated historic resources available to the public.
1. Landmarks, defined above in 14.01.020.30, are historic resources which are of the
greatest importance at the local, regional, state, or national level. in terms of age,
architectural or historical significance, rarity, or association with important persons or
events in the City’s past, which meet one or more of the criteria outlined in Section
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14.01.070050 and which retain a high degree of integrity. Landmarks are eligible for
participation in the Mills Act program. Individual properties which have been listed on
the National Register of Historic Places and/or California Register of Historical
Resources, and which have been assigned a California Historical Status Code of 1, are
automatically included in the Inventory of Historical Resources as Landmarks.
B. Contributing List Resources or Properties. Buildings or other resources at least fifty years old
that maintain their original or attained historic and architectural character, and contribute,
either by themselves or in conjunction with other structures, to the unique or historic character
of a neighborhood, district, or to the city as a whole. They need not be located in a historic
district. In some cases, buildings or other resources that are less than fifty years old, but are
nonetheless significant based on architecture, craftsmanship or other criteria as described in
Section 14.01.070 may be designated as a contributing resource.
C. Noncontributing. Buildings, properties and other features in historic districts which are less
than fifty years old, have not retained their original architectural character, or which do not
support the prevailing historic character of the district. (Ord. 1557 § 3 (part), 2010)
14.01.055 Historic gardens, site features, signs, and other cultural
resources.
A. Historic Site and Landscape Features. Historic gardens, site features and improvements,
accessory structures, signs, Native American sacred places, cultural landscapes and areas or
objects of archaeological, architectural, cultural or historic significance not part of a designated
property may be added to the inventory of historic resources through CHC review and council
approval as specified herein.
B. Cultural Resources on Public Property. Cultural and historic features on public property, such
as Bishop’s Peak granite walls and curbing, sidewalk embossing, ornamental manhole covers
and hitching posts, may be added to the inventory of historic resources through CHC review
and council approval as specified herein.
C. Sign. A sign which contributes to the unique architectural or historic character of a building,
site or historic district may be designated as a historic sign. Signs that meet at least one of the
following criteria may be designated historic:
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1. The sign is exemplary of technology, craftsmanship or design of the period when it was
constructed, uses historic sign materials and means of illumination, and is not significantly
altered from its historic period. Historic sign materials shall include metal or wood facings,
or paint directly on the facade of a building. Historic means of illumination shall include
incandescent light fixtures or neon tubing on the exterior of the sign. If the sign has been
altered, it must be restorable to its historic function and appearance.
2. The sign is well integrated with the site and/or architecture of the building.
3. A sign not meeting either criterion may be considered for inclusion in the inventory if it
demonstrates extraordinary aesthetic quality, creativity, or innovation. (Ord. 1557 § 3 (part),
2010)
2. Local Register Resources, defined above in 14.01.020.32, are historic resources which are
important locally for their architectural or historical significance, rarity, or association
with important persons or events in the City’s past, according to the criteria outlined in
Section 14.01.050, and which retain sufficient integrity to convey their significance.
3. Historic Districts, as defined above in 14.01.020.20, are discrete areas or neighborhoods
with concentrations of buildings, structures, objects, or sites which help define an area
or neighborhood’s significant architectural, cultural, and historic character or sense of
place and which meet one or more of the criteria outlined in Section 14.01.050 and
which retain integrity. Historic districts consist of identified contributors and non-
contributors within a defined boundary. Landmarks and Local Register Resources within
the boundary of a historic district may be contributors or non-contributors to the
district’s significance.
14.01.050 Evaluation criteria for historic resource designation.
A. In order to be eligible for designation, a Landmark, Local Register Resource, or Historic
District shall be at least fifty years old (if less than fifty it must be demonstrated that sufficient
time has passed to understand its historical importance), demonstrate significance under at
least one of the following criteria, and retain integrity as defined in Section 14.01.020.28.
Consult “National Register Bulletin No. 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for
Evaluation” for guidance on determining significance.
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1. Events. Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad
patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the United
States.
2. Persons. Associated with the lives of persons important to local, California, or national
history.
3. Architecture. Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method
of construction, or represents the work of an architect or design professional of merit,
or possesses high artistic values.
4. Information Potential: It has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information important
to the prehistory or history of the local area, California, or the nation.
B. In addition to eligibility under one or more of these significance criteria, Historic Districts
must also demonstrate a sufficient concentration of contributing resources (unless
discontiguous) and continuity of design or thematic associations to convey their character and
significance.
14.01.060 ListingDesignation procedures for historic
resources.Landmarks and Local Register Resources
A. Application for historic Listingdesignation. The property owner may request that a resource to
be added to the master or contributing list of historic resourcesproperty be designated as a
Landmark or Local Register Resource by submitting a completed application to the Community
Development Department (“Department”), accompanied by all available information
documenting the a historic resource evaluation report which describes the property’s
significance with reference to the criteria defined in Section 14.01.050 and architecturalintegrity,
identifies the property’s period of significance, and lists character of the resource.-defining
features. The CHC, ARC, or planning commissionDirector may also recommend, or City Council
may directly request, the addition of a resource to the master or contributing list of historic
resourcesrequest that the City initiate preparation of an application for designation of a
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property as a Landmark or Local Register Resource. Written support from the property owner is
not required for designation.
B. Review process, Landmark. The CHC shall review all applications for historic listingLandmark
designation, whether initiated by the City or athe property owner, to determine if a property
proposed for listingdesignation meets eligibility criteria for historic listing. The CHC will review
the eligibility criteria for a proposed listing at a noticed public hearingdesignation. The Director
shall provide notification to the property owner and public, as required by City standards. The
CHC will review the eligibility criteria for a proposed designation at a noticed public hearing. At
the public hearing, or in no case more than sixty days from the hearing date, the CHC shall
forward a recommendation on the application to the City Council. The City Council will take an
action on the application to adddesignate or not adddesignate the resource toproperty as a
Landmark in adherence with the master or contributing list of historic resourcesCity’s
requirements for noticing and appeal. The decision of the City Council is final.
C. Owner objection, Landmark. The City Council shall not take an action to designate a property
as a Landmark against the written objection of the property owner.
D. Review process, Local Register Resource. The CHC shall review all applications for designation
as a Local Register Resource, whether initiated by the City or the property owner, to determine
if a property proposed for designation meets eligibility criteria for historic designation. The
Director shall provide notification to the property owner and public, as required by City
standards. The CHC will review the eligibility criteria for a proposed designation at a noticed
public hearing. At the public hearing, the CHC shall forward a recommendation to the Director
to designate or not designate the property as a Local Register Resource. The Director shall
undertake the action to designate the resource in adherence with the City’s requirements for
noticing and appeal.
E.C. Removal from historic Listingdesignation. It is the general intention of the City not to remove
a property from historic listing.designation. City Council may, however, rezone a property to
remove historic overlay zoning, or remove the property from historic listing if the structure on
the property a property’s Landmark status if it no longer meets eligibility criteria for
listingdesignation, following the process for listingdesignation set forth herein. (Ord. 1557 § 3
(part), 2010)At the recommendation of the CHC, the Director may remove a property’s Local
Register Resource status if it no longer meets eligibility criteria for designation, following the
process for designation set forth herein.
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14.01.070 Evaluation criteria for historic resource listing.
When determining if a property should be designated as a listed historic or cultural resource,
the CHC and city council shall consider this chapter and State Historic Preservation Office
(“SHPO”) standards. In order to be eligible for designation, the resource shall exhibit a high level
of historic integrity, be at least fifty years old (less than fifty if it can be demonstrated that
enough time has passed to understand its historical importance) and satisfy at least one of the
following criteria:
A. Architectural Criteria. Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or
method of construction, or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values.
1. Style. Describes the form of a building, such as size, structural shape and details within
that form (e.g., arrangement of windows and doors, ornamentation, etc.). Building style will
be evaluated as a measure of:
a. The relative purity of a traditional style;
b. Rarity of existence at any time in the locale; and/or current rarity although the
structure reflects a once popular style;
c. Traditional, vernacular and/or eclectic influences that represent a particular social
milieu and period of the community; and/or the uniqueness of hybrid styles and how
these styles are put together.
2. Design. Describes the architectural concept of a structure and the quality of artistic merit
and craftsmanship of the individual parts. Reflects how well a particular style or
combination of styles are expressed through compatibility and detailing of elements. Also,
suggests degree to which the designer (e.g., carpenter-builder) accurately interpreted and
conveyed the style(s). Building design will be evaluated as a measure of:
a. Notable attractiveness with aesthetic appeal because of its artistic merit, details and
craftsmanship (even if not necessarily unique);
b. An expression of interesting details and eclecticism among carpenter-builders,
although the craftsmanship and artistic quality may not be superior.
3. Architect. Describes the professional (an individual or firm) directly responsible for the
building design and plans of the structure. The architect will be evaluated as a reference to:
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a. A notable architect (e.g., Wright, Morgan), including architects who made significant
contributions to the state or region, or an architect whose work influenced
development of the city, state or nation.
b. An architect who, in terms of craftsmanship, made significant contributions to San
Luis Obispo (e.g., Abrahams who, according to local sources, designed the house at 810
Osos—Frank Avila’s father’s home—built between 1927 – 1930).
B. Historic Criteria.
1. History—Person. Associated with the lives of persons important to local, California, or
national history. Historic person will be evaluated as a measure of the degree to which a
person or group was:
a. Significant to the community as a public leader (e.g., mayor, congress member, etc.)
or for his or her fame and outstanding recognition—locally, regionally, or nationally.
b. Significant to the community as a public servant or person who made early, unique,
or outstanding contributions to the community, important local affairs or institutions
(e.g., council members, educators, medical professionals, clergymen, railroad officials).
2. History—Event. Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the
broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the
United States. Historic event will be evaluated as a measure of:
a. A landmark, famous, or first-of-its-kind event for the city—regardless of whether the
impact of the event spread beyond the city.
b. A relatively unique, important or interesting contribution to the city (e.g., the Ah
Louis Store as the center for Chinese-American cultural activities in early San Luis
Obispo history).
3. History—Context. Associated with and also a prime illustration of predominant patterns of
political, social, economic, cultural, medical, educational, governmental, military, industrial,
or religious history. Historic context will be evaluated as a measure of the degree to which
it reflects:
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a. Early, first, or major patterns of local history, regardless of whether the historic
effects go beyond the city level, that are intimately connected with the building (e.g.,
County Museum).
b. Secondary patterns of local history, but closely associated with the building (e.g.,
Park Hotel).
C. Integrity. Authenticity of a historical resource’s physical identity evidenced by the survival of
characteristics that existed during the resource’s period of significance. Integrity will be
evaluated by a measure of:
1. Whether or not a structure occupies its original site and/or whether or not the original
foundation has been changed, if known.
2. The degree to which the structure has maintained enough of its historic character or
appearance to be recognizable as a historic resource and to convey the reason(s) for its
significance.
3. The degree to which the resource has retained its design, setting, materials,
workmanship, feeling and association. (Ord. 1557 § 3 (part), 2010)
14.01.0780 Historic district designation—Purpose and application.
A. Historic (H) district designation. All properties within Historic Districts shall be designated by an
“H” zoning. Properties zoned “H” shall be subject to the provisions and standards as provided in
Chapter 17.5456 (zoning) of the Municipal Code.
B. Purposes of Historic Districts. The purposes of Historic Districts and H zone designation are to:
1. Implement cultural and historic resource preservation policies of the general plan, the
preservation provisions of adopted area plans, the historic preservation and archaeological
resource preservation program guidelines; and
2. Identify and preserve definable, unified geographical entities that possess a significant
concentration, linkage, or continuity of sites, buildings, structures, or objects united
historically or aesthetically by plan or physical development;
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3. Implement historic preservation provisions of adopted area and neighborhood
improvement plans;
4. Enhance and preserve the setting of historic resources so that surrounding land uses
and structures do not detract from the historic or architectural integrity of designated
historic resources and districts; and
5. Promote the public understanding and appreciation of historic resources.
C. Where Applied. Eligibility for Incentives. Properties zoned as historic preservation (H) shall be
eligible for preservation incentive and benefit programs as established herein, in the guidelines
and other local, state and federal programsThe (H) designation may be applied to areas or
neighborhoods which are historically significant according to one or more of the criteria
defined in Section 14.01.050, and which include a collection or concentration of contributing
historic or archaeological properties which define the district’s architectural and historic
character or sense of place, and which possess sufficient integrity to convey their significance.
D. Where Applied. The (H) designation may be applied to areas or neighborhoods with a
collection or concentration of listed historic properties or archaeologically significant sites, or
where historic properties help define an area or neighborhood’s unique architectural and
historic character or sense of place.
E. “H” District Combined. A historic preservation overlay district (H) may be combined with any
zoning district, and shall be shown by adding an “H” to the base zone designation. H district
boundaries shall be drawn to follow property lines or right-of-way lines, and as set forth in the
zoning regulations. (Ord. 1557 § 3 (part), 2010)
14.01.090080 Process for establishing or amending Historic Districts.
A. Initiating or Amending Historic Districts. Any person may initiate the process to establish or
alter the boundaries of a historic preservation district. The process can also be initiated by the
CHC, ARC, planning commissionDirector, or city council.
B. Application. An application to establish or alter the boundaries of a historic preservation
district shall be submitted to the Department. The application shall meet the requirements for
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rezoning as described in the zoning regulations. The application and supporting information
and plans shall be submitted to the department and shall includeshall be accompanied by a
report which:
1. 1. ADescribes the district’s significance with reference to the criteria defined in Section
14.01.050.
2. Describes and provides justification for the district boundary,
3. Identifies the district’s period of significance,
4. Lists contributing and non-contributing resources; all parcels within the boundaries of
the district must be included in the list of contributors and non-contributors. Features
within public spaces and rights-of-way, such as street furnishings and landscape
features, may be listed as contributors or non-contributors to a historic district.
5. Lists designated Landmarks and Local Register Resources within the boundary of the
district.
1.6. Includes a district map (no smaller than eight and one-half inches by eleven inches)
from the official zoning map, with the area to be established or changed shaded or
outlined in a heavy, black boundary line,. For Historic Districts with the proposed
areaboundary alterations, the original and proposed boundary to be changed must be
clearly labeled;.
2. Information showing how the application meets the criteria to establish or alter a historic
district designation;
3. A statement of historic significance. A statement of historic significance shall be prepared
by a qualified professional, as listed in the city’s list of qualified historians. The director may
waive the requirement that the statement be prepared by a qualified professional if the
applicant provides adequate information to enable informed review of the proposed
district.
C. Contents. Statements of historic significance shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
1. A visual and written description of the district’s boundaries.
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2. A description of the district’s architectural, historic, and cultural resources, character and
significance, including a historic survey documenting the period of significance and how
historic properties meet adopted local, state and, where applicable, federal criteria for
historic listing.
3. Preservation goals and concerns for the district including but not limited to:
a. Identification of preservation priorities, important features, goals and objectives; and
b. Identification of potential obstacles to preservation; and
c. Identification of historic land use policies and goals for future land use; and
d. Special considerations for development review of projects both involving and not
involving historic resources.
4. Graphic and written design guidelines applicable to the district’s preservation goals,
historic character and features which shall include, but not be limited to:
a. Guidelines for projects involving historic resources, focused on preserving the
district’s character and significant archeological, architectural, and historic features;
and
b. Guidelines for projects within the district but not involving historically designated
properties, focused on maintaining street character and compatibility with the district’s
historic character while not necessarily mimicking historic styles.
D. Review. The CHC shall review the application to determine if a district proposed for
designation and zoning amendment meets eligibility criteria for historic designation and make a
recommendation to the Planning Commission. The Director shall provide notification to all
property owners within the proposed district boundary and public, as required by city
standards. The Planning Commission shall review the CHC recommendation and rezoning
application and make a recommendation to the City Council. The City Council shall review the
application and the recommendations of the CHC and Planning Commission, and approve or
disapprove the application. The CHC, Planning Commission, and the City Council shall each
conduct a noticed public hearing on the application and the notice of such hearings shall be
completed as provided in the city’s notification procedures.
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E. Review Criteria. When considering a historic preservation district application, the reviewing
body shall consider both of the following criteria:
1. Environmental Design Continuity. The inter-relationship of structures and their relationship to
a common environment; the continuity, spatial relationship, and visual character of a street,
neighborhood, or area. Environmental design continuity is comprised of:
a. Symbolic importance to the community of a key structure in the area and the degree to
which it serves as a conspicuous and pivotal landmark (e.g., easily accessible to the public, helps
to establish a sense of time and place); or
b. Compatibility of structures with neighboring structures in their setting on the basis of period,
style (form, height, roof lines), design elements, landscapes, and natural features; and how
these combine together to create an integral cultural, historic, or stylistic setting; or
c. Similarity to and/or compatibility of structures over fifty years of age which, collectively,
combine to form a geographically definable area with its own distinctive character.
2. Whether the proposed district contains structures which meet criteria for inclusion on the
city’s list of historic resources. (Ord. 1557 § 3 (part), 2010)
14.01.090100 Demolition of listed or eligible historic resources.
A. Intent. Listed historic resources are an and eligible historic resources (as defined in Section
14.01.020), including Landmarks, Local Register Resources, and Historic Districts and their
Contributing Resources are irreplaceable community resourceresources that merit special
protection to preserve them for future generations, and. For the purposes of review under
CEQA, per title CCR 14 § 15064.5, the demolition of such resources may be found to cause a
significant impact to the environment. Buildings or structures which are listed or eligible historic
resources shall not be demolished unless the City Council makes all of the findings specified in
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subsection DE of this section; provided, however, that these thresholds shall not apply to
repairs to listed historic resources that do not require a building permit, or where the CHC or
the director has determined such work is consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and with the Historic Preservation Program
Guidelines.. These findings are additional to the City’s review requirements under CEQA, as
applicable, including but not limited to preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
B. Demolition review. The CHC shall review and make a recommendation to the City Council
concerning demolition applications for structures listed or eligible for listing in the Inventory of
Historic Resources.
C. Demolition thresholds. Demolition permits for structures which are included on the or which
have been found eligible for inclusion on the Inventory of Historic Resources shall be required
for:
1. Alterations to or removal of greater than twenty-five percent of the original building
framework, roof structure, and exterior walls; and
2. Relocation of such resources to a site outside the City limits.
D. Evaluation required. The Director may require that a historic resource Prior to evaluation
review of abe submitted with a demolition application for a by the CHC, any building or
structure which is fifty years old or older and which has not been previously evaluated or listed
on the Inventory of Historic Resources, and for which a demolition application has been
submitted,. The historic resource evaluation shall be prepared l be evaluated by a qualified
professional, and shall evaluate the property’s l for eligibility for listing in the Inventory of
Historic Resources and California Register. Evaluations shall be reviewed by the Director and
CHC for adequacy. Third-party review by a qualified professional may be required by the
Director, at the expense of the applicant.
E.D. Required Findings for Demolition of a Historic Resource. The decision-making body shall
approve an application for demolition of a structure listed in or eligible for listing in the
Inventory of Historic Resources only if it determines that the proposed demolition is
consistent with the general plan and:
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1. The historic resource is a hazard to public health or safety, and repair or stabilization is
not structurally feasible. Deterioration resulting from the property owner’s neglect or
failure to maintain the property should not be a justification for demolition. The applicant
may be required to provide structural reports, to the approval of the community
development Director or City Council, to document that repairs or stabilization are not
feasible; or
2. Denial of the application will constitute an economic hardship as described under
subsections (KJ)(1) through (3) of this section.
E. 3. Application of these provisions do not waive the City’s responsibilities for project
review under CEQA.
D. Demolition Timing. City regulations provide for a ninety-day waiting period before demolition
of a listed or eligible historic resource to allow consideration of alternatives to preserve the
building through relocation and/or property trades. The chief building official shall not issue a
permit for demolishing a listed or eligible historic resource, except where the chief building
official determines a listed historicthat resource may pose an imminent demonstrable threat to
human life and safety, until:
1. Public notice requirements in the City’s demolition and building relocation code have
been met; and
2. A construction permit is issued for a replacement building if one is proposed; and
3. All permit fees for the new development are paid. Where no new development is
proposed, the property owner shall provide to the Director’s satisfaction, financial
guarantees to ensure demolition plans and conditions of approval are implemented.
E. F. Historic and Architectural Documentation. Before the issuance of a demolition permit for
structures listed in the Inventory of Historic Resources, the resource and its site shall be
documented as specified in City standards, to the satisfaction of the CHC and the Director. The
documentation shall be retained in a secure, but publicly accessible, location. Documentation
prepared for implementation of mitigation measures required as part of the CEQA review
process may be sufficient to fulfill this requirement.
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F. G. Historic Acknowledgement. An acknowledgment of demolished resources shall be provided
through historic signage and/or the reuse or display of historic materials and artifacts on site, at
the owner’s expense, to the Director’s approval.
G. H. Code Requirements. Demolitions shall follow standards and procedures in the demolition
and building relocation code and California Building Code as locally amended.
H. I. Expiration of Demolition Approval. Demolition approval of a listed historic resource shall
expire two years after its date of approval, unless a building permit has been issued and
construction has begun. A one-year extension may be granted by the Director. Additional time
extensions shall require reapplication to and approval by the CHC.
I. J. Economic Hardship. An economic hardship provision is established to ensure that denial of
a demolition permit does not impose undue hardship on the owner of a historicalhistoric
resource. If the applicant presents evidence clearly demonstrating to the satisfaction of the CHC
or the City Council that the action will cause an extreme hardship, the CHC may recommend
approval, and the council may approve or conditionally approve a demolition or other
application to modify a listed historic resource even though it does not meet one or more
standards set forth herein. The applicant shall be responsible for providing substantiation of
the claim to the Director, who shall review the information with the Director of finance and
make a joint recommendation to the CHC on the hardship request. The CHC shall consider and
make a recommendation to the council regarding the financial impacts of denial of the
demolition permit. Private financial information shall be maintained in confidence by the City.
The CHC is authorized to request that the applicant furnish information, documentation and/or
expert testimony, the cost of which shall be paid by the applicant, to be considered by the
committee in its related findings. All additional required information shall be provided by a
qualified individual or firm approved by the Director. In determining whether extreme hardship
exists, the committee and council shall consider evidence that demonstrates:
1. Denial of the application will diminish the value of the subject property so as to leave
substantially no economic value, after considering other means of offsetting the costs of
retaining the historic resource, including, but not limited to, tax abatements, financial
assistance, building code modifications, changes in allowed uses, grants; or
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2. Sale or rental of the property is impractical, when compared to the cost of holding such
property for uses permitted in the zoning district; or
3. Utilization of the property for lawful purposes is prohibited or impractical. (Ord. 1557 § 3
(part), 2010)
14.01.1010 Relocation of listed or eligible historic resources.
A. Intent. Relocation of a property within or outside of its original site or parcel (as defined in
Section 14.01.020) has the potential to adversely affect the significance of a historic resource
and is discouraged. The City Council will not grant approval for the relocation of a listed historic
resource unless the criteria for relocation under subsection D of this section can be met.
Relocation applications shall be evaluated as follows:
B. A. Review. The CHC and ARC shall review and make a recommendation to the City Council
concerning relocation applications to relocatefor structures listed or eligible for listing in the
Inventory of Historic Resources which would result in removal of the building from its original
site or parcel. Minor relocation within a structure’s original parcel may, at the recommendation
of the CHC, be reviewed by the Director. Applications for relocation of buildings or structures
listed or eligible for listing on the Inventory of Historic Resources outside of the City limits are
subject to the requirements of Section 14.01.100.
C. Evaluation required. The Director may require that a historic resource evaluation be submitted
with an application for relocation of a building or structure which is fifty years old or older and
which has not been previously evaluated or listed on the Inventory of Historic Resources. The
historic resource evaluation shall be prepared by a qualified professional, and shall evaluate the
property’s eligibility for listing in the Inventory of Historic Resources and California Register.
Evaluations shall be reviewed by the Director for adequacy. Third-party review by a qualified
professional may be required by the Director, at the expense of the applicant.
D.B. Criteria for relocation. Relocation of structures included on or which have been found
eligible for listing on the Inventory of Historic Resources, or those that are determined by the
CHC or the director to be potentially historic, is the least preferred preservation method and
shall be permitted only when relocation is consistent with the goals and policies of the general
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plan, any applicable area or specific plans, and the Historic Preservation Program Guidelines,
and. Prior to recommendation of approval for a permit to relocate a listed or eligible resource,
CHC must find the following:
1. The relocation will not significantly change, destroy, or adversely affect the historic,
architectural or aesthetic value of the resource, as demonstrated to the satisfaction of the
CHC and Director by a project analysis report prepared by a qualified professional; and
2. Relocation will not have a significant adverse effect on the character of the Historic
District or neighborhood, or surrounding properties whereat the resource is located or at
itsresource’s original and proposed locationreceiving site; and
3. The original site and the proposed receiving site are controlled through ownership, long-
term lease or similar assurance by the person(s) proposing relocation, to the Director’s
approval; and
4. The proposed receiving site is relevant tocompatible with the original character and use
of the resource or eligible resource’s historic significance; orand
5. The relocation is necessary to correct an unsafe or dangerous condition on the site and
no other measures for correcting the condition are feasible; or
6. The proposed relocation meets the findings for economic hardship required under
Section 14.01.090100(J) for demolition of a historic resource.
These findings are additional to the City’s review requirements under CEQA, including but not
limited to preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
EC. Relocation Timing. The historic resource shall not be relocated unless the chief building
official issues a permit for relocation and all permit or impact fees for new development are
paid; or, where no new development is proposed, an appropriate security is posted to
guarantee that relocation plans are implemented, to the Director’s approval.
F.D. Historical and Architectural Documentation. Prior to issuance of a construction permit for
relocation, the resource and its site shall be historically documented as specified herein, to the
satisfaction of the CHC and the Director. An acknowledgment of the resource, such as a
permanent, weatherproof historic plaque, shall be incorporated on the resource’s original site
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as provided by the applicant or property owner, subject to the approval of the CHC and
Director.
G.E. Relocation Plan and Procedures. Relocations shall follow a plan approved by the CHC or the
director,, which adheres to standards and procedures in the demolition and building relocation
code,of the California Building Code, and the following:
1. Application for relocation shall be made on forms provided by the Department and shall
include information to respond to the criteria in subsection BD of this section.
2. The CHC shall hold a noticed public hearing and recommend action to the ARC or City
Council on the application for relocation of a historic resource, and the ARC orCity Council
shall consider the CHC’s recommendation in making the final determination to approve or
deny the permit.
3. The ARC or the city council will not grant an approval for the relocation of a listed historic
resource unless the criteria for relocation under subsection B of this section can be met.
(Ord. 1557 § 3 (part), 2010)
14.01.1120 Unpermitted demolition or destruction of listed or eligible
historic resources.
A. Preservation of listed historic resources. The purpose of this section is to prevent unpermitted
active demolition or demolition by neglect by ensuring that listed historic resources are
maintained in good repair, and free from structural defects and safety hazards, consistent with
the International Property Maintenance Code, Property Maintenance Standards (Chapter
17.17), and standards as specified herein. Alteration or dDemolition in whole or part, of any
significant features or characteristics of a listed or eligible historic property or resource requires
city authorization, pursuant to SectionSections 14.01.100090 through 14.01.110.
B. Enhanced Penalties for Unpermitted Demolition. In addition to penalties otherwise provided for
violations of the San Luis Obispo Municipal Code and this chapter, the City Council, following
notice and a public hearing, may impose the following enhanced penalties for unpermitted
demolition of a listed or eligible resource, as defined herein, where athe property owner has
willfully demolished, or directed, or allowed the demolition of a listed resource, or where the
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property owner has failed to comply with notices to correct violations of this code, such that the
continuance of such violations may result in the unpermitted demolition of the listed historic
resource (either active or by neglect):
1. Restoration. The owner may be required to restore the property or structure to its
appearance prior to the violation to the satisfaction of the Director.
2. Building Permit Restriction. The City may prohibit the owner(s), successors, or assigns from
obtaining a building permit for development of the subject property for a period of up to
five years from the date of violation, unless such permit(s) is for the purpose of complying
with provisions of this chapter. In cases where this penalty is imposed, the City shall:
a. Initiate proceedings to place a deed restriction on the property to ensure
enforcement of this restriction.
b. Require the property owner to maintain the property during the period of
development restriction in conformance with standards set forth in this chapter.
c. Initiate action to remove any such deed restriction within ten days of correction or
compliance. Subsequent development applications shall be subject to CEQA review
and conditions of development shall address the demolition of the historic resource.
3. Loss of Preservation Benefits. Any historic preservation benefits previously granted to the
affected property, such as a Mills Act contract, may be subject to revocation.
4. Other Remedies. These enhanced penalties are nonexclusive, in addition to and not in lieu
of penalties otherwise provided for violations of the San Luis Obispo Municipal Code and
this chapter, including, but not limited to, administrative citations, criminal prosecution,
civil fines, and public nuisance proceedings. (Ord. 1557 § 3 (part), 2010)
14.01.130 Historic and cultural resource preservation fund
established.
The historic and cultural resource preservation fund (“fund”) is hereby established to provide
for the conservation, preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of historic and cultural
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resources in the city of San Luis Obispo. The council shall provide the policy direction for
funding and expenditures from the fund.
A. Program Administration. The director shall administer the fund, following specific procedures
and funding priorities adopted by the council.
B. Purpose. The purpose of the fund is to provide funds for historic preservation projects within
the city. All funds deposited in the fund shall be used for the conservation, preservation,
restoration and rehabilitation of historic or cultural resources, as provided in this section and as
directed by the council.
1. Financial Administration. Financial administration of the fund shall be by the city finance
director or designee, in accordance with state and local law. Any interest earned on the
fund shall accrue to the funds, unless council specifically designates such funds for another
purpose.
2. Grants, Gifts and Donations. The finance director shall deposit into the fund any grants,
gifts, donations, rents, royalties, or other financial support earmarked by council for
historic or cultural resource preservation.
C. Cultural Heritage Committee Role. The committee shall advise the council on the fund
regarding:
1. Criteria for use and award of funds;
2. Entering into any contract, lease, agreement, etc., for use of funds;
3. Any other action or activity necessary or appropriate to achieve the fund purposes and
the intent of this chapter.
D. Uses of Fund. The fund may be used for: (1) the identification and protection of cultural
resources, including preparation of historic surveys and design guidelines, (2) for the repair,
restoration, rehabilitation, preservation and maintenance of historical buildings, features, or
archaeological sites, (3) for public education on cultural resources, (4) for real property
acquisition if there is a willing property owner, including lease, purchase, sale, exchange or
other forms of real property transfer or acquisition to protect significant historic resources, or
(5) any other historic preservation related purpose approved by the council. Council decisions
on the use of funds are final.
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E. Loans and Grants. The fund may be used, upon council approval and recommendation by the
committee, for loans and grants to public agencies, nonprofit organizations and private entities
to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
F. Preservation Agreements. Loans, grants or other financial assistance shall require execution of
an agreement between the city and the recipient to ensure that such award or assistance
carries out the purposes of this chapter and is consistent with applicable state and local
standards.
G. Funding Eligibility. The fund shall be used to benefit properties on the master or contributing
properties list, or for other properties or uses deemed eligible by the council upon
recommendation by the committee. (Ord. 1557 § 3 (part), 2010)
14.01.14014.01.1230Enforcement.
A. The Director, chief building official and city attorney and their designees are hereby
authorized to enforce the provisions of this chapter.
B. Time to Correct. Prior to assessment of any penalty or initiation of any prosecution for any
violation of this chapter, the Director shall provide written notice of noncompliance to property
owners. Notice shall be by certified and regular mail. Following mailing of notice, property
owner shall have sixty days to correct the violation or to inform the City why an extension is
warranted. Additional time to correct the violation may be allowed where the property owner is
exercising due diligence in acting to correct noticed violations. The Director shall have the
authority to place reasonable conditions on such an extension. Notwithstanding these
provisions, if the Director or the chief building official determines there is an imminent threat to
a listed or historic or cultural resource, the Director shall notify the property owner of the
imminent threat and property owner shall be required to provide urgent measures deemed
reasonable and necessary to protect the public health and safety and for the protection of the
resource within seventy-two hours of notification.
C. Work Stoppage. In addition to any other fines, penalties or enforcement provisions set forth in
this chapter, failure to comply with an approved application shall constitute grounds for
immediate stoppage of the work involved in the noncompliance until the matter is resolved.
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D. Violation—Penalty. Every property owner and/or responsible party, as defined in this chapter,
who violates provisions of this chapter is subject to penalty as set forth in Chapter 1.12 or
administrative enforcement as set forth under Chapter 1.24 of the Municipal Code. (Ord. 1557 § 3
(part), 2010)
14.01.1501340 Appeals.
Decisions of any City official or body under the provisions of this chapter are appealable in
accordance with the provisions of Chapter 1.20, except that fees for appeals under this chapter
by the property owner concerning the masterLandmark or contributing list propertyLocal
Register Resource in which said owner is residing at the time of appeal shall be waived. (Ord.
1557 § 3 (part), 2010)
14.01.1601450 Severability.
Should any section or other portion of this chapter be determined unlawful, or unenforceable,
or otherwise invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining section(s) and portion(s)
of this chapter shall be considered severable and shall remain in full force and effect. (Ord. 1557
§ 3 (part), 2010)
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San Luis Obispo Historic Context Statement Update Revisions Summary
August 22, 2025
1 of 2
Section Comment
Purpose Acknowledgement of intangible heritage added, as has become standard in historic context
statements.
Historic Resource Surveys Information added about each previously identified historic district as these are not discussed further
in the HCS.
Guidelines for Evaluation Section revised to provide more specific guidance separate from the criteria, which are provided in
appendices. Some guidance which was repeated in each set of evaluation criteria has been moved to
this section to reduce redundancy.
Summary of Contexts and
Themes
Themes have been modified to include discussion of infrastructure development, where relevant, and
to extend into additional time periods not included in the 2013 HCS.
Historical Overview Overview revised to better reflect current scholarship regarding indigenous cultural affiliations, and
the preferred terminology to refer to the earliest residents of the location of the City of San Luis
Obispo.
Reworded to communicate the nature of the mission system and the perpetuation of Native
American peoples and cultures throughout (rather than extinction, the previously prevailing
narrative.)
Early History Section revised to reflect ethnohistorical documentation of the Indigenous peoples of the City of San
Luis Obispo. Discussion of impact of Mission system on Indigenous peoples moved to the Mission
period context. Discussion of Indigenous residents in post-mission period moved to the Mexican Rule
section.
Mid-Late 20th-Century Growth Discussion of the broad development patterns in the city, particularly suburban areas, has been
expanded slightly to include the years up to around 1980.
Discussion of transportation-related developments in the 20th- century has been expanded,
particularly to reflect the growth of personal automobile use and the responding changes in the city’s
transportation infrastructure.
Appendix B The “Architectural Styles” section has been moved to an appendix.
Appendix C The list of “Master List Properties” has been removed. Revised, updated lists of Landmarks and Local
Register Resources can be produced as addenda following adoption of the revised categories
Page 53 of 235
San Luis Obispo Historic Context Statement Update Revisions Summary
August 22, 2025
2 of 2
Section Comment
recommended in the Historic Preservation Ordinance update, and after an audit of designated
resources to include properties added since 2013 and remove those which are non-extant or have
lost integrity.
Throughout document
The context discussion, example images, and historic images have been revised throughout to focus
on the area within the city limits of San Luis Obispo and under the City’s authority. Built environment
examples within Cal Poly campus, and discussion of development across the broader county, have
been reduced where not necessary to provide directly relevant context for the city’s history
Evaluation Criteria and Integrity Considerations have been revised in all sections throughout this
document to reflect revisions to the local criteria in the Historic Preservation Ordinance Update, to
enhance ease of use, and remove redundancy.
The previously separate discussion of ethnic communities has been integrated into the relevant time-
period and thematic sections of the document.
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HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP 12 S. Fair Oaks Avenue, Suite 200 Pasadena, CA 91105-1915 www.historicla.com Revised by PAGE & TURNBULL 170 Maiden Lane, 5th Floor San Francisco, CA 94108 www.page-turnbull.com
City of San Luis Obispo Citywide Historic Context Statement REVISED 2025
Prepared For City of San Luis Obispo 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
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City of San Luis Obispo Citywide Historic Context Statement HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP (2013) REVISED BY PAGE & TURNBULL (2025)
PROJECT SUMMARY The following project summary is applicable to the Historic Context Statement developed by Historic Resources Group in 2013: The September 2013 version of the Citywide Historic Context Statement was prepared at the request of the City of San Luis Obispo, and was funded by a grant through the Certified Local Government (CLG) program. In October 2012, the City contracted with Historic Resources Group for the preparation of the Historic Context Statement. It follows the guidance outlined for the development of historic contexts in the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation, along with National Register Bulletin 16B: How to Complete the National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form. The activity which is the subject of this Historic Context Statement has been financed in part with Federal funds from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, through the California Office of Historic Preservation. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior or the California Office of Historic Preservation, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior or the California Office of Historic Preservation. Regulations of the U.S. Department of the Interior strictly prohibit unlawful discrimination in departmental federally assisted programs on the basis of race, color, sex, age, disability, or national origin. Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operated by a recipient of Federal assistance should write to: Director, Equal Opportunity Program U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service P.O. Box 37127 Washington, D.C. 20013-7127 In 2025, Page & Turnbull prepared an update to the Historic Context Statement at the request of the City of San Luis Obispo. This update includes revised and expanded information on the city’s historic communities and updated approaches and procedures for the evaluation of historic resources.
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City of San Luis Obispo Citywide Historic Context Statement HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP (2013) REVISED BY PAGE & TURNBULL (2025)
TABLE OF CONTENTS Project Summary ....................................................................................................................................................................... i Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................................................... ii Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose ................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Methodology ......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Historic Preservation Policy........................................................................................................................................... 4 Historic Resources Surveys ............................................................................................................................................ 5 Guidelines for Evaluation ..................................................................................................................................................... 8 Historic Context ...................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Summary of Contexts & Themes ................................................................................................................................ 11 Historical Overview ......................................................................................................................................................... 13 Early History ....................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Spanish Colonization and Mission San Luis Obispo (1772-1821)................................................................ 18 Mexican Rule (1822-1846) ........................................................................................................................................... 30 Late 19th Century Americanization & Town Settlement (1846-1900) ....................................................... 34 Early 20th Century Development (1900-1929) ................................................................................................... 67 The Great Depression and World War II (1930-1945) ..................................................................................... 98 Mid-Late 20th Century Growth (1945-1980) ...................................................................................................... 117 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................................................................... 140 Appendix A: Evaluation Criteria ................................................................................................................................... 147 National Register of Historic Places ....................................................................................................................... 147 California Register of Historical Resources ........................................................................................................ 148 Local Designation .......................................................................................................................................................... 149 Integrity ............................................................................................................................................................................. 150 Appendix B: Historic Architectural Styles in San Luis Obispo ......................................................................... 153 Appendix C: Properties Listed in the National Register ..................................................................................... 175
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INTRODUCTION
View of downtown San Luis Obispo . Source: Historic Resources Group (2012). The City of San Luis Obispo received a State of California Certified Local Government (CLG) grant for the period 2012-2013 to prepare a Citywide Historic Context Statement. This project is part of the City of San Luis Obispo’s ongoing efforts to identify and evaluate potential historic resources. The Historic Context Statement was developed by Historic Resources Group, including Founding Principal Christy Johnson McAvoy and Principal Christine Lazzaretto, both of whom meet the Secretary of the Interior's professional standards.1 Assistance with field work, research, and content was provided by Robby Aranguren, Planning Associate, and Heather Goers, Architectural Historian. Coordination of the project was administered by Phil Dunsmore, Senior Planner for the City of San Luis Obispo, and it was overseen by the City’s Cultural Heritage Committee. Marie Nelson and Amanda Blosser at the State Office of Historic Preservation served as advisors. An update of the Historic Context Statement was completed by Page & Turnbull in 2025. Staff responsible for the update included Christina Dikas, Principal; Stacy Kozakavich, Cultural Resources Planner, project manager; and Clare Flynn, Cultural Resources Planner, primary author, all of whom meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards for Architectural History.
1 Federal Register, Vol. 48, No. 190, p. 44738-44739, September 29, 1983.
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City of San Luis Obispo Introduction Citywide Historic Context Statement HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP (2013) REVISED BY PAGE & TURNBULL (2025)
PURPOSE In order to understand the significance of the historic and architectural resources in the City of San Luis Obispo, it is necessary to examine those resources within a series of contexts. The purpose of a historic context statement is to place built resources in the appropriate historic, social, and architectural context, the relationship between an area’s physical environment and its broader history can be established. A historic context statement analyzes the historical development of a community according to guidelines written by the National Park Service and specified in National Register Bulletin 16A: How
to Complete the National Register Registration Form and Nation Register Bulletin 24: Guidelines for
Local Surveys. Bulletin 16A describes a historic context as follows: Historic context is information about historic trends and properties grouped by an important theme in pre-history or history of a community, state, or the nation during a particular period of time. Because historic contexts are organized by theme, place, and time, they link historic properties to important historic trends. In this way, they provide a framework for determining the significance of a property.2 A historic context statement is linked with tangible built resources through the concept of “property type,” which is a grouping of individual properties based on shared physical or associative characteristics.3 This report also considers intangible cultural heritage, which includes traditions or living expressions inherited from ancestors and passed on to descendants, and may be linked to a specific property that is owned or occupied by a cultural community. This historic context is not intended to be a comprehensive history of the City of San Luis Obispo. Rather, its purpose is to highlight trends and patterns critical to the understanding of the built environment. It identifies the various historical factors that shaped the development of the area, including historic activities or events, important people, building types, architectural styles, and materials, and patterns of physical development. The historic context provides a framework for the continuing process of identifying historic, architectural, and cultural resources in the City. It is meant to serve as a guide to enable citizens, planners, and decision-makers to evaluate the relative significance and integrity of individual properties. Specific examples referred to in this context statement are included solely to illustrate physical and associative characteristics of each resource type. Inclusion in the context statement does not imply significance or designation at the local, state, or national level. Exclusion from the context statement does not diminish the significance of any individual resource.
2 National Park Service, “National Register Bulletin 16A: How to Complete the National Register Registration Form,” Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1997. 3 National Park Service, “National Register Bulletin 24: Guidelines for Local Surveys,” Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1977; revised 1985.
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METHODOLOGY The first phase of the project involved collecting and reviewing existing documentation. Several surveys and studies have been conducted in the City of San Luis Obispo which included historic overviews of the City. In particular, the 19th and early 20th centuries have been well documented. These previous studies largely formed the basis for the discussion of these periods in this context statement. Background information in this report on state and national trends that generally influenced the development of San Luis Obispo were borrowed and tailored for this report. Additional research was conducted as needed in City archives housed in the Community Development Department, at the History Center of San Luis Obispo County, and through a literature review of sources documenting the history of the area. This historic context was developed with the assistance of the City’s Cultural Heritage Committee, and included a public outreach component. Progress updates were provided by City staff to the Cultural Heritage Committee throughout the process, providing the opportunity for Committee members to provide direction and feedback. Two public workshops were conducted at critical stages of the project. The first workshop included a discussion of the major periods of development, with attendees providing additional background information, along with property- and neighborhood-specific details related to each period. At the second workshop, members of the community were updated on the progress of the project, and a discussion of eligibility criteria and integrity thresholds was held. Information gathered from the Committee and the public workshops was used in the development of the historic context. A citywide street-by-street reconnaissance survey was undertaken to inform the historic context. Particular attention was given to buildings and neighborhoods from the post-World War II period, as this aspect of the City’s history has not been studied as rigorously as earlier periods. In addition, properties included on the City’s Master List of Historic Resources (individual buildings and historic districts) were reviewed in order to determine the overall integrity thresholds of recognized resources, and to have a better understanding of the population of properties from each period that have already been designated by the City. Properties that are illustrated within this historic context are meant to serve as examples of a particular context, theme, property type, or architectural style; exclusion of a property from the historic context is not an indication that it is not eligible for historic designation. The update to this Historic Context Statement completed in 2025 included review of additional documentary materials to expand and revise the historic contexts, as well as review of updates to City of San Luis Obispo historic preservation code and policy.
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HISTORIC PRESERVATION POLICY This Historic Context Statement is part of ongoing historic preservation efforts in the City of San Luis Obispo. The City of San Luis Obispo has an active historic preservation program, and historic preservation is included throughout City policy. Historic Preservation has been part of City policy since the 1980s, when the City established the first set of Historic Preservation Policies; the policy document was soon followed by a City historic resources survey and the formulation of the first historic districts. In 2010, the City adopted a Historic Preservation Ordinance and updated the Historic Preservation Guidelines in an effort to stimulate preservation and provide design guidance for new development. In 2025, the City revised the Historic Preservation Ordinance, Chapter 14.01 of San Luis Obispo Municipal Code, to reflect current best practices in historic preservation. In 2012, the City of San Luis Obispo became a Certified Local Government (CLG). The CLG program is a preservation partnership between local, state, and national governments focused on promoting historic preservation at the grass roots level. The program is jointly administered by the National Park Service (NPS) and the State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) in each state, with each local community working through a certification process to become recognized as a Certified CLG. CLGs then become active partners in the Federal Historic Preservation Program and the opportunities it provides. The General Plan Conservation and Open Space Element (COSE) was adopted in 2006 (Reso# 9785-2006 series). Chapter 3 of the COSE contains various policies for the preservation of the City’s cultural heritage. To implement these policies, the City Council has adopted several documents that help protect these resources. In addition to the Historic Preservation Guidelines and the Historic Preservation Ordinance discussed above, these documents include:
• Archaeological Resource Preservation Program Guidelines, adopted by Council Resolution No. 10120 (2009 Series) – Updates procedures to be used for the protection of sub-surface cultural resources, both historic and pre-historic features.
• Community Design Guidelines, adopted by Council Resolution No. 9391 (2002 Series) and updated in 2004, 2007, and 2010 – Establishes site and architectural design standards for development projects, including projects involving historic resources and historic districts, and demolitions.
• Demolition and Moving of Buildings – Appendix E of the San Luis Obispo Municipal Code – Establishes procedures and requirements for the relocation or demolition of historic buildings.
• San Luis Obispo Zoning Regulations, Chapter 17.56 San Luis Obispo Municipal Code – Establishes the Historical Preservation Overlay Zone (H) and describes its purposes and application, allowed uses and property development standards.
• Historic Preservation Ordinance, Chapter 14.01 (Ordinance 1557-2010 Series) – established codified regulations for eligibility criteria for historic listings, review procedures and standards for actions on historic properties, and defined actions subject to Cultural Heritage Committee review.
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HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEYS
Lithograph of San Luis Obispo. Source: Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley (1865). There have been several historic resources surveys documenting the cultural and architectural resources of San Luis Obispo. The first occurred in 1982-1983, when the Cultural Heritage Committee completed an architectural and photographic survey that recorded over 2,000 pre-1941 buildings, sites, and objects within the City. This survey is referred to as Historical Resources Survey I. The surveyed properties were located primarily near the central downtown core. The goals of the survey included the preparation of a master inventory of cultural resources and the identification of “parameters for establishing guidelines for preservation issues and themes.”4 Those sites found to be architecturally or culturally significant formed the basis of the City’s Master List of Historic Resources. Additionally, the City established three Historic Zoning Districts: the Downtown Commercial District (now the Downtown Historic District), the Mill Street District, and the Old Town Neighborhood (now the Old Town District). The Downtown Historic District encompasses the oldest part of the City of San Luis Obispo with the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa at its center. Contributing buildings in the district date from the Spanish and Mexican eras to 1930. The Mill Street Historic District is a residential neighborhood that contains buildings constructed primarily from the 1900s to 1920s. The Old Town District contains one of the city’s oldest residential neighborhoods that was built up around the turn of the 20th century and has a period of significance of 1880 to 1920.5 The second study took place in 1987, when the Cultural Heritage Committee initiated Historical
Resources Survey II. For this study, the Committee identified approximately 500 properties that warranted further research, the majority of which were single-family residences located outside of the downtown area. Following preliminary fieldwork, the list was refined to 400 properties, which were evaluated by a qualified historical researcher. The purpose of the evaluation was twofold: 1) to determine the eligibility of approximately 100 properties for inclusion on the City’s Master List of 4 City of San Luis Obispo, “Completion Report: Historic Resources Survey,” July 1983, 9. 5 City of San Luis Obispo, “Historic Preservation Program Guidelines,” November 2010, 34-50.
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Historic Resources and/or nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, and 2) to determine if any of the 400 initial properties were eligible as contributors to potential Historic Zoning Districts. At the time, of the 100 properties evaluated by the first criteria, fourteen properties were deemed eligible for addition to the Master List of Historic Resources. Additionally, one of the properties satisfied the criteria for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. The remaining 300 properties were evaluated for their potential significance as contributors to future Historic Zoning Districts, and the report also recommended that the City establish three additional Historic Zoning Districts: the Little Italy/Railroad District, the Monterey Heights District, and the Mount Pleasanton/Anholm District. In 1987 a Chinatown Historic District and a Railroad District were also identified. The Chinatown Historic District recognizes the important contributions of the Chinese community to San Luis Obispo’s history and development and has a period of significance of 1884 to 1945. The Railroad Historic District contains buildings at the site of the Southern Pacific Railroad railyard, as well as residential and commercial areas to the west which were constructed between 1894 and 1945. In 2006-2007, City staff surveyed two neighborhoods known as East Railroad and Monterey Heights. As a result of that survey effort, twenty-five properties were added to the list of Contributing Historic Resources within the East Railroad area, and seven properties were added to the list of Contributing Historic Resources within Monterey Heights. In 2011, the Cultural Heritage Commission initiated a survey to update the City’s Historic Resources Inventory as directed by the Conservation and Open Space Element of the General Plan. Following a careful evaluation of the most critical areas in the City, the Cultural Heritage Committee selected an area outside of existing historic districts adjacent to Johnson Avenue between Higuera and Buchon Streets. The surveyed properties date from approximately 1900 to 1925 and occupy the block between Higuera and Marsh Streets at Johnson Avenue. As a result of this survey effort, fifty-three properties were added to the City’s list of Contributing Historic Resources.
View of Buchon Street. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
View of Monterey Street. Source: Historic Resources Group (2012).
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Historic Districts Map. Source: Page & Turnbull, based on City of San Luis Obispo data (2025).
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City of San Luis Obispo Guidelines for Evaluation Citywide Historic Context Statement HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP REVISED BY PAGE & TURNBULL
GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATION This Historic Context Statement provides guidance for listing at the federal, state, and local levels, according to the established criteria and integrity thresholds. A property may be designated as historic by National, State, and local authorities. In order for a building to qualify for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historical Resources, or the San Luis Obispo Inventory of Historic Resources, it must meet one or more identified criteria of significance. The significance criteria required by the City of San Luis Obispo’s designation program are described in the Historic Preservation Ordinance, Chapter 14.01 of the San Luis Obispo Municipal Code. Additional guidance is provided by the Historic Preservation
Program Guidelines. The National Register, California Register , and Local Inventory criteria are provided in full in Appendix A. Typically, properties are considered eligible for evaluation for the National Register when they are 50 years old or older. Properties that have achieved significance within the past 50 years must meet be “exceptionally important” as outlined in National Register Criteria Consideration G.6 In order to be eligible for listing at the federal, state, or local levels, a property must also retain sufficient historic integrity to convey its historic significance under the criteria and theme within which it is significant. Historic integrity is the ability of a property to convey its significance and is defined as “the authenticity of a property’s historic identity, evidenced by the survival of physical characteristics that existed during the property’s historic period.”7
Myron Angel House, 714 Buchon Street, 1886-1891. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
Tribune Republic Building, 1763 Santa Barbara Avenue, 1873. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 for its association with the early newspaper business and the railroad industry in San Luis Obispo. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
6 National Park Service, National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, 1997). 7 National Park Service, National Register Bulletin 16A: How to Complete the National Register Registration Form, (, (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, 1997).
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The National Register recognizes seven aspects or qualities that comprise integrity: location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. These aspects of integrity are defined fully in Appendix A. In general, a higher integrity threshold is needed for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; properties that may not retain sufficient integrity for listing in the National Register may be eligible for the California Register of for local designation. In some cases, properties associated with a specific ethnic or cultural group should be evaluated with a lower threshold of integrity, understanding that extant properties are rarer, may have been altered over time to meet the changing needs of the community, and may be associated with intangible cultural heritage. As such, the aspects of integrity that are most important for these properties include location, feeling, and association, and design to a lesser degree. A property may have some alteration to its design but may remain eligible for its association with an ethnic or cultural group so long as the property has enough of its essential physical features to be able to convey its reason for significance. A rule of thumb is that the property would be recognizable to a community member who was familiar with the property during its period of significance. Within each of the contexts and themes discussed in the following sections, a property must meet the following basic requirements for eligibility for designation at the national, state, or local level. An individual property must:
• Be demonstrably significant under at least one criterion;
• Date from the period of significance for the theme within which it is found eligible;
• Represent the property type associated with the theme under which it is significant (e.g. properties significant under the Residential Development theme for a specific period should be residential building types);
• Display most of the significant character-defining features of its type or style it ; and
• Retain the essential aspects of integrity appropriate to its property type and significance. A historic district must:
• Be a definable, unified geographical area that possess a significant concentration, linkage, or continuity of sites, buildings, structures, or objects united historically or aesthetically by plan or physical development;
• Possess a majority (60 percent or more) of the properties or components within the district boundary contribute to the district’s significance.
• Retain overall integrity of design, setting, and feeling to convey the “time and place” of the period of significance. Contributors within the district should retain integrity of location, setting, feeling, and association.
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City of San Luis Obispo Historic Context: Introduction Citywide Historic Context Statement HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP (2013) REVISED BY PAGE & TURNBULL (2025)
HISTORIC CONTEXT The City of San Luis Obispo has a rich and varied history. This historic context provides a broad-brush historical overview of the overarching forces that shaped land use patterns and development of the built environment of the City of San Luis Obispo. It is not meant as a complete historical narrative of the City, but instead provides a framework for the identification and evaluation of historic resources. Much of the history contained here is drawn from existing narratives, particularly of the City’s early development, which has been well documented by previous studies. Within each context is an identification of the relevant themes associated with that context; a description of the associated property types; a discussion of the relevant criteria and integrity considerations; and specific eligibility standards. The overarching goal of the historic context statement is to serve as a planning tool that will assist City staff and officials, residents, and interested stakeholders identify those properties that tell the story of San Luis Obispo and contribute to the architectural, cultural, or social history of the City. San Luis Obispo retains important properties from each significant period of development, from the earliest built resources associated with the establishment of Mission San Luis Obispo, through post-World War II expansion and growth. Properties represent the City’s residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, agricultural, and civic growth throughout history. There are numerous properties that are significant as excellent or rare examples of a particular architectural style, or as the work of a master architect. Properties may be significant under multiple contexts, but only need to meet criteria under one context or theme in order to be eligible for designation.
Mission San Luis Obispo, 751 Palm Street. Source: California Views, The Pat Hathaway Photo Collection (1865).
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City of San Luis Obispo Historic Context: Introduction Citywide Historic Context Statement HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP (2013) REVISED BY PAGE & TURNBULL (2025)
SUMMARY OF CONTEXTS & THEMES For purposes of this historic context, seven broad historical periods in the history of San Luis Obispo are identified:
• Early History
• Spanish Colonization and Mission San Luis Obispo (1772-1821)
• Mexican Rule (1822-1846)
• Late 19th Century Americanization and Town Settlement (1846-1900)
• Early 20th Century Development (1900-1929)
• The Great Depression and World War II (1930-1945)
• Mid-Late 20th Century Growth (1945-1980) Within each broad time period, the following themes are discussed relative to the development of the built environment in San Luis Obispo:
• Residential Development
• Commercial Development
• Civic & Institutional Development
• Agricultural & Industrial Development
• Transportation- and Infrastructure-related Development It should be noted that ethnic and cultural diversity is a major thread that runs through all of these themes. As such, the history and contributions of San Luis Obispo’s diverse communities are discussed throughout this Historic Context Statement as they are inextricably woven into the overall history of the city. This report also considers intangible cultural heritage, which includes traditions or living expressions inherited from ancestors, passed on to descendants, and shared within and between communities. Oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts are examples of intangible cultural heritage.8 Intangible cultural heritage may be linked to a specific property that is owned or occupied by a cultural community, such as community center, social hall, commercial storefront, or religious property, even if the intangible traditions are not all practiced or executed at that physical location.
8 UNESCO, “What is Intangible Cultural Heritage?” accessed November 14, 2024, https://ich.unesco.org/en/what-isintangible- heritage-00003.
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Dallidet Adobe, 1185 Pacific Street. Source: San Luis Obispo County Historical Society (1860).
Postcard of Monterey Street. Source: historyinslocounty.org (1930s).
Carnegie Library, 696 Monterey Street. Source: historyinsanluisobispocounty.org (1905).
Southern Pacific Depot, 1011 Railroad Avenue, built 1943. Source: Historic Resources Group (2012).
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City of San Luis Obispo Historic Context: Historic Overview Citywide Historic Context Statement HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP (2013) REVISED BY PAGE & TURNBULL (2025)
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW San Luis Obispo is located in the Central Coast region of California, approximately 200 miles north of Los Angeles and 230 miles south of San Francisco. The area is naturally bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Santa Lucia mountain range to the north, east, and south. These mountains are also the source of the San Luis Obispo Creek, which runs through the city of San Luis Obispo and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Avila Beach. The creek flows along the Nine Sisters, a chain of volcanic peaks which originates in San Luis Obispo and extends west to the Pacific Ocean. The chain of hills forms the dominant scenic backdrop to nearly all parts of the city. The serpentine ridge that extends southeast from Cerro San Luis Mountain is flanked on the south side by the wetlands of Laguna Lake, much of which is preserved by the City today as a wildlife preserve. The topography of the surrounding mountain ranges forms a natural barrier that generally restricted the development of San Luis Obispo to the flatlands around San Luis Obispo Creek.
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area now known as the City of San Luis Obispo was part of a larger territory long inhabited by the yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini people (hereafter referred to as the tiłhini) whose name refers to the location of the current city and means “The People of the Full Moon.”9 The tiłhini established a network of villages along the region’s creeks and coast. 9 The tiłhini people have been, in the previous edition of this Historic Context Statement and other publications, referred to as the Northern Chumash or Obispeño. The use herein of the name tiłhini recognizes the people’s own linguistic and cultural history. Anthropologists initially applied the term “Chumash” to the people living on Santa Cruz Island, but it is now often used to refer to the
Map of San Luis Obispo County. Source: UCLA, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library (1874).
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The region was not substantially explored by Europeans until the Spanish colonization of Alta California beginning in 1769. In 1772, Father Junipero Serra founded Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa on the banks of the nearby San Luis Obispo Creek. The establishment of the mission system of which this was a part would ultimately have a devastating effect on local indigenous peoples throughout what would become California. Forced relocation and labor, introduced diseases, and intentional suppression of traditional lifeways had far reaching and long-term impacts on San Luis Obispo’s indigenous inhabitants, the tiłhini, and the peoples of neighboring territories. The Mission, however, prospered and soon became self-sufficient, establishing vineyards and orchards and cultivating the surrounding land for agriculture. Due to its isolated location, the mission became a convenient stopover for those traveling between missions to the north and south, and the settlement soon established itself as a regional market center. From the late 1700s through the mid-nineteenth century, Spanish and Mexican ranchos had extended across the county. The California Land Act of 1851 prompted a dramatic shift in the residential development of San Luis Obispo during the mid-19th century. Surrounding ranchos were subdivided into smaller parcels of land, forcing many rural landowners to migrate into the city. In 1850, California was admitted to the Union, and in 1868 San Luis Obispo was officially designated as the county seat. From before the days of mission settlement, the development of San Luis Obispo has been intimately connected with the surrounding landscape. The region’s topography and waterways shaped the land use patterns of the tiłhini, which in turn influenced the locations of Spanish settlements. The first European settlements in the area were located near the San Luis Obispo Creek, whose tributaries provided a framework for the town’s early housing and gardens. The surrounding landscape was largely dedicated to agricultural pursuits, including crops and vineyards cultivated by the mission and later by the adjacent ranchos. Construction materials for early mission buildings and residences, including thatch, wood, and adobe bricks, all originated from local sources. As the community surrounding the mission grew, the demand for construction materials increased and the variety of materials expanded in kind. While the development of San Luis Obispo’s first commercial brickyard in the late 1800s replaced the earlier use of adobe bricks, quarries were developed in the surrounding areas to mine quartz, sandstone, and other rock for commercial construction. Agricultural activities in the surrounding landscape also evolved in the late 1800s. Vineyards, once abandoned following the secularization of the mission, were revived and a significant regional winemaking industry subsequently flourished. Following a major drought in 1862-1864, cultivation of the surrounding land shifted from cash crops to cattle, and a booming regional dairy industry was soon established. San Luis Obispo continued to grow throughout the second half of the 19th century as improvements in transportation increased access to the isolated area and created a direct connection to the coastal maritime industries. Stagecoach routes were first introduced in the 1860s and railroad lines were extended throughout entire linguistic and ethnic group of societies that occupied the coast between San Luis Obispo and northwestern Los Angeles County, including the Santa Barbara Channel Islands, and inland to the western edge of the San Joaquin Valley. For more information see Wendy M. Nettles, “The Copelands Project: Neophytes, Shopkeepers, and the Soiled Doves of San Luis Obispo,” City of San Luis Obispo, Community Development Department, October 2006; YTT Northern Chumash Tribe, “yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Lifeways,” accessed October 10, 2024, https://yttnorthernchumashtribe.com/lifeways; Randall Milliken and John R. Johnson, An Ethnogeography of Salinan and Northern Chumash Communities – 1769 to 1810, (Davis: Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc., March 2005); and John R. Johnson, Descendants of Native Rancherías in the Diablo Lands Vicinity: A Northern Chumash Ethnohistorical Study (Santa Barbara: Prepared for the PG&E Diablo Canyon Power Plant, September 2020).
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the 1890s, allowing the area to serve as a regional hub for both trade and tourism. With the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in the late 1890s the town and the local environs expanded into a burgeoning county. In the early 20th century San Luis Obispo served as a center of trade and travel in central California with the arrival of the railroad, the development of the Union Oil of California’s (Unocal) oil fields, and the tremendous agricultural and dairy industries. In 1901, the California Polytechnic Institute (Cal Poly) was established in San Luis Obispo. The presence of Cal Poly, its focus on vocational and agricultural training, and its growing influence on the community significantly impacted the development of San Luis Obispo throughout the 20th century. Another significant influence on the central coast was William Randolph Hearst and his San Simeon Ranch, commonly referred to as Hearst Castle. The development of these two conspicuous landmarks, in addition to the historic Mission San Luis Obispo, served to stimulate the regional economy and influenced the growth in and around San Luis Obispo. In the 20th century, the advent of the automobile made it possible to expand development in San Luis Obispo beyond the central city. City services, utilities, and roads were also expanded and improved during this period to meet the needs of the growing city. Tourism, and in particular automobile tourism, continued to play a role in the area’s development in the 20th century. While the economy slowed nationwide during the 1930s due to the Great Depression, the economic effects on San Luis Obispo were mitigated by the establishment of Camp San Luis Obispo, a military training camp. The creation of the camp caused a sudden and dramatic increase in population in the area, which influenced the development of San Luis Obispo throughout the mid-century. As training activity increased in preparation for World War II, more soldiers and their families moved to the area, and many returned after the war to settle permanently. San Luis Obispo evolved dramatically in response to the sudden and significant postwar demand for single-family housing in the 1950s and 1960s. Annexations expanded the city’s boundaries and large residential subdivisions were constructed outside the city center.
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City of San Luis Obispo Historic Context: Historic Overview Citywide Historic Context Statement HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP (2013) REVISED BY PAGE & TURNBULL (2025)
Map indicating subdivisions recorded in San Luis Obispo from 19th century to 1965. Source: San Luis Obispo GIS data.
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City of San Luis Obispo Historic Context: Early History Citywide Historic Context Statement HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP (2013) REVISED BY PAGE & TURNBULL (2025)
EARLY HISTORY The earliest residents of what is now known as San Luis Obispo were the tiłhini, who have lived in this area for thousands of years and whose traditional territory extends from the Pacific coast to the Coast Ranges between, approximately, the Santa Maria River and Point Estero.10 The mild climate and abundant resources led to one of the most densely populated areas in California’s pre-history. More than 20,000 people are estimated to have lived along and near this part of the California central coastline prior to European settlement of the area, residing in both coastal and inland villages. Descendants of the tiłhini who were residents at the time of Spanish settlement continue to live in San Luis Obispo.
Early History: Associated Property Types, Integrity Considerations & Eligibility
Standards There are no known built resources associated with the tiłhini population of what is now San Luis Obispo prior to settlement by European colonists. However, the channel of San Luis Obispo Creek and its tributaries were significant resources for the area’s inhabitants throughout human history, and are of historical and cultural significance to the tiłhini. Buried deposits and artifacts discovered from this period are likely to yield information about the past lifeways and culture of the tiłhini. Archaeological and ethnohistorical frameworks for identifying, evaluating, and interpreting the sites and cultural materials of earlier populations are not included in this context statement, which focuses on the identification and evaluation of extant built environment and landscape resources. The exclusion of these approaches to learning about San Luis Obispo’s past from this context statement should not be understood to diminish the significance of their contributions to our understanding of the city’s history. Interested readers are encouraged to consult the City of San Luis Obispo’s Archaeological Resource Preservation Program Guidelines for more information about the City’s policies and practices for the appropriate treatments and mitigation under CEQA for archaeological resources.
10 M. Colleen Hamilton, Kholood Abdo and Keith Warren, From Mission to Commercial District: Archaeological Excavations at CA-SLO-
1419H, San Luis Obispo, California (San Luis Obispo: Prepared by Applied EarthWorks, Inc. for Copeland Properties, December 2017). YTT Northern Chumash Tribe, “yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Lifeways,” Nettles, “The Copelands Project.”
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SPANISH COLONIZATION AND MISSION SAN LUIS OBISPO (1772-1821)
Lithograph of Mission San Luis Obispo. Source: San Luis Obispo County Historic Lithographs Collection, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (1883). Spain was the first European nation to achieve a foothold in present-day California. Spanish explorers came to California in the early sixteenth century, and as early as 1542 entered the bay of San Luis Obispo. In 1697, the Order of Jesus, the Jesuits, was given a license to enter the peninsula of Lower California and establish missions for the conversion of the Indians to the Catholic faith. They were given ecclesiastic, military, and civil authority, and for seventy years the Jesuits were undisturbed in their labors of founding missions. In 1767, Charles the Third of Spain, grown jealous of the political power of the Jesuits, determined to supplant them, and in April, 1767, issued a decree ordering their expulsion from all parts of his dominions.11 From that point, the Order of Dominicans was to have charge of the Lower California missions, and the Franciscans were to establish missions in Alta California. In 1769, King Charles III formally authorized the Franciscan missionaries to begin the settlement of Alta California, naming Don Gaspar de Portola as emissary, assisted by Father Junipero Serra.12 The Spanish typically sent small groups of soldiers and clergy to settle new areas, establish missions to convert the indigenous people to Catholicism, and teach them agriculture and animal husbandry. In theory, the missions were mandated to occupy and make the land fruitful for the benefit of the 11 Annie L. Morrison and John H. Haydon, History of San Luis Obispo County and Environs, California, with Biographical Sketches of the
Leading Men and Women of the County and Environs Who Have Been Identified with the Growth and Development of the Section from the
Early Days to the Present History, (Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1917), 24. 12 Myron Angel, History of San Luis Obispo County with Illustrations, (Oakland, CA: Thompson & West, 1883). Reprinted by Fresno Valley Publishers, 1979, 19.
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Native Californians, but in reality the proliferation of the missions intentionally and violently disrupted the traditional way of life of California’s original inhabitants.13 By design, the Spanish settlements were intended to have three components: a mission to serve as a religious and cultural center, from which to Christianize native peoples; a military presidio; and a commercial pueblo. In reality, few of the settlements developed a fully functional pueblo, particularly those in present-day Northern California, in large part because Spain forbade trade with foreign powers, undercutting the potential for commerce.14 The architectural style of the missions was developed by Serra and the other Franciscan missionaries, who drew on the architectural traditions of Old Spain. California’s climate, geography, and available resources also impacted material and aesthetic choices. General characteristics include a picturesque composition, frank expression of functional elements, large expanses of blank walls marked by ornamentation at a few crucial points such as around openings, and a prominent tower and dome. There were ultimately twenty-one missions established in California: the first was Mission San Diego in 1769, and the last was Mission San Francisco Solana in Sonoma in 1823. The missions were linked by El Camino Real (“The Royal Road” or “The King’s Highway”) which spanned the 600 miles from San Diego to Sonoma. In order to survive, the missions relied on each other for resources and supplies, and therefore they were typically located about thirty miles apart, or one day’s journey on horseback. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was founded on September 1, 1772.15 The mission was originally established near Arroyo de la Huerta Viejo 16 (later Brizzolara or Stenner Creek), which flows into San Luis Obispo Creek (near present day Dana Street), and initially consisted of a few shelters made of brush. By 1776, the Mission was relocated to its present-day site due to repeated flooding. The Mission was constructed in the traditional plaza configuration, enclosed to the outside world. The church and other related buildings were originally made of adobe, tulle, and logs, making them susceptible to fires. In 1776, the Mission suffered the first of three devastating fires that were attributed to outside attacks. The first fire destroyed nearly the entire Mission complex, with only the church building and granary escaping damage. The repeated assaults led to experimentation with clay roof tiles that were widely employed in traditional Spanish architecture. Mission San Luis Obispo was the first Mission to employ tile roofing, which could be made on site. The improved roof material proved so successful that soon all of the California missions followed suit.17 In 1793, the church and convento wing, where priests resided, was constructed of adobe bricks made on site by the local tiłhini people. The convento wing also featured a portico with eleven columns,
13 Dorothy Krell, The California Missions (Menlo Park, CA: Sunset Books, 1979), 35. 14 San Francisco Planning Department, City Within a City: Historic Context Statement for San Francisco’s Mission District, (San Francisco, November 2007). 15 Mission San Luis Obispo was the fifth mission chronologically in the chain of 21 missions in the state. 16 Arroyo de la Huerta Viejo refers to the “Old Garden” which was located in near what is now the 700 block of Broad Street; Broad Street was originally known as Garden Street. 17 George Wharton James, The Old Franciscan Missions of California. Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Company, 1919, 119.
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depicting the twelve Apostles minus Judas. By 1800, additional buildings had been constructed to provide housing, storage facilities, and a water-powered mill.
Plot Plan Mission San Luis Obispo. Source: Historic American Buildings Survey (1936). By 1794, the church and most of the related buildings were completed. In 1810, the Mexican War for Independence broke out, leaving the missions with little funding from Spain to aid in their development. However, by that time, all of the California missions were virtually self-sufficient, and the Mission San Luis Obispo in particular had become prosperous enough to not only support itself but to fund additional expansions as well. Between 1810 and 1820, the Mission site grew to include cabins, mill wheels, and a granary. The quadrangle was also completed and the portico on the convento wing was renovated, changing the shape of the adobe columns from their original square profile to a round column. In 1820, the Mission’s bells were installed. Mission San Luis Obispo’s combination of belfry and vestibule is unique among California missions.
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Images reflecting the changes in appearance of Mission San Luis Obispo over time. Source: Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley (Left c. 1880; Right c. 1909). Mission San Luis Obispo flourished from the beginning, and it became one of the most industrious and prosperous of all the missions.18 In 1774 and 1776, expeditions led by Juan Bautista de Anza came through San Luis Obispo, en route to establishing a land route from Sonora, Mexico to Monterey. The explorers were welcomed at the Mission, and reported the fertile lands and pretty fields in the region. The area surrounding the Mission grew and flourished during this period as well. Orchards and vineyards were established, and the land cultivated for agriculture. Other adobe structures were constructed, and by 1805 there were approximately forty residential structures and a hospital in San Luis Obispo.19 The Mission also included a cemetery, which has had three locations in its history. The original cemetery was located immediately outside the Mission quadrangle. The second location fronted Higuera Street, at the end of Carmel and Pacific Streets, and was active after 1860. In 1877, the city passed a law prohibiting burials inside the city limits, and the current Mission Cemetery at Bridge Street and Higuera Street opened that same year. The establishment of Mission San Luis Obispo had a destabilizing effect on the local tiłhini population. The development of agriculture and growth of livestock grazing in the area devastated the supply of acorns, seeds, and other plants foods that were a foundational part of the tiłhian people’s subsistence and made it increasingly difficult for the tiłhini to maintain their traditional ways of life. Faced with introduced diseases, land loss, starvation, and the disruption of their leadership systems, craft guilds, religions institutions, and family relationships, many tiłhini individuals eventually entered the mission system, although others fled and became refugees living with other tribes. In 1803, the viceroy of New Spain decreed that converted Native Americans could no longer live in villages and must move into the missions, resulting in a period of heavy recruitment of the tiłhini into the missions until 1805. 20 In 1803, the indigenous population at Mission San Luis Obispo (consisting of tiłhini as well as Salinan and Yokuts people who were brought to the Mission) reached its peak of 919; by 1804 18 W.W. Robinson, The Story of San Luis Obispo County (Los Angeles: Title Insurance and Trust Company, 1957), 8. 19 Paul Tritenbach, San Luis Obispo Discoveries, (San Luis Obispo: Excellence Press, 1989), 12. 20 Deana Dartt-Newton and Jon M. Erlandson, “Little Choice for the Chumash: Colonialism, Cattle, and Coercion in Mission Period California,” American Indian Quarterly 30, no. 3-4, Special Issue: Decolonizing Archaeology (Summer-Autumn, 2006): 416-430.
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most of the nearby villages had been abandoned and the tiłhini that remained in the area were living at the Mission or one of its outposts.21 At the missions, indigenous people were often forced to work as enslaved laborers and experienced physical, emotional, gendered violence, and forced assimilation.22 Throughout the period of its construction and operation, tiłhini labor and knowledge shaped the mission’s buildings and landscape. As evidenced by recent reports investigating water conveyance features at the Mission San Luis Obispo, the site’s indigenous residents continued traditional practices and approaches to land use while building and residing within the mission.23
21 Nettles, “The Copelands Project,” 53. 22 Sarah Biscarra, ytt Northern Chumash PhD Candidate, "Diablo Ancestral Canyon Homelands Back," YouTube, accessed December 2, 2024, https://yttnorthernchumashtribe.com/lifeways. 23 For example, see Rebecca Allen, Mark Rawson, and Paul D. Zimmer, “Water and Infrastructure as Resources for Native Californians within the Mission Landscape at San Luis Obispo,” Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, Volume 38, No. 1, 2018.
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Mission-Era Institutional Development The establishment of the Mission had a profound effect on the development of San Luis Obispo and the surrounding region. The missions were self-sufficient communities, and each included a church, residences, and support facilities. San Luis Obispo was first planned on a Spanish Grid according to the Laws of the Indies, which were the body of laws and regulations issued by Spain for the governance of its colonies outside Europe. The laws were intended to guide the creation of new communities established by Spanish settlers and missionaries and contained highly detailed regulations on the location, configuration, and construction of settlements. The regulations were based on classical principles of architecture and planning and called for a plan featuring a central plaza surrounded by a rectilinear grid of streets oriented to the prevailing winds. As a result, communities constructed according to the laws are frequently situated on a diagonal orientation rather than a true north-south orientation. In San Luis Obispo, the community was first planned around the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, which served as the town's central plaza, and surrounding streets were constructed on an angle. Although the city center has expanded over time and later development conforms to a rectilinear street grid, the historic core retains its original plan and reflects the influence of these early principles.
San Luis Obispo Street Grid. Source: Adrianna Jordan, The Historical Influence of the Railroads on Urban Development and Future Economic Potential in San Luis Obispo, online version p.33. In the 1820s, the Mission’s prosperity began to decline and the buildings began to fall into disrepair, aided by heavy rains and insufficient funding and manpower to rebuild. An earthquake in 1830 also caused substantial damage. The front of the Mission Church had to be taken down for fear of collapse, and by 1832 the belfry had already been demolished by rains and had to be reconstructed (this time, of masonry). The decay of the Mission was further compounded by the takeover of the Mission by the Mexican government after the Secularization Act in 1834, which rendered all mission lands property
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of Mexico and subject to disposition. Mission lands were often sold; if not, they were used for any purpose deemed necessary by the Mexican government. The San Luis Obispo Mission’s convento wing served for a time as a school, as well as a jail and the first county courthouse.
Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: It is unlikely that any previously unrecorded extant institutional structure or portion of a structure directly associated with the Mission will be discovered. Remnant structures, landscape or hardscape features such as retaining walls, and other infrastructure that was constructed as part of the Mission should also be considered and evaluated under this theme. Period of Significance: 1772-1821 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events)24
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
Associated with Mission San Luis Obispo Due to their rarity, any extant property or feature would be considered significant under Criterion 1, regardless of integrity.
24 The criteria for eligibility in each section are expressed as the alphanumeric codes for the National Register (letter)/California Register
(number)/Local Inventory (number).
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Extant Examples: Mission-Era Institutional Development
Mission San Luis Obispo, Palm Street, built 1812. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source Historic Resources Group (2012).
Mission San Luis Obispo Detail Views Source City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
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City of San Luis Obispo Historic Context: Spanish Colonization/Mission Era Citywide Historic Context Statement HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP (2013) REVISED BY PAGE & TURNBULL (2025)
Mission-Era Residential Development The Mission and surrounding settlement was the first populated area in San Luis Obispo County.25 Residential properties from this period are primarily of adobe construction were built by local indigenous people. In 1991, the Getty Conservation Institute compiled a list of approximately 350 extant adobes, out of more than 2,000 that were estimated to have been constructed in California.26 In the ensuing thirty years, which include the Northridge Earthquake in 1994, additional adobe structures have been lost. Most adobe structures in the Southwest have been abandoned, and only those that have had continuous care have survived. Many of the surviving adobes are in ruins, or heavily altered, and therefore do not retain their authenticity or historic integrity. San Luis Obispo has a collection of extant adobes dating from the mission era through the late 19th century.
Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Single-family residences, multi-family residences Period of Significance: 1772-1821 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), B/2/2 (Persons), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Integrity Considerations
• Properties from this period are extremely rare and represent the earliest European settlement in San Luis Obispo. Therefore, a greater degree of alteration is acceptable and extant examples which have been substantially altered would likely retain eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register, and Local Inventory.
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events) • As a rare example of residential development associated with the Mission era
• As a rare representation of the earliest European settlement in San Luis Obispo
Residential properties from this period eligible under Criterion A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of location, design,
feeling, and association.
25 City of San Luis Obispo, “Completion Report: Historic Resources Survey,” July 1983, 16. 26 Steade R. Craigo, “To Do No Harm: Conserving, Preserving, and Maintaining Historic Adobe Structures.” Getty Conservation Institute, accessed December 2, 2024, http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/pdf_publications/pdf/gsap_part2d.pdf.
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Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
B/2/2 (Persons)
• As a rare extant property that has a documented association with an individual from the Spanish settlement era, such as a Franciscan priest or Spanish official. Since this property type is extremely rare, any property associated with such a person will likely be the only local representation of the person’s influence or achievements.
A residential property significant under Criterion B/2/2 (Persons) should retain integrity of design,
feeling, and association in order to convey the historic association with a significant person.
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As a rare remaining example of adobe construction from the period; any remaining examples from this period would likely be individually significant as an example of this theme due to the rarity of type
Residential properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, materials,
workmanship, feeling, and
association. In general, the adobe walls should remain largely intact, and the residence should retain the majority of the character-defining features associated with an adobe structure of its age. Alterations that are consistent with upgrades typically seen in early adobe structures, including later wood frame additions and replacement windows within original window openings, are acceptable. It is expected that the setting will have been compromised by later development.
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Extant Examples: Mission-Era Residential Development
Mancilla/Freitas Adobe, 868 Chorro Street, built c. 1800-1850. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2014).
La Loma Adobe, 1590 Lizzie Street, built c. 1780. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: San Luis Obispo Tribune (2011).
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Sauer-Adams Adobe, 964 Chorro Street, built c. 1800; second story added 1860. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
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City of San Luis Obispo Historic Context: Mexican Rule Citywide Historic Context Statement HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP (2013) REVISED BY PAGE & TURNBULL (2025)
MEXICAN RULE (1822-1846) After a long struggle, Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, and California land that had been vested in the name of the King of Spain belonged to Mexico. The power of the priests and the vast wealth of the missions were coveted by the new government, so steps were immediately taken to supersede ecclesiastical power with secular authority. In 1824 and 1826, the Mexican government passed laws suspending the pay of the priests and releasing all Native Americans from slavery. This act was premature, as the new government was not equipped to handle the aftermath and the existence of established settlements was threatened. The law was quickly repealed, and many of the Native peoples were induced to return to the missions. In the 1830s, there was renewed pressure on the Mexican government to secularize the missions. In 1833, the Mexican Congress passed the Act for the Secularization of the Missions of California, and in 1834 the governor issued orders for its enforcement which would take effect in 1835. This act sought to do away with the supreme power of the priests, to release the lands held by the missions for settlement, and to put the missions on the same footing as the parish churches. As a result, between 1834 and 1836 control of the California missions was transferred away from the Church. Lay administrators, along with appointed parish priests, ran Mission San Luis Obispo from 1835-1845. In 1846, the Mission was sold to Petronillo Rios, ending the Franciscan era. The secularization act specified that: To each head of a family and all who were more than twenty years old, though without families, a plot of ground not more than three hundred yards square nor less than one hundred yards square was to be given from the mission lands. Sufficient land in common was to be set aside for watering the cattle. Villages with roads were to be established and corporation lands designated. Half of the movable property of the missions was to be distributed to the Native Americans, and one-half of the seeds and roots and one-half of all implements indispensable for agriculture. The other half of all property mentioned was to be in the care of an agent, or steward, named by the supreme government, and from the common mass of property, the expenses of missionary work, the stewards, churches, schools, cleanliness and health were to be met.27 In the 1830s and 1840s, California governors granted lands for ranchos throughout San Luis Obispo County, as it was determined that vast mission lands were no longer needed for ranching and agricultural purposes. Without their consent, the traditional lands of California’s indigenous peoples were divided and distributed to private owners. The land and villages around Diablo Canyon, for instance, became the Rancheros Pecho y Islay and San Miguelito. By this time, the indigenous population had decreased to 170 living at the mission.28 While some stayed at the mission, others established small villages on or near the rancho land grants.29
27 Morrison and Haydon, History of San Luis Obispo County and Environs, 35. 28 Nettles, “The Copelands Project,” 54. 29 Chester King, "The Names and Locations of Historic Chumash Villages," The Journal of California Anthropology 2, no. 2 (1975), 172.
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City of San Luis Obispo Historic Context: Mexican Rule Citywide Historic Context Statement HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP (2013) REVISED BY PAGE & TURNBULL (2025)
The vast Mexican land grants were typically given to wealthy families or military officers as a reward for their service to the Mexican government. However, the conveyance of land from the Mexican government was a complicated process that took years to formalize. The era of Mexican governance proved to be a short transitional phase lasting less than a generation between the earlier Spanish mission period and the American settlement period that followed. During the era of Mexican rule, there were approximately thirty ranchos within San Luis Obispo County. Several of the owners of surrounding ranchos played significant roles in the development of the City of San Luis Obispo. Miguel Avila was granted Rancho San Miguelito in 1842, and served as one of San Luis Obispo’s earliest alcaldes, or municipal magistrates, in 1849. The ranch land extended to Avila Beach, which now bears his name. William Goodwin Dana was a former Yankee sea captain who became one of the first settlers of San Luis Obispo outside the mission. He became a Mexican citizen in order to marry into a prominent Mexican family and was subsequently granted the deed to Rancho Nipomo in the 1830s. Many of Dana’s thirteen children went on to become prominent members of San Luis Obispo society. Joaquin Estrada received the grant to Rancho Santa Margarita in 1841 and went on to be elected to San Luis Obispo County’s first Board of Supervisors in 1852, later serving as County Treasurer.
Mexican-Era Residential Development Residential development from this period will largely be associated with the Mexican ranchos. Residential properties from this period are extremely rare. Due to the relatively narrow time frame, it is not anticipated that there will be a significant number of extant resources associated with the era of Mexican rule.
Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Residential development during this period largely followed patterns established during the Mission era, and therefore it is anticipated that resources from this period will largely consist of single-family properties constructed of adobe and simple, wood-frame structures. Period of Significance: 1822-1846 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), B/2/2 (Persons), C/3/3 (Architecture) Integrity Considerations
• Properties from this period are rare and represent some of the earliest development in San Luis Obispo; therefore, a greater degree of alteration may be acceptable.
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Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• As a rare extant representation of the early settlement of the region
• For a specific association with the development of a Mexican rancho
Residential properties from this period eligible under Criterion A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of location, design,
feeling, and association.
B/2/2 (Persons)
• For its association with the life of a significant early resident. A residential property significant under Criterion B/2/2 (Persons) should retain integrity of design,
feeling, and association in order to convey the historic association with a significant person.
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As a rare remaining example of adobe construction or an early wood frame structure
• Any remaining examples from this period would likely be individually significant as an example of this theme.
A residential property significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, materials,
workmanship, feeling, and
association. Any remaining examples of adobe construction from this period with fair integrity would likely be eligible. In general, the adobe walls should remain largely intact and the residence should retain the majority of the character-defining features associated with an adobe structure of its age. Alterations that are consistent with upgrades typically seen in early adobe structures, including later additions constructed with wood framing and replacement windows within original window openings, are acceptable. It is expected that the setting will have been compromised by later development.
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Extant Examples: Mexican-Era Residential Development
Andrews Adobe, 1451 Andrews Street, built c. 1830. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: San Luis Obispo County Regional Photograph Collection, Cal Poly Special Collections (c. 1890-1906).
Detail of Andrews Adobe, 1451 Andrews Street. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
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City of San Luis Obispo Historic Context: Late 19th Century Citywide Historic Context Statement HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP (2013) REVISED BY PAGE & TURNBULL (2025)
LATE 19TH CENTURY AMERICANIZATION & TOWN SETTLEMENT (1846-1900)
Bird’s Eye View of San Luis Obispo, by Eli Sheldon Glover. Source: California State Library (1877). The Mexican-American War took place between 1846 and 1848. In the years preceding the war, the United States, fueled by new technological breakthroughs and inspired by the concept of "manifest destiny," confidently expanded its territories westward. A border skirmish along the Rio Grande in the wake of the U.S. annexation of Texas started the fighting, which was quickly followed by a series of U.S. victories. Fighting continued until September of 1847; the war ended in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. As a result of the Treaty, Mexico ceded nearly half of its territory to the United States, including resource-rich California, while promising that existing Mexican land divisions, including the ranchos, would be respected. In 1850, the California territory became a state. That same year, the County of San Luis Obispo was established as one of the State’s original 27 counties, with a population of 300 people.30 The village of San Luis Obispo remained small. According to the account of a man named S. A. Pollard in the San
Luis Obispo Morning Tribune in 1852, San Luis Obispo’s population consisted of “about a dozen white men, half of them Americans, and several hundred Indians” who had been living at the mission.31 The mission’s indigenous population—most of whom lived in the area where the city’s Chinatown later developed—was decimated by diseases brought by the Spanish, European, and American immigrants. Pollard’s account described an incident in which a man from Texas died of cholera shortly after arriving in town, but not before passing the disease on to the tiłhini population. Pollard described the devastating effects on the tiłhini: “[The disease] was a veritable 'scourge.’ [The tiłhini ] went down before it like chaff before the wind. Some 60 or 70 at least died here and the rest scattered 30 Robinson, The Story of San Luis Obispo County. 31 “In 1852," San Luis Obispo Morning Tribune, 31 August 1892.
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like a flock of quail. What became of them I don't know. They had been very numerous about here and about the different ranches but after the cholera came, there was hardly any comparatively and never have been since."32 While 168 Native people were counted as living in San Luis Obispo County in the 1860 federal census (approximately eight percent of the county’s population), by 1890, the number had dropped to 47, just 0.3 percent of the county’s population.33 Although a few Native Americans were able to rise through the new social and economic system to become independent farmers, according to the 1860 census, most worked as housekeepers, servants, or laborers, mostly in the region’s burgeoning agricultural industry. Though their ancestors had lived on the same land for generations, the tiłhini were treated like immigrants. Their treatment set the precedent for the ill treatment of other immigrants who arrived in the San Luis Obispo area over the following decades.34 In 1868, San Luis Obispo was confirmed as the County seat. The City’s population at that time was 600 residents living within one square mile of the town center.35 The City of San Luis Obispo was incorporated in 1876.In 1851, Congress passed the California Land Act, which created a three-member commission charged with reviewing all land claims and settling disputes of land ownership between settlers and Mexican landowners, many of whom had been gifted parcels of land by the Spanish and Mexican governments. Unless landowners could present evidence supporting their claim to the land within two years, the property would automatically pass into the public domain. However, making a claim for land was an expensive and lengthy process which most Mexican landowners could ill afford. Hampered by the vague and informal systems of record-keeping used in the past, many Mexican landowners were bankrupted by the legal process or compelled to cede the land to their attorney as payment for services rendered in fighting the land claim. The implementation of the Land Act served as one of the catalysts for a “fracturing of rural lands into smaller parcels and the increase of rural in-migration into the City of San Luis Obispo.”36 Mission San Luis Obispo was claimed by John Wilson by right of purchase, but Bishop Joseph Alemany petitioned the government to return approximately 52.72 acres of former mission land to the Church. In 1855, the United States Land Commission upheld the Church’s claim, and the Church re-established ownership of the remaining buildings, cemeteries, and gardens associated with the Mission.37 All other acreage previously farmed by the Mission was divided into ranchos, none of which are located within the present City boundary. In 1874, the portion of Mission lands south of the creek was laid out in town lots and sold. This change in ownership marked a period of dramatic transformation for the Mission, and renovation efforts began in 1872 to repair and “modernize” the Mission buildings. Due to extensive earthquake damage, however, the Church’s portico and belfry could not be saved. The colonnade marking the convento wing was also demolished, and both the convento wing and the church were clad in wooden clapboard siding. A new “New England” style belfry was also added and parts of the tile roof were covered in shingles. In 1893, the Church was enlarged with an annex situated north of the Nave and constructed of concrete and brick. 32 "In 1852,” San Luis Obispo Morning Tribune, 31 August 1892. 33 United States Department of the Interior, The Seventh Census of the United States: 1850 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1864). 34 Douglas P. Jenzen, Growing Conflict: Agriculture, Innovation, and Immigration in San Luis Obispo County, 1837–1937 (Master’s thesis, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 2011), 57-58. 35 City of San Luis Obispo, “Completion Report: Historic Resources Survey,” July 1983, 18. 36 City of San Luis Obispo, “Draft Historical and Architectural Conservation Element,” n.d., 11. 37 Robinson, The Story of San Luis Obispo County, 8.
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Agricultural development during this period was centered around activity on the ranchos. The prosperous ranchos began to decline in the 1850s as a result of the Land Act; this decline continued into the 1860s when the region suffered a severe drought that lasted from 1862 to 1864. Many of the cattle ranches were forced to sell land and stock as a result of the drought, and the primary agricultural activity began to shift to dairy farming. At the same time, the many of the land grant families were forced to sell their land to European-American entrepreneurs who saw opportunity in the region during this period. As a result, by the late 1860s the population of San Luis Obispo expanded and housing demand outweighed supply.38 The total population of San Luis Obispo in 1870 consisted of 1,579 people, 1,500 of whom were white (95 percent). The remaining five percent included four Black, 15 Chinese, and 60 Native American people.39 To meet the increased demand for housing, additional tracts of land were purchased and improved, and new subdivisions became part of the City. By the early 1880s, there were approximately 3,000 people living within the City limits.40 By this time, gas and water works had been installed and a fire company organized, and several bonds had been issued to erect town buildings. Institutional development during this period included the establishment of the first newspapers in the region, including The Pioneer of San Luis Obispo. The editor and owner was Rome G. Vickars, and its first issue was January 4, 1868. The Pioneer was a Democratic paper, so the Republicans founded the rival San Luis Obispo Tribune in 1869 under the ownership of H. S. Rembaugh & Company. In 1880, publisher H.H. Doyle debuted The Mirror from offices on Court Street between Higuera and Monterey Streets, which were later used by The Breeze Publishing Company. The Telegram was first published in 1905. As in other regions of the state, the first Chinese people to arrive in San Luis Obispo came in search of gold during the Gold Rush and to escape poverty in their homeland.41 The construction of the Pacific Coast Railroad’s narrow gauge railroad from Port Harford to San Luis Obispo brought more to the region in the 1870s. Most of the Chinese workers who built the railroads in San Luis Obispo were recruited by Ah Louis (given name Wong On), an early San Luis Obispo businessman and civic leader in the Chinese community, who had arrived in California in the 1860s in search of gold and worked for John Harford. For the Pacific Coast Railroad, Louis recruited 160 Chinese Americans who traveled from San Francisco via schooner.42 These workers blasted tunnels through the Cuesta Grade mountain pass in the Santa Lucia Mountains and helped build wharves at Port San Luis. Ah Louis used the profits from his recruitment work to develop San Luis Obispo’s Chinatown, which was located on the site of former Mission-era Native American dormitories along Palm Street between Chorro and Moro streets, and became the heart of the local Chinese community.43 Many of the railroad workers settled in San Luis Obispo’s growing Chinatown neighborhood. Louis’ store at 800 Palm Street was not just a commercial business but the Louis family’s residence and community gathering space 38 Nettles, “The Copelands Project,” 55. 39 United States Department of the Interior, Ninth Census – Volume I, The Statistics of the Population of the United States (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1872). 40 Angel, History of San Luis Obispo County. 41 Jenzen, Growing Conflict, 60. 42 Emily Pan, “A Timeline of the Chinese Population in San Luis Obispo,” Central Coast Asian American History, January 3, 2021, https://www.centralcoastasianhistory.org/post/a-timeline-of-the-chinese-population-in-san-luis-obispo. 43 Colin Rigley, “The Long, Storied History of San Luis Obispo’s Historic Chinatown and the Artifacts Left Behind,” San Luis Obispo New
Times, 1 October 2014, https://www.newtimesslo.com/news/the-long-storied-history-of-san-luis-obispos-historic-chinatown-and-the-artifacts-left-behind-2935874.
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where annual Chinese New Year celebrations took place.44 By 1870, San Luis Obispo County contained the largest population of Chinese immigrants in the state.45
Ah Louis (center with beard) with his family in Chinatown. Source: Cal Poly Library Special Collections (c. 1933-1936). Racism, an economic depression, and high unemployment led to an increase in anti-Chinese sentiment and racial violence across the country in the late 1870s. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, which prohibited the entry of Chinese laborers, though it included an exemption for merchants, students, teachers, tourists, and diplomats. The law became permanent in 1902. Additional laws restricted reentry to the United States, preventing those who had already settled in California from visiting their families in China. As a result of these laws, the number of Chinese people living in the country dropped sharply between 1880 and the early 1900s.46 In San Luis Obispo, the number of Chinese residents dropped from a peak of 297 in 1890 to 88 in 1900.47 The decline in Chinese laborers left a vacuum that other immigrant groups quickly filled in the early 20th century to meet the continuing demand for low-wage workers. Due to the presence of the Mission San Luis Obispo and the recent adoption of San Luis Obispo as the County Seat, the town had become the focal point for economic and administrative activity in the 44 Emily Pan, “Ah Louis Store,” Central Coast Asian American History, January 3, 2021, https://www.centralcoastasianhistory.org/post/ah-louis-store. 45 Emily Pan, “A Timeline of the Chinese Population in San Luis Obispo,” Central Coast Asian American History, 17 June 2020, https://www.centralcoastasianhistory.org/post/a-timeline-of-the-chinese-population-in-san-luis-obispo. 46 Page & Turnbull and Donna Graves, “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California, 1850-1970,” National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form, 2023, E-257 - E-259. 47 United States Department of the Interior Census Office, Compendium of the Eleventh Census: 1890, Part I – Population (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1892); United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of the Census, Twelfth Census of the United States
Taken in the Year 1900 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1901).
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region. Many of its prominent early residents were active in civic and government affairs. One of San Luis Obispo’s most influential early residents was Charles H. Johnson, a successful San Francisco mercantile owner who relocated to San Luis Obispo in 1856. He first worked as Inspector of Customs for the Port San Luis before being elected to the California State Assembly in 1860. When the town government of San Luis Obispo was organized in 1859, he was elected president of the Board of Trustees. Johnson was also a devoted historian of San Luis Obispo history, frequently writing and lecturing on the early days of the county. Many of the significant early histories of San Luis Obispo draw heavily from his work. Several of San Luis Obispo pioneer William Goodwin Dana’s children became active in the civic of the town during this time. Charles William Dana served in multiple elected offices including the California State Assembly, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, and as mayor of San Luis Obispo in 1881. William Charles Dana served as County Treasurer and was active in the San Luis Obispo Republican party. Businessman Samuel A. Pollard, son-in-law of William Dana, also served at times as County Recorder, County Clerk, Justice of the Peace, and County Administrator. He was later elected Chairman of the county’s first Board of Supervisors and also served as the county’s first postmaster. Other influential pioneers included Myron Angel, a historian and journalist who wrote several early regional histories; he was also one of the earliest and most vocal supporters of the effort to establish the California Polytechnic School in San Luis Obispo. J. P. Andrews, an entrepreneurial rancher, made his fortune during the drought of 1862-1864 and later went on to open the Andrews Hotel in 1886, and the Andrews Bank in 1894. Pierre Hypolite Dallidet constructed the Dallidet adobe in 1859 and was also the first commercial vintner on the central coast, producing wine for the mission community. Walter Murray was an attorney, a district court judge, and co-founder of the San Luis
Obispo Tribune; he was also instrumental in forming the Vigilance Committee in 1858 to combat the county’s rampant crime. Chauncey Phillips was a tax collector who co-founded San Luis Obispo’s first bank (later known as the Bank of San Luis Obispo) in 1871 and served as its manager. Following his retirement from the banking industry, he became a prominent real estate developer and was instrumental in lobbying Southern Pacific Railroad to extend the line into San Luis Obispo. William Shipsey was an attorney and notary who first served as the City Attorney before being elected mayor in 1900. During his term as mayor, Shipsey revamped the bankrupt City’s finances and spearheaded efforts to locate the California Polytechnic School in San Luis Obispo. Early retailers and businessmen included brothers George and Andrew Sauer, who operated the A. Sauer & Company grocery and bakery. The three Sinsheimer brothers, Bernard, Henry, and A. Z., also operated a mercantile in a distinctive building on Monterey Street. William Sandercock operated a drayage company, Sandercock Transfer Company, which delivered freight for the Pacific Coast Railway and made deliveries to local businesses. German immigrant George Kluver founded the Kluver & Sons Pioneer Cigar Factory, marketing the company’s own “Pioneer” brand of cigars. Kluver held one of the earliest federal permits to manufacture cigars in California. Ah Louis, as discussed above, is credited with the development of much of San Luis Obispo’s Chinatown, which included his store and personal residence at 800 Palm Street.
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Kluver Cigar Factory, 726 Higuera, 1897. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
Left image: Sandercock Transfer Building, 856 Higuera Street, 1890. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
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Late 19th Century Residential Development
Snyder House, 1406 Morro Street, 1885. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013). Residential properties constructed in the last decades of the 19th century represent San Luis Obispo’s establishment and early development as a city. When the county was first organized, San Luis Obispo was its only settlement, with a few small adobe buildings clustered around the Mission. By the early 1850s, the main road running through the San Luis Obispo pueblo ran northeast to southwest, crossing San Luis Obispo Creek below the Mission, at the end of what is now Dana Street. The pueblo became part of the earliest neighborhoods during Americanization in the late 19th century. Neighborhoods from this period are located close to the downtown commercial center, and include the Mill Street and Old Town historic districts. Although adobe construction was still common, by the 1860s, wood frame construction was becoming more prevalent. Most wood frame residences built in San Luis Obispo during this period were examples of vernacular hipped roof cottages or Neo-classical cottages. The Mission Orchard Tract, which was laid out in 1888 on land that originally belonged to the mission, is an example of a late 19th century neighborhood largely developed with more modest housing, including cottages and Folk Victorian examples. In 1875, San Luis Obispo attorney De Guy Cooper wrote: We can boast of some very fine private residences. Heretofore, the style of architecture has been of a rather primitive nature; but latterly there has been a marked improvement
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in this particular area, and buildings erected within the past year have been of a better nature, and of a more permanent character.48 This period also saw the construction of prominent residences erected in architectural styles representative of the period. Captain W. G. Dana erected the first frame building in the county on Monterey Street from material brought from Chile. Captain John Wilson soon after erected a two-story frame building on the lot where the public library now stands. Residents who were building more opulent homes during this period often chose styles that were popular in other parts of the country, including Queen Anne, Eastlake, and Italianate styles. These large two- and three-story homes often had elaborate scrollwork and other decorative details. They were constructed beginning in the 1870s, and these styles remained popular until the turn of the 20th century. Local architects associated with this period include William Evans, Hilamon Spencer Laird, W.C. Phillips, and Alfred Walker.49 The introduction of the railroad also brought an influx of new residents to San Luis Obispo and led to the development of new communities. Railroad workers became the impetus for new residential development in the city in the late 1880s. As railroad activity expanded toward the end of the 19th century, the needs of the growing employee population sparked a demand for increased worker housing. Although many workers opted to live in downtown San Luis Obispo, development in general shifted towards the eastern and southern boundaries of the city and focused on tracts adjacent to the Southern Pacific right-of-way. The Loomis, McBride, and Homestead tracts, developed in 1887, were especially popular with railroad workers due to their proximity to the Southern Pacific rail yard and service facilities.50 These neighborhoods were developed with relatively modest single-family residences. Much of the railroads’ workforce consisted of immigrants. As work on the railroads increased in the late 19th century, several ethnic communities were established in San Luis Obispo. European groups, including Italian, Swiss-Italian, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh settled in the area. The Imperial Addition tract, which was developed in 1891 and was conveniently located near the Southern Pacific roundhouse, eventually became known as “Little Italy” due to the high concentration of Italian railroad workers who resided there. There was also a Portuguese community who were part of the fishing industry at Morro Bay.
48 De Guy Cooper, “Resources of San Luis Obispo County,” reprinted in A Vast Pictorial Domain: San Luis Obispo County in the 1870s, 1993, 17. Quoted in Robert C. Pavlik, “Historical Architectural Survey Report for the Cuesta Grade Project,” California Department of Transportation, October 1994. 49 The vernacular nature of most residential development during this period indicates that most homes were designed without the use of an architect. The architect identified in this section is based on information available in existing surveys; additional research should be conducted to identify other architects from this period. 50 Hemalata Dandekar and Adrianna Jordan, “The Railroads and San Luis Obispo’s Urban Form,” Focus, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Volume XVII, 2010, 48.
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1. Phillips Addition (1874) 2. Deleissigues Tract (1876) 3. Buena Vista Tract (1885) 4. Loomis Tract (1887) 5. Deleissigues Subdivision (1887) 6. McBride Tract (1887) 7. Homestead Tract (1887) 8. Hathway Addition (1887) 9. Buena Vista Addition (1887) 10. Fairview Addition (1887) 11. Deleissigues Addition (Block 5) (1887) 12. Central Addition (1888) 13. Maymont Addition (1889) 14. Schwartz Addition (1889) 15. South Side Addition (1891) 16. Imperial Addition (1891)
Map showing land annexations for residential development along the proposed right-of-way for the Southern Pacific Railroad, 1874-1891. Source: Adrianna Jordan, The Historical Influence of the Railroads on Urban Development and Future Economic Potential in San Luis Obispo, 2011, 35.
Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Residential property types from this period include single- and multi-family residences. Period of Significance: 1846-1900 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), B/2/2 (Persons), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• As an increasingly rare example of late-19th century residential development.
• A collection of residences from this period that are linked geographically may be eligible as a historic district.
Residential properties from this period eligible under Criterion A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of location, design,
feeling, and association.
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Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
B/2/2 (Persons)
• For its association with a significant person in San Luis Obispo’s early history. A residential property significant under Criterion B/2/2 (Persons) should retain integrity of design,
feeling, and association, at a minimum, in order to convey the historic association with a significant person.
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As a rare remaining example of adobe residential construction.
• As a good or rare example of a particular architectural style associated with the period.
• As the work of a significant architect or designer.
• A collection of residences from this period that are linked geographically may be eligible as a historic district.
In order to be eligible for listing at the federal, state, or local levels, a property must retain sufficient integrity to convey its historic significance under the Late 19th Century Residential Development theme. Residential properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, materials,
workmanship, and feeling. Any remaining examples of adobe construction from this period with fair integrity would likely be eligible. In general, the adobe walls should remain largely intact and the residence should retain the majority of the character-defining features associated with an adobe structure of its age. Alterations that are consistent with upgrades typically seen in early adobe structures, including later additions constructed with wood framing and replacement windows within original window openings, are acceptable. It is expected that the setting will have been compromised by later development. Wood frame buildings from this period should retain good integrity, although minor alterations are acceptable.
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Extant Examples: Late 19th Century Residential Development
Hays-Latimer Adobe, 642 Monterey Street, 1860. Designated as a City of San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Left image source: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Special Collections (no date). Right image source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
Dallidet Adobe, 1185 Pacific Street, 1860. Designated as a City of San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Left image:source: San Luis Obispo County Historical Society. Right image source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
Righetti House, 1314 Palm Street, 1877. Designated as a City of San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013). Anderson House, 532 Dana Street, 1898. Designated as a City of San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
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Late 19th Century Commercial Development Prior to the late 19th century, Monterey Street developed as a transportation corridor and commercial thoroughfare.51 While the original mission settlement had not been formally planned and the early growth of San Luis Obispo conformed to the natural topography and Laws of the Indies, in 1850, William Hutton was authorized to survey and layout the town of San Luis Obispo in an American grid pattern.52 By the 1880s, Sanborn Fire Insurance maps document significant commercial development along Higuera, Monterey, and Chorro Streets.
1886 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. Source: San Francisco Public Library. 51 Angel, History of San Luis Obispo County. 52 Nettles, “The Copelands Project,” 54.
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During this period significant financial institutions were established in San Luis Obispo. The first was the Bank of San Luis Obispo in 1871; its permanent home was constructed on the northeast corner of Monterey and Court Streets in 1881. The Commercial Bank was organized in March 1888. Its first location was on Monterey Street; in 1899, it moved to the southeast corner of Chorro and Higuera Streets. Other significant commercial ventures were established during this period by some of San Luis Obispo’s most prominent residents. J.P. Andrews constructed a second hotel in downtown San Luis Obispo following the fire at the original Andrews Hotel. He also established a bank on the corner of Monterey and Osos Street which was constructed of brick, with granite and terracotta details. The Sinsheimer Brothers was founded in 1876 by Bernard and Henry Sinsheimer. The Sinsheimer Brothers building was completed in December of 1884. The first floor was a general store dealing in dry goods, groceries, and clothing; offices were housed at the rear of the building and on the second floor.
Bank of San Luis Obispo at Monterey and Court Streets, built 1881. Source: San Luis Obispo County Historical Society (c. 1890).
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Sinsheimer Brothers, 849 Monterey Street, built 1884. Source: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Special Collections (early 20th century). On April 18, 1886, the Andrews Hotel burned to the ground along with the Bank of San Luis Obispo, the post office, the town's principal livery stable, and a number of small shops and offices. As a result of the loss of the Andrews Hotel, the newly formed California Southern Hotel Company constructed the grand Ramona Hotel in 1888 to provide accommodations for railroad passengers. The financial panic of 1893 and the depression that followed it impacted the railroad and the commercial development in San Luis Obispo. After reorganizing its management, the hotel reopened in 1895 to great fanfare. In1905, the Ramona Hotel was completely destroyed by fire.
Andrews Bank Building, 998 Monterey, built 1894. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Left image source: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Special Collections (no date). Right image source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
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Hotel Ramona, built1888. Source: Cal Poly Special Collections (1905). According to historic Sanborn maps, a series of brothels labeled as "female boarding houses," were constructed on Morro Street near Palm Street sometime between 1874 and 1886. The buildings were owned by Mrs. Nancy Emeline Call, a widow who began to invest in real estate following her husband Silas Call's death in 1880. Although it is unclear if Mrs. Call knew that her tenants were engaging in prostitution, proprietors of the houses were frequently arrested for liquor offenses and the properties were regularly cited in the local newspaper. By 1895, the Progressive movement had begun to take hold in San Luis Obispo and there was growing opposition to the operation of the houses only one block north of Monterey Street, the town's main thoroughfare. Mrs. Call herself was arrested twice in 1895 and charged with knowingly renting houses for purposes of prostitution; she was found guilty at the first trial and was acquitted at the second. By 1900, citizens began to petition the San Luis Obispo City Council to close down the brothels, and Sanborn maps confirm that the female boarding houses were demolished by 1903. The city’s Chinatown developed nearby on Palm Street between Chorro and Moro streets. Chinese immigrant and entrepreneur Ah Louis used wealth he had acquired recruiting Chinese workers to build railroads, roads, and wharves in the region to purchase property at the corner of Palm and Chorro streets. The Ah Louis Store, which first opened as a wood framed building in 1874, was the first Chinese commercial establishment in the County. In 1885, Louis rebuilt the store as a two-story fireproof brick building on the corner of Palm and Chorro streets. The Ah Louis Store became the center of Chinese life in San Luis Obispo, serving as the residence of Ah Louis and his family from 1885 to 1936, as well as a pharmacy, general store, post office, bank, employment office, and
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gathering place.53 The city’s Chinatown also included several boarding houses, restaurants, and residences. The Ah Louis Store was built with bricks manufactured from Louis’ own brickyard, which was located between Bishop's Peak and San Luis Mountain and featured one of the first brick kilns in the area. In addition to the Ah Louis Store, Louis’ bricks were used construct several other buildings in San Luis Obispo, including the Southern Pacific roundhouse, the old courthouse, and the east wing of the San Luis Obispo Mission.54 Commercial development during this period was in a transitional state: there were still modest adobes being constructed, along with the grand railroad hotels and more elaborate banks and other businesses that were populating the commercial core. Wood frame and brick construction were becoming more prevalent, and more elaborate details and materials were used. Commercial architectural styles represented in San Luis Obispo during this period include Commercial Vernacular, Italianate, and Romanesque Revival. Local architects associated with this period include William Evans, Hilamon Spencer Laird, W.C. Phillips, and Alfred Walker.
Detail from 1886 Sanborn Map Company fire insurance map, showing the city's Chinatown. Source: Library of Congress.
53 Emily Pan, “Ah Louis Store,” Central Coast Asian American History, January 3, 2021, https://www.centralcoastasianhistory.org/post/ah-louis-store. 54 “A History of Chinese Americans in California,” National Park Service, November 17, 2004, https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/5views/5views3h2.htm.
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Buildings in San Luis Obispo’s Chinatown, including the Ah Louis Store, on the west side of Palm Street between Chorro and Moro streets. Source: Cal Poly Library Special Collections (c. 1910).
Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Examples of commercial buildings from this period may include markets, hotels, and low-rise storefront buildings. Examples range from modest one-story commercial storefronts, many with pioneer “false fronts,” to more elaborate two-story banks and hotels. The commercial center continued to grow along with the City’s population. Commercial buildings constructed during this period are typically located within the downtown center and represent some of the earliest extant commercial buildings that represent the establishment of San Luis Obispo as a City. Period of Significance: 1846-1900 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), B/2/2 (Persons), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• As a rare, intact example of late 19th century commercial development.
• For its association with the early growth of the city's original commercial core.
Commercial properties from this period eligible under Criterion A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of location, design,
feeling, and association.
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Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
B/2/2 (Persons)
• For its association with a significant person in San Luis Obispo’s history A commercial property significant under Criterion B/2/2 (Persons) should retain integrity of design,
feeling, and association, at a minimum, in order to convey the historic association with a significant person.
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As a rare remaining example of adobe commercial construction.
• As a good or rare example of a particular architectural style associated with the period.
• As the work of a significant architect or designer.
• A collection of commercial buildings from this period that are linked geographically may be eligible as a historic district.
In order to be eligible for listing at the federal, state, or local levels, a property must retain sufficient integrity to convey its historic significance under the Late 19th Century Commercial Development theme. Commercial properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, materials,
workmanship, and feeling. Any remaining examples of adobe construction from this period with fair integrity would likely be eligible. In general, the adobe walls should remain largely intact and the building should retain the majority of the character-defining features associated with an adobe structure of its age.
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Extant Examples: Late 19th Century Commercial Development
Goldtree Block-Hotel Wineman, 849 Higuera Street, built 1883. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Sinsheimer Brothers, 849 Monterey Street, built 1884. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Ah Louis Store, 800 Palm Street, built 1884. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Call Hotel, 1703 Santa Barbara Street, built1895. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Late 19th Century Civic & Institutional Development During this period, the City’s civic and institutional development began in earnest. Prior to this period, rooms in the Mission served a wide variety of civic functions, including jails, court, and barracks. San Luis Obispo was the location of the first public school in the County, which was established in the early 1850s and originally housed in the Mission. The first official post office in the county was established at San Luis Obispo in 1856, with Alexander Murray as postmaster. In 1871, Walter Murray, editor of the San Luis Obispo Tribune opined that: …beyond a good jail we really have nothing to show for the large revenue annually drawn from the taxpayers. San Luis Obispo should be possessed of a decent courthouse, yet when the county and district court happen in session together, one or the other has to go gerrymandering about town to find a room to sit in. This was the case last month and doubtless will be again. The old adobe building called a courthouse is a marvel of repulsiveness, and that court room with its wretched appointments is a disgrace to the county.55 As a result of Murray’s editorial, and with the support of other progressive citizens, in 1872 County supervisors allocated funds for a courthouse and jail. J. P. Andrews and Ernest Cerf donated the land for the construction of a courthouse.
San Luis Obispo County Courthouse, built 1873, with Andrews Hotel in background, Osos and Monterey Streets. Source: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Special Collections (1915). Numerous social and fraternal institutions were established during this period. The Oddfellows Hall was constructed on the southwest corner of Monterey and Court Streets between 1870 and 1874. The Masonic lodge was organized in San Luis Obispo in 1861. The first I. O. O. F. lodge in the county 55 The jail was located on Palm Street, and is non-extant. San Luis Obispo Tribune, 1871.
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was instituted in 1870 and named Chorro Lodge. A Rebekah Lodge was established in 1877. The first hospital was completed in 1878, and the original City Hall was constructed in 1879.56 Other institutions established during this period include the included the Methodist Episcopal Church, constructed in 1873 on Garden Street, which was the first Protestant church in the county.57 In 1874, the first Presbyterian services were held in San Luis Obispo; a church was erected in 1884 on the corner or Morro and Marsh Streets.58 In the fall of 1876, Mission School, which later became known as the Court School, was constructed on the corner Mill and Santa Rosa Streets, on land donated by J.P. Andrews specifically for the construction of a school. That same year, the Convent School, operated by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, was established on ground that was once part of the Mission lands.
Court School, built 1876, at Mill and Santa Rosa Streets. Source: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Special Collections (1917).
56 Despite the proliferation of social and fraternal institutions during this period, it appears that the Oddfellows Hall may be the earliest extant property associated with the City’s social and fraternal institutional development during this period. 57 Morrison and Haydon, History of San Luis Obispo County and Environs, 128. 58 This building was later moved to the adjoining lot and was used for social meetings, and Sunday school; in 1905 a new church building was constructed.
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Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Examples of civic and institutional buildings from this period include courthouses, post offices, libraries, schools, and a sanitarium. Non-governmental institutional buildings include churches, meeting halls, and other buildings associated with social organizations. Civic and institutional buildings from this period represent some of the earliest institutional development in San Luis Obispo, and represent the establishment of San Luis Obispo as a City and the County seat. Note on intangible cultural heritage: Civic and institutional properties, including social halls, religious buildings, and other community gathering spaces, may also be associated with intangible cultural heritage, such as annual festivals, parades, and/or other cultural events and practices. Period of Significance: 1846-1900 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), B/2/2 (Persons), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Eligibility Considerations
• For listing in the National Register of Historic Places, religious properties must meet Criteria Consideration A, which states that a religious property is eligible if it derives its primary significance from architectural or artistic distinction or historical importance.59
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• As a rare example of civic or institutional development from the period.
• For its association with an important religious, social, cultural, or civic institution.
• For its association with a particular cultural or ethnic community in San Luis Obispo. A property may be associated with migration or community formation in San Luis Obispo, a community-serving or religious organizations or intangible cultural heritage.
Civic and institutional properties significant under Criterion A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of
location, design, feeling, and
association.
59 National Register Bulletin 15.
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Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As a good or rare example of a particular architectural style associated with its period.
Civic and institutional properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, materials,
workmanship, feeling, and
association.
Extant Examples: Late 19th Century Civic & Institutional Development
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1344 Nipomo Street, built 1873. Designated as a City of San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Hageman Sanitarium, 1716 Osos Street, built 1885. Designated as a City of San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
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Late 19th Century Agricultural & Industrial Development
Long/Bonetti Ranch, 3897 South Higuera Street, established 1880. Designated as a City of San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013). The Mexican ranchos were used for farming and raising cattle, a tradition that continued as Americans settled in the area through the mid- and late-19th century. San Luis Obispo County was an important agricultural center in California, with farming, including vineyards, and ranching forming a significant part of the local economy. In 1858, a French Army “soldier of fortune” named Pierre Hippolyte Dallidet settled in San Luis Obispo. He built an adobe home on the grounds of the Mission San Luis Obispo and purchased the failing vines of the Mission San Miguel Arcangel. Dallidet is credited with revitalizing the wine industry in San Luis Obispo County that had begun during the Mission era. Wool, flour, and dairy products were important income-producers for the region, and beans were also a valuable crop, grown primarily to the south of the city. However, wheat and barley were the most significant agricultural crops for the region in the late 1800s. Several mills were constructed to process the grains from nearby ranchos and increase the area’s cultivation of wheat. The first mill outside the mission was constructed by the Branch Brothers around 1854. The grist mill was located on the Arroyo Grande and processed grain from the southern ranchos. As San Luis Obispo was the only major settlement in the area, many ranchers would bring their grains into the city to be milled, at times traveling from up to forty miles away. In 1868, Pollard, Childs, & Sauer constructed the El Chorro mill, a water-powered mill with a much greater capacity than the Arroyo Grande, which the proprietors hoped would encourage wheat cultivation in the region. At the same time, recent technological innovations allowed new mills to be designed using steam power, which allowed for a more efficient method of milling and did not require the mill to be located near a water source. The technology was widely adopted in San Luis Obispo in response to the increased demand for milling,
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and by 1883 there were two water-powered grist mills in the city, four steam-powered grist mills, and two steam-powered sawmills. Sawmills, including the Pacific Steam Sawmill, were introduced in San Luis Obispo as early as 1869 to meet the building and construction needs of the city's growing population. Both the grist and sawmilling industries continued to flourish throughout the late 1800s as rail transport and coastal access expanded the market for regional goods. A severe drought in 1862 marked a dramatic shift in the agricultural development of San Luis Obispo. The drought lasted for three years, killing most of the rancheros’ cattle and destroying the majority of the crops grown in the region. Many rancheros could not afford to replenish their livestock and replant their crops and many sold their ranch land at a loss to dairy farmers seeking grazing land for their herds. The first dairy farmers to capitalize on the deal were the Steele Brothers, who moved their herd from Marin County to the Corral de Piedra rancho in 1864. A dairy boom was ignited and several prominent creameries and cheese factories were established in San Luis Obispo. Many of these operations continued to flourish throughout the early 1900s. From the 1870s to the 1890s, much of the agricultural workforce of the San Luis Obispo region consisted of Chinese laborers, many of whom had originally come to California to help build the state’s system of railroads. Between 1870 and 1890, the number of Chinese residents in San Luis Obispo County jumped from 59 in 1870 to 153 in 1880 and then more than doubled to 386 in 1890, 297 of whom lived in the city of San Luis Obispo.60 After the completion of the railroads, these workers dispersed around the state in search of work. Many Chinese immigrants had been farmers in their homeland and migrated to rural areas, including San Luis Obispo, where they became agricultural laborers, helping to drain swamps, dig irrigation ditches, plow, plant, and harvest much of the grain and, later, vegetables, produced in the state.61 In the 1880s, Ah Louis, one of the founding figures of San Luis Obispo’s Chinatown who had initially gained wealth helping to build the Pacific Coast Railway and wharves at Avila Beach and Port San Luis, leased more than 1,000 acres of land in the Edna Valley and began cultivating vegetable and flower seeds for sale.62 Following the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 and decline in Chinese immigration, Chinese agricultural workers were replaced by Japanese workers, who became the largest proportion of California’s agricultural labor force by the start of the 20th century.63 During the same period, the number of Black residents in San Luis Obispo County also exploded from 23 in 1880 to 457 in 1890 before dropping precipitously to 77 in 1900. Census records show that many of these individuals came to the area from states in the South and worked as day laborers 64. The large increase of Black residents in the San Luis Obispo County area between 1880 and 1890 coincided with the extension of the Southern Pacific Railroad to San Luis Obispo and the passage of the first Jim Crow laws in the South, which may have driven many Black families to the region in search of work, both in the railroad and agricultural industries. The completion of the Southern 60 United States Department of the Interior, Census Office, Compendium of the Eleventh Census; United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of the Census, Twelfth Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1900. 61 Jenzen, Growing Conflict, 60-63. 62 “Ah Louis in San Luis Obispo,” Central Coast Asian American History, March 14, 2022, https://www.centralcoastasianhistory.org/post/ah-louis-in-san-luis-obispo. 63 Page & Turnbull and Donna Graves, “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California, 1850-1970,” E-203; Jenzen, Growing Conflict, 71. 64 United States Department of the Interior Census Office, Statistics of the Population of the United States at the Tenth Census (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1882); United States Department of the Interior Census Office, Compendium of the Eleventh Census: 1890,
Part I – Population (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1892).
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Pacific Railroad to San Luis Obispo in 1894 may have led Black residents to leave the area in search of other work opportunities by 1900.
Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Agricultural and industrial property types include remnant rancho properties, farmhouses, grain and other warehouses, mills, barns, and other related agricultural or industrial outbuildings. Period of Significance: 1846-1900 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• As a rare example of early agricultural or industrial development in San Luis Obispo.
Agricultural properties significant under Criterion A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of location,
design, feeling, and association. Remnant outbuildings may remain eligible in the absence of the original farmhouse or other related buildings.
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As a rare example of adobe construction, or a good example of a vernacular, wood frame farmhouse, agricultural building (such as a barn, tank house, or equipment shed), or industrial structure.
Due to the rarity of this type, a greater degree of alteration may be acceptable. Agricultural properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, design,
materials, workmanship, and
feeling. In general, the exterior should be relatively unaltered, and the building should retain the majority of the character-defining features associated with its style and/or construction method. It is expected that the setting may have been compromised by later development.
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Extant Examples: Late 19th Century Agricultural & Industrial Development
Long-Bonetti Ranch, 3897 South Higuera Street, built 1880. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Oasis Associates (2012).
Barn at Froom Ranch. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013). Barn on Granada Drive. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
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Late-19th Century Transportation and Infrastructure Development
Southern Pacific Railroad, Horseshoe Curve near San Luis Obispo. Source: San Luis Obispo Profile, epondunk.com (no date). There were significant advances in transportation during this period, enabling the local economy and allowing for increased access to the region. Transportation-related development was centered on the completion of the rail lines from northern and southern California through San Luis Obispo, improvements to the harbor, the construction of roadways, including a road through the Cuesta Pass in 1876, and the implementation of the streetcar system downtown. Significant civic improvements included the construction of the first bridge across San Luis Obispo Creek in 1868, followed by additional bridges across the creek at Mill, Court, Morro, Chorro, Nipomo, and Broad Streets by 1871. The City also installed sidewalks and planted street trees. The horse-drawn street car system was established in 1887, which provided important access between the Southern Pacific Depot, downtown hotels such as the Ramona Hotel, and the Pacific Coast Railway. Although San Luis Obispo had gained prominence as a regional hub for civic and economic activity by the mid-1800s, the area’s overall economic growth was restricted due to its geographical isolation. Due to the surrounding mountain ranges, transportation for goods and passengers was limited to horseback, stagecoach, and wagon. In the 1850s and 1860s, wharfs were established at Avila Beach, facilitating the transport of goods via steamship. However, the region still lacked an efficient method of ground transportation to connect the economic activities of the coast with those further inland. In 1873, businessman John Harford organized the San Luis Obispo Railroad Company, which established a new wharf, Point Harford, at Point San Luis and constructed a narrow-gauge, horse-powered railroad connecting the new wharf to the mouth of San Luis Obispo Creek. The local railroad, which was constructed on a 30-inch gauge, was one of the first narrow-gauge railroads in the state. The development of the railroad and the growth of the harbor are intimately connected, as the new
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rail line allowed farmers access to steamships for the export of goods. In 1874, Harford’s facilities, including the railroad, were purchased by the Pacific Coast S. S. Company. The Pacific Coast Company re-graded the land and relocated the railroad closer to the water, constructing a new, wider-gauge track that could accommodate a steam engine. The company also extended the new track all the way from Point Harford to San Luis Obispo, where a new rail depot was constructed at the southwest corner of Higuera and South Streets. Completed in 1876, the extension of the local line ended the land locking of San Luis Obispo’s economy, opening the area to trans-regional trade with other ports along the California coast and increasing the marketability of the region’s agricultural products. In 1881, the rail line was extended to Arroyo Grande; in April, 1882, it reached Santa Maria, which was then called Central City; in October, 1882, it reached Los Alamos; and in 1883 it was built to Los Olivos. The Pacific Coast Depot was established at the lower end of Higuera Street in the 1870s. As a result, the area around the depot was developed with other railroad-related facilities, including storage facilities, freight sheds, and lumber yards. Despite having a major impact through the Central Coast Region, the Pacific Coast Railway was a relatively small operation. It could not match the resources of larger competitors and the company did not offer a direct link to major trade centers, such as San Francisco or Los Angeles. The railroad’s reliance on an increasingly obsolete, non-standard gauge rail also hastened the demise of the company, as it could not connect with other railroads using the standard gauge, such as the Southern Pacific Railroad. Following the completion of the trans-continental railroad in 1869 and the merger with Central Pacific Railroad in 1870, the Southern Pacific Railroad dominated the California landscape, with a network of railways stretching across the state. By 1886, the Southern Pacific Railroad terminated at Santa Margarita, just north of San Luis Obispo. For many years, expansion into San Luis Obispo was considered unlikely due to the costly and dangerous prospect of constructing tracks across the Cuesta Grade, which called for the construction of seven tunnels, a horseshoe curve, and a long steel trestle across Stenner Creek Canyon. However, prominent San Luis Obispo businessmen formed a Board of Trade and lobbied strongly for a track extension into the city. Although an agreement between the Southern Pacific Company and San Luis Obispo was not officially reached until 1890, the prospect of the railroad’s expansion was enough to spur speculative land development across the city throughout the late 1880s. In 1888, Southern Pacific began to purchase land for a depot and machine shops as well as acquire property for a railway right-of-way through the city. The Andrews Hotel, the Ramona Hotel, and the Central Addition subdivision in which they were located were speculative ventures based purely on the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad, which created an “instant tourism industry” in San Luis Obispo. The upscale Ramona Hotel in particular relied heavily upon the presence of the railroad, constructing its own Southern Pacific Train Depot. The hotels’ successes were short-lived: the Andrews Hotel was completely destroyed by fire only seven months after opening in 1886; the Ramona Hotel, which opened in 1888, also burned to the ground in 1905. 65 Its depot was relocated to the grounds of the Dallidet Adobe and Gardens at 1185 Pacific Street in the 1960s.66
65 The Ramona Hotel and its grounds originally occupied an entire City block bounded by what is now Higuera, Marsh, Johnson, and Pepper Streets. When the Ramona Hotel was destroyed, the property was subdivided into residential lots. 66 “Ramona Depot Move Approved by City,” San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune, 12 May 1964: 1.
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The Ramona Depot on the grounds of the Dallidet Adobe and Gardens. Source: Google Street View (2016).
Southern Pacific Trestle Bridge across Stenner Creek. Source: Cal Poly Special Collections (c. 1900-1940). Construction on the extension of the Southern Pacific Railroad began in 1892 and was completed in 1894. The depot, roundhouse, and other facilities were completed by 1895. The first steam engine arrived in San Luis Obispo on May 5, 1894, finally linking the city to San Francisco. A passenger depot was established across town from the Pacific Coast Depot near the Southern Pacific Railroad main line. At the same time, the road from the south was underway, and on March 31, 1901 trains could finally run all the way from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The arrival of the railroad transformed the landscape of the city, shifting the city’s economic center away from the historic core.67 67 Dandekar and Jordan, “The Railroads and San Luis Obispo’s Urban Form,” 51.
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In order to continue railroad expansion during the late 19th-century, many prominent land-holders along the railroad route granted rights-of-way; this included the Dana family in San Luis Obispo. Establishing a right-of-way for the railroad significantly impacted the landscape of San Luis Obispo. While many new subdivisions were developed, existing subdivisions were drastically altered and streets and other access routes were destroyed to create at-grade crossings. The existing configuration of the city was essentially cut in half, and several subdivisions had to be re-platted, including the Central Addition and the Loomis tract. Although there were numerous buildings and structures associated with the development of the railroad in San Luis Obispo, remnant examples are increasingly rare. The Pacific Coast Railway grain warehouse is the lone surviving building from the company’s headquarters. The building was the trans-shipment port from farm wagon to local narrow gauge trains which led to steamer wharves at Port Harford (now known as Port San Luis/Avila Beach). The grain storage warehouse was in continuous use by the Pacific Coast Railway from its construction in the late 19th century through the closure of the railroad in 1942. It is the only remaining grain storage warehouse in San Luis Obispo. In 1872, Dr. Hays, C. W. Dana, and M. Benrino obtained a franchise for water works; the next year A. M. Loomis and Alfred Walker bought the franchise and started to work on improvements. A small reservoir was built on Murray Hill, about a mile and a half north of the town, and water was brought in a flume from the upper San Luis Creek. In 1874, the San Luis Obispo Water Company was formed. Water was transported by a 2-mile open flume that brought water to the City’s reservoir; from there it was distributed to properties in the town center via pipes that ran beneath the primary streets in the City. In 1876, a large reservoir was built in the Stenner Creek canyon.68 In the late 19th century, the City embarked on significant upgrades to the sewer system, which previously had largely been accommodated by San Luis Obispo Creek. In 1892, a sewer system was installed, which was upgraded in 1899. At the same time, the City embarked on improvements to San Luis Obispo Creek. Concrete retaining walls were added to help control the creek, allowing for the expansion of commercial development along Higuera Street.
68 Subsequent reservoirs were built to increase capacity in the mid-1880s and again in 1910.
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Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Transportation and infrastructure-related property types from this period include rail stations and their ancillary buildings, warehouses, rail yards, rail lines, and rail spurs. Some early industrial buildings that were constructed in immediate proximity to rail lines and designed to take advantage of rail technology may also be significant under this theme. This theme also includes buildings associated with public infrastructure agencies such as those providing power and water. Period of Significance: 1846-1900 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• As a rare, intact example of railroad or other transportation-related development from the late 19th century.
• As an industrial property directly associated with the development of the railroad in the area (e.g. railroad warehouse).
• As an infrastructure-related property directly associated with the operation of early water and utility systems in the city.
Transportation- and infrastructure-related development significant under Criterion A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of location,
design, feeling, and association.
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As a rare or unique property type associated with the railroad.
• As the work of a significant architect or designer
Transportation-related development significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, materials,
workmanship, feeling, and
association.
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Extant Examples: Late-19th Century Transportation and Infrastructure Development
Pacific Coast Railway Company Grain Warehouse, 65 Higuera Street, built late 19th century. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Left image source: City of San Luis Obispo (no date). Right image source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Southern Pacific Railroad Warehouse, 1940 Santa Barbara Avenue, built c. 1895. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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EARLY 20TH CENTURY DEVELOPMENT (1900-1929)
Panorama of San Luis Obispo from Terrace Hill. Source Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Special Collections (1907). In the early 20th century, the development of San Luis Obispo was characterized by three major factors: the introduction of the Southern Pacific Railroad line, the founding of California Polytechnic School, and the widespread use of the automobile. The former factors spurred a considerable increase in population, but it was the latter factor – the automobile – that allowed urban planners to respond to the increased population growth by expanding development outside of the central city. By 1920, the City population had grown to 5,805 residents.69 The establishment of California Polytechnic Institute (now Cal Poly) at the beginning of the 20th century and its continued growth is an important component of this theme. The Polytechnic School was the realization of Myron Angel’s vision that was supported by Assemblyman Warren Johns and Senator S.C. Smith. In 1896, Angel published a letter in the Breeze urging the establishment of a normal school in San Luis Obispo. After several years of political maneuvering, the bill to establish a normal school was finally passed in 1901. Land for the school was donated by Mr. Lowe. Early in 1903 the corner stone of the main building was laid, and in October of that year the first students were welcomed. In the early 20th century, San Luis Obispo’s population of ethnic communities continued to grow. The decline in Chinese laborers left a vacuum that other immigrant groups quickly filled in the early 20th century to meet the continuing demand for low-wage workers. Starting in the late 19th century, 69 United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Fourteenth Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1920, Volume III
– Population: 1920 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1922).
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Japanese workers began arrived in the United States in search of work. The end of Japanese isolationist policies and opening of Japan to trade with the United States in 1853, followed by the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 and the annexation of Hawaii in 1898, which had a large Japanese population, contributed to the influx of Japanese people into California in the late 19th century. Japanese immigrants arrived in California in two phases, first following the Chinese Exclusion Act, and second following the signing of the 1907-1908 Gentlemen’s Agreement between the U.S. and Japan, which restricted the entry of male workers but allowed wives and certain classes of professional workers to enter.70 Steamship lines and labor contracting companies recruited Japanese workers initially from Hawaii and later directly from Japan. Japanese immigrants arrived in port cities, such as San Francisco, and migrated to rural areas along the coast, including the Central Valley, in search of agricultural work. By 1890, 2,038 Japanese people lived in the United States, more than half of whom lived in California. No Japanese people were recorded as residents of San Luis Obispo County until 1900, at which time 16 Japanese residents lived in the county. In 1910, that number skyrocketed to 154, and by 1920, it grew to 434.71 Japanese residents of San Luis Obispo worked primarily along the Southern Pacific Railroad route as farm laborers, until they were eventually able to purchase their own land. Other important advancements during this period include the establishment of a Carnegie Library in 1904 (completed in 1905). Designed by architect William Weeks, the library was located adjacent to the Mission. William Weeks was the most prolific designer of Carnegie libraries in California, responsible for twenty-two libraries throughout the state, eighteen of which are extant.72 Weeks designed numerous buildings in San Luis Obispo, including the original campus of the Polytechnic School.
70 Page & Turnbull and Donna Graves, “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California, 1850-1970,” E-36. 71 United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of the Census, Twelfth Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1900 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1901); United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Thirteenth Census of the United
States Taken in the Year 1910 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1913); Bureau of the Census, Fourteenth Census of the United
States Taken in the Year 1920. 72 Carnegie Libraries of California Project, “By Architect - Who Built the Libraries,” accessed December 2, 2024, http://www.carnegie-libraries.org/california/architect/index.html.
Tameji Eto. Source: History Center of San Luis Obispo County (no date).
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Carnegie Library, 696 Monterey Street. Source: carnegielibraries.org (1905). The Southern Pacific Railroad continued to thrive in San Luis Obispo through the early years of the 20th century, diversifying the economy and expanding the city’s potential trade market. By the 1920s, however, railroad activity began to decline due to the expansion of automobile use and improvement of road networks. In 1915, the first state highway came through San Luis Obispo County. During this period, automobile tourism became popular in California. During the 1920s newly paved roads, affordable cars, aggressive promotional campaigns directed at tourists, and new roadside conveniences (including gas stations and auto camps) were a boon to seaside communities and kept local boosters optimistic. In the early 1920s, Southern California architect Arthur Heineman opened the world’s first “motel,” the Milestone Mo-tel, in San Luis Obispo, pioneering a new type of accommodation that became popular with travelers worldwide. The leading San Luis Obispo newspaper carried the hopeful masthead, “California’s Next Big City.”73 With the city’s government firmly established, influence in San Luis Obispo in the early 20th century shifted to those individuals who operated businesses in the city or were involved in community affairs. Individuals active in civic affairs during this period included Benjamin Brooks, who was an esteemed journalist and owner/editor the San Luis Obispo Tribune from 1886 to 1922. Dr. Richard Bradbury was a prominent local physician who established the Bradbury Sanitarium next door to his personal residence. Another successful doctor, William Stover, constructed the San Luis Obispo Sanitarium around 1912 and later served as mayor. Grace Barneberg, early president of the ladies’ Monday Club, was instrumental in expanding the organization and securing the services of architect 73 “’California’s Next Big City’ is Slogan,” San Luis Obispo Daily Telegraph, 14 April 1926.
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Julia Morgan to design the organization’s new clubhouse. In 1925, Father Daniel Keenan established “La Fiesta de las Flores,” a community celebration to raise funds for the restoration of the mission that continued annually for the next seventy years.
Muzio’s Grocery, 868 Monterey Street, built 1912. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Muzio’s moved from its original location to a new storefront in the Wineman Hotel on Higuera Street in 2010; it has since closed. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
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Early 20th Century Residential Development San Luis Obispo’s population continued to grow in the early 20th century. Residences from this period range from small, vernacular cottages to more elaborate two-story residences. There are few examples of multi-family residential development in the City built during this period. Toward the end of this period there was an increasing accommodation for the automobile. A prominent example of this is the J.J. Dunne House on Benton Way, which was constructed in 1927 when the area was considered suburban. Dunne was a local car dealer, and he had his house and garage constructed to accommodate several automobiles. During this period, residential architecture began to shift from the Victorian-era styles imported from the east and new regional styles began to emerge. In California, the most notable new residential architecture was inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement and the development of the California bungalow, which was a simple, garden-oriented house uniquely suited for the climate and lifestyle of the region. Designs for the bungalow were promulgated throughout the country through popular magazines like
House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, and Ladies Home Journal. Pattern books with a wide variety of bungalow designs and complete mail order house kits soon followed, allowing the style to spread quickly across the country. The three largest manufacturers of kit homes in the United States were Aladdin, Sears, and Pacific Ready Cut Homes, which was based in Los Angeles. Kit homes were sold from 1908 until 1940. Shipped by boxcar, each kit contained framing members and all architectural details. Architectural styles during this period are more eclectic than those represented in the late 19th century. Residential architecture from this period in San Luis Obispo includes American Colonial Revival, Mediterranean Revival, Craftsman, Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, and Storybook. The dominant type of single-family residence in the early 20th century is the one-story bungalow. Some Craftsman houses in San Luis Obispo feature clinker brick. Named for the distinctive sound they make when banged together, clinker bricks are the result of wet bricks placed too close to the fire. Overbaking produced rich, warm colors as well that ran the gamut from reds, yellows, and oranges to deep, flash-burned browns, purples, and blacks. In the early 20th century clinkers became popular when avant-garde architects started building houses with them precisely because they were so unusual. During the Arts & Crafts era, clinker bricks were used to create visual interest in focal
Pacific Ready Cut Homes, Style #85. Source: Internet Archive.
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points such as chimneys, porch supports, and garden walls. There are examples of clinker brick in Monterey Heights and near Broad and Chorro. A prominent example is the 1928 Faulstich House at 2243 Santa Ynez Avenue, constructed for Paul and Mary Faulstich of the Faulstich Brothers brickyard. There are intact residential neighborhoods that developed during this period. While some are located in proximity to downtown, during this period neighborhoods also developed in what was considered the outskirts at that time, in areas newly accessible by the automobile. One example is found along Murray Street, a wide street with a center median with mature landscaping. Houses in the neighborhood were constructed in the 1920s and are primarily one-story; architectural styles include several Period Revival styles and some Minimal Traditional examples. Architects whose work is represented in San Luis Obispo during this period include: Abrahms & Simms, Santa Barbara; E.D. Bray; John Chapek; Orville Clark; W.H. Crias, W.E. Erkes, San Francisco; G.A. Meuss-Dorffer, San Francisco; G.M. Eastman; Thorton Fitzhugh; John Davis Hatch; Alfred and Arthur Heineman, Los Angeles; J.P. Kremple; Fred Logan; Charles McKenzie, San Francisco; Parkinson & Bergstrom; Righetti & Headman, San Francisco; William H. Weeks; James Wetmore; and K.C. Wilson.
Context View, Murray Street. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013). From approximately 1910 to 1950, the area roughly bordered by South Street, Eto Street (now Brook Street), Higuera Street, and Madonna Road developed into a nihonmachi, or Japantown, where Japanese residents found community, safety, welcome, and access to commercial businesses and services that catered to their needs. A small commercial strip of Japanese businesses developed on Higuera Street between South Street and Madonna Road in the late 1920s. By the early 1930s, the area was commonly referred to in local newspapers as the “Nippon Tract,” reflecting its association with the Japanese community. Homes specifically for Japanese residents were introduced to the Nippon Tract by 1931, when Tameji Eto, a prosperous farmer with a successful farm in Los Osos, built or relocated several small wood-framed cottages to the one-block stretch of Eto Street south of
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South Street and to the west of the commercial strip on Higuera Street.74 Other former sites associated with the Japanese population in San Luis Obispo include the Buddhist Temple and Japanese School, which occupied ten acres near the Madonna Inn from the 1920s to 1960.
Cottages on the east side of Brook Street, reportedly built or relocated by Tameji Eto. Source: Page & Turnbull (2024). During this period there was also a significant Italian and Swiss/Italian population in the City, with activities centered on the area referred to as “Little Italy.” This area was generally located along Broad Street, in what was originally part of the Imperial Addition subdivided in the late 1880s. Most of the men worked for either the Southern Pacific Railroad or the Union Oil Company. Among the early residents of this section of the city were Andrew Yager, a carpenter living at 2231 Broad Street; James Genovini, a Southern Pacific boilermaker living at 2231 Broad Street; James Margaroli, a Union Oil truck driver living at 2315 Broad Street; Frederick C. Macha, a Pacific Coast foreman living at 2344 Lawton Avenue; J. D. Duchesi, a Southern Pacific engineer living at 2502 Victoria Avenue; and John Luini, a Southern Pacific foreman living at 2546 Victoria Avenue.
74 History Center San Luis Obispo County, “Eto Park and Brook Street in San Luis Obispo,” accessed June 19, 2024, https://www.historycenterslo.org/uploads/1/2/5/3/125313011/walkingtourhandout-v8.pdf.
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Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Residential property types include single-family residences; multi-family residences (duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, apartment buildings, bungalow courts, etc.); and residential neighborhoods Period of Significance: 1900-1929 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), B/2/2 (Persons), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• As an excellent example of a significant or influential turn-of-the-20th-century residential development or pattern of development in San Luis Obispo.
• As a rare example of multi-family residential development or an excellent example of a particular multi-family residential property type from the period.
• A collection of residences from this period that are linked geographically may be eligible as a historic district.
Residential properties from this period eligible under Criteria A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of
location, design, feeling, and
association.
B/2/2 (Persons) • For its association with a significant person in local history. A residential property significant under Criterion B/2/2 (Persons) should retain integrity of design,
feeling, and association, at a minimum, in order to convey the historic association with a significant person.
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Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As an excellent or rare local example of particular architectural style. Houses with a proven association to a specific kit home model may also be eligible under this criterion.
• As a rare example of multi-family residential development or an excellent example of a particular multi-family residential property type from the period.
• As the work of a significant architect or designer
• A collection of residences from this period that are linked geographically may be eligible as a historic district.
Residential properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, design,
setting, materials, workmanship,
and feeling.
Extant Examples: Early 20th Century Residential Development
Muscio House, 1330 Mill Street, built 1909. Designated as a City of San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Sandercock House, 535 Islay Street, built 1910. Designated as a City of San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
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Payne House, 1144 Palm Street, built 1911. Designated as a City of San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
Crossett House, 896 Buchon, built 1914. Designated as a City of San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
Faulstich House, 2243 Santa Ynez, built 1928. Designated as a City of San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013). Righetti Apartments, 1305 Palm Street, built1929. Designated as a City of San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
Dunne House, 59 Benton Way, built 1927. Designated as a City of San Luis Obispo Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
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Early 20th Century Commercial Development
Higuera Street. Source: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Special Collections (c. 1910-1919). During the early 20th century, the commercial center continued to flourish, and there were numerous commercial enterprises established during this period. By this period, the downtown commercial core had grown significantly, and there were numerous commercial establishments organized on several business blocks; the downtown commercial core is recognized by the City as a historic district. Commercial development continued particularly in the years between World War I and the arrival of the Great Depression. One of the city’s earliest 20th-century businessmen was W. H. Schulze, who opened the W. H. Schulze Haberdashery in 1904 as one of the first tenants of the Johnson commercial block; Schulze continued to operate his store for the next forty years. East Coast dairyman August Jensen opened the Central Creamery in 1910. In 1912, Italian immigrant David Muzio and Italian-Swiss immigrant Fernando Chiesa constructed a building to house Muzio’s Grocery and Chiesa’s Restaurant. Entrepreneur Jefferson Anderson operated the men’s clothing company J. L. Anderson before closing the store to build the upscale Anderson Hotel in 1923. A. F. Fitzgerald, the president of the San Luis Brick Company, was also involved with several local oil companies, as well as serving as president of the Chamber of Commerce and lobbying to establish the California Polytechnic School. Local theaters also hosted minstrel and vaudeville performances. Some of these theatres—including the Elks Theater, Monterey Theater, and Elmo Theater—featured male or female impersonators in the 1910s, actors who portrayed members of the opposite gender on stage. These performances
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represented early instances in which non-conformance with traditional gender norms occurred publicly anywhere in San Luis Obispo.75 Commercial development in San Luis Obispo during the first decades of the twentieth century also included the establishment or expansion of commercial centers that catered specifically to individual ethnic groups. In the 1920s and 1930s, a nihonmachi or Japantown, with Japanese-owned or operated commercial businesses and services emerged along Higuera Street between South Street and Madonna Road. Yoroku Watanabe and Tameji Eto are credited as key figures in the development of San Luis Obispo’s nihonmachi in the 1920s and 1930s. Between 1923 and 1928, Watanabe leased a one-acre site at 158 Higuera Street, located across from passenger depot, freight sheds, and shops of the Pacific Coast Railway. Due to the 1913 Alien Land Law, Watanabe could not purchase the property himself and had to lease it from the estate of a Prussian immigrant. Watanabe’s development included a one-story hotel, rooming house, pool room, restaurants, commercial garage, fish market, and a wholesale and retail grocery, Y&M Grocery at 198 Higuera Street. With the selection of Higuera Street as part of the newly designated route of Highway 101 in 1925, the nihonmachi became the southern gateway to the city.76 In 1929, Watanabe’s complex was acquired by a young Japanese-American man named Robert Fukunaga, who upgraded the buildings and expanded the hotel into a two-story brick building.77 By the 1930s, the area included two hotels, a barber shop, two groceries, and a fish and meat market. Although geographically small in size, San Luis Obispo’s nihonmachi was not just the center of commercial businesses and services for local Japanese residents but also for Japanese farming communities in the surrounding rural areas, including Arroyo Grande, Los Osos, Pismo Beach, Nippomo, and the port at Avila Beach.78 This period also saw a marked increase in automobile use; by 1916 there were five automobile service stations in San Luis Obispo. New commercial construction directly tied to the automobile increased in the early 1920s. Liveries were converted into automobile showrooms that sold specific brands. Purpose-built showrooms were built on commercial streets in the central business district and typically featured large entrance doors and windows to show of the automobiles waiting to be purchased inside.
75 “Putting One Over on the Elks’ Minstrels by Printing the Criticism in Advance,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 5 May 1913; “Cavazos, Genuine Top Liner Pleases Large Audience,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 25 June 1914. 76 History Center San Luis Obispo County, “Eto Park and Brook Street in San Luis Obispo,” accessed June 19, 2024, https://www.historycenterslo.org/uploads/1/2/5/3/125313011/walkingtourhandout-v8.pdf. 77 “Japantown - San Luis Obispo,” LocalWiki, accessed Jun 19, 2024, https://localwiki.org/slo/Japantown. 78 “Japantown Atlas - Central California - San Luis Obispo,” 2022, accessed June 19, 2024, http://japantownatlas.com/map-sanluis.html.
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Yoruko Watanabe's fruit and vegetable grocery (1928). Source: History Center of San Luis Obispo County. Courtesy of Shizue Seigel. Auto-tourism and recreation spurred new types of commercial development in San Luis Obispo. The Exposition Park Race Track, with a one-mile course that was billed as the fastest in the world, opened at the south end of the city in 1922. Early automobile tourists camped along the roadside on the outskirts of towns across the country, including San Luis Obispo. Auto camping as an idyllic, anti-establishment pursuit dwindled by World War I, as farmers, schools and other property owners grew tired of the increasing numbers of tourists who camped for free on their land, creating pollution, damaging property, stealing produce, and leaving trash and debris in their wake. In response, private and municipal camps were established to capture the romantic essence of the roadside camps, while offering more conveniences and amenities. Usually consisting of a group of modest cabins and tents for camping, early examples of auto camps in San Luis Obispo included a municipal auto camp and private auto camp at the intersection of Monterey, Palm, and Grand streets.79 These camps were also short-lived, as increasing numbers of motorists overwhelmed the sites, and more affluent travelers sought upgraded accommodations.
79 Sanborn Map Company, “San Luis Obispo,” 1926, Library of Congress.
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Exposition Park Race Track, built 1923. Left image: 1923, Right image: Filming in 1926; source for both Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Special Collections.
Milestone Mo-tel, 2223 Monterey Street, built 1925. Source: Huntington Library, San Marino.
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1926 Sanborn Map Company fire insurance map, showing parcels containing auto-related development (highlighted in blue) near the intersection of Monterey and Santa Rosa streets (1926). Source: San Francisco Public Library. In the early 1920s, Southern California-based architect Arthur Heineman proposed a solution for the automobile traveler that would become the roadside motel. Based on the concept of the bungalow court, Heineman proposed eighteen motels from San Diego to Seattle, each approximately one day’s drive apart. The motels would be located on the outskirts of the cities, with easy access on and off the main highways along the Pacific coast. This new venture would be called the Milestone Mo-tel, based on the term “motor hotel.” San Luis Obispo was selected as the inaugural site, as it was a logical stopover between Los Angeles and San Francisco.80 The Milestone Mo-tel was situated on the northern end of San Luis Obispo, immediately off of the Pacific Coast Highway. Mission Revival imagery was co-opted for the motel to “recapitulate to a marked degree the history of the Franciscan Friars and the early lore of California.”81 A 1925 article in Pacific Travel announcing the construction of the Milestone Mo-tel directly tied the route of the missionaries with the location of the motels: If Junipero Serra is looking down today on the California he loved so well, he is noting the fact that King’s Highway, with its old missions a day’s horseback ride apart, has become a thoroughfare for teeming millions, and that along this shining pathway 80 “Milestone Company to Build San Jose Motel,” Mercury News, November 24, 1925. 81 Charles Estey, “Hotel for Motorists,” Pacific Coast Travel, October 1925.
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through an earthly Paradise there is now being established a chain of remarkable hotels for motorists, which has been given the names ‘Milestone Mo-tels.82 Motels and “motor courts” with cabins or buildings arranged in rows, or U- or L-shaped configurations replaced the earlier auto camps with tents in the 1930s. Architectural styles represented in local commercial architecture during this period include Mission Revival, Mediterranean Revival, and Spanish Colonial Revival. There are also modest vernacular commercial buildings that may have minimal stylistic detailing and do not represent a particular style. Architects whose work is represented in San Luis Obispo during this period include: Abrahms & Simms, Santa Barbara; E.D. Bray; John Chapek; Orville Clark; W.H. Crias, W.E. Erkes; San Francisco; G.A. Meuss-Dorffer, San Francisco; G.M. Eastman; Thorton Fitzhugh; John Davis Hatch; Alfred and Arthur Heineman, Los Angeles; J.P. Kremple; Fred Logan; Charles McKenzie, San Francisco; Parkinson & Bergstrom; Righetti & Headman, San Francisco; William H. Weeks; James Wetmore; and K.C. Wilson.
Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Commercial properties include one- and two-story commercial blocks; hotels; low-rise storefront buildings; and historic districts Period of Significance: 1900-1929 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), B/2/2 (Persons), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• As an intact example of a significant or influential early 20th century commercial development
• For its direct association with as automobile-related development in San Luis Obispo
Commercial properties from this period eligible under Criteria A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of
location, design, setting, feeling,
and association. .
B/2/2 (Persons) • For its association with a significant person in San Luis Obispo’s early history A commercial property significant under Criterion B/2/2 (Persons) should retain integrity of design,
feeling, and association, at a minimum, in order to convey the historic association with a significant person. 82 Estey, Pacific Coast Travel.
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Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As an excellent or rare example of a particular architectural style associated with the period
• The work of a significant architect or designer
• As a rare intact example of an early commercial property type.
Commercial properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, design,
setting, materials, workmanship,
and feeling.
Extant Examples: Early 20th Century Commercial Development
Johnson Building, 796 Higuera Street, built 1903-1904. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Park/Reidy Hotel, 1815 Osos Street, built 1907. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Union Hardware, 1119 Garden Street, built 1912. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
Anderson Hotel, 955 Monterey Street, built 1922-1923. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
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Early 20th Century Civic & Institutional Development
Postcard of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Source: historyinslocounty.org (no date). In 1901, the California State Legislature authorized “An Act to Establish the California Polytechnic School,” with the express stipulation that the school focus on agricultural and vocational training. Construction began in early 1903, and in October of that year, California Polytechnic opened its doors to welcome the first students. Initially, the school offered a secondary-level, three-year Course of Study. By 1904, enrollment at the school had already tripled from twenty students to sixty. Enrollment at the school continued to increase, and by the end of its first decade Cal Poly’s student body had grown to 176 students. The 1910s proved to be a challenging time for the school, as the compulsory military training and the Selective Service Act saw 147 students join the armed services. Enrollment dipped as many students went off to war, and those who remained behind participated in war relief projects. In the years following World War I, many veterans relocated to the area to take advantage of Cal Poly’s vocational training. Faced with growing enrollment after the war, Cal Poly focused primarily on developing its academic plan. The Course of Study program was extended from three years to four years, and an Academic Department for college preparatory work was added to the original Agriculture, Mechanics, and Household Arts Departments. In 1921, however, the school’s board of trustees was disbanded and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction assumed direct supervision of the institution. Although a course of study in printing was introduced in 1923, drastic budget cuts that same year reduced the available programs to agriculture, mechanics, and printing. Classes were not restored in other departments until 1926.
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In 1905, a Carnegie Library was constructed in San Luis Obispo, which was the first dedicated library building in the County. In 1906, a new building for San Luis Obispo High School, which previously was held in the Court School, was constructed on Marsh Street. Other institutional buildings were constructed during this period, including a new church for the Methodist Episcopal Congregation on the corner of Morro and Pacific Streets. In 1920, a fire in the Mission Church Sacristy broke out which destroyed most of the Mission roof. The structures themselves were saved by the original oak rafters, which prevented the adobe walls from caving in. In 1925, Father Daniel Keenan established La Fiesta de las Flores (“Festival of the Flowers”), a community celebration intended to raise funds to repair the Mission’s roof. La Fiesta became an annual fundraising event which continued for seventy years until 1995. The funds raised during the early years of La Fiesta helped renovate the Church in 1933 when, under the stewardship of Father John Harnett, the Church was restored to its original Spanish-style appearance. The wooden clapboard siding was removed, and the Mission roof was replaced with clay tile. The original portico and belfry were reconstructed of reinforced concrete and plaster, and in 1937, the colonnade lining the convento was rebuilt to resemble the original. A final addition made to extend the annex in 1948 was funded by the Hearst Foundation, a longtime supporter of La Fiesta.
Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Civic property types include city hall, courthouses, post offices, libraries, and schools. Non-governmental institutional buildings include churches, meeting halls, and other buildings associated with social organizations. Note on intangible cultural heritage: Civic and institutional properties, including social halls, religious buildings, and other community gathering spaces, may also be associated with intangible cultural heritage, such as annual festivals, parades, and/or other cultural events and practices. Period of Significance: 1900-1929 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), C/3/3 (Architecture)
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Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• As a rare example (first, last remaining, only) of civic or institutional development from the period
• For its association with an important religious, social, cultural, or civic institution
• For its association with a particular cultural or ethnic community in San Luis Obispo. A property may be associated with migration or community formation in San Luis Obispo, a community-serving or religious organizations or intangible cultural heritage, or civil rights activism.
Civic and institutional properties from this period eligible under Criterion A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of location, design,
feeling, and association.
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As an excellent or rare example of a particular architectural style associated with its period
• As the work of a significant architect or designer
Civic or institutional properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, design,
setting, materials, workmanship,
and feeling.
Extant Examples: Early 20th Century Civic & Institutional Development
Stover’s Sanitarium,1160 Marsh Street, built 1911. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013). Carnegie Library, 696 Monterey Street, built 1905. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Masonic Temple, 859 Marsh Street, built 1913. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
U.S. Post Office, 893 Marsh Street, built 1925. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Early 20th Century Agricultural & Industrial Development
San Luis Obispo Tank Farm Source: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Special Collections (c. 1910). The development of ranching and agriculture as the region’s main commercial enterprises influenced the development of San Luis Obispo. California’s agricultural industries expanded in scale and production at a rapid rate in the early 20th century. San Luis Obispo County farms contributed to the California Central Valley’s emergence as one of the largest agricultural producing regions in the United States. In the early 20th century, the primary agricultural crops in San Luis Obispo County ranged from flower seeds to winter peas, bush beans, pole beans, and celery.83 As these industries continued to grow, so did the demand for cheap labor. The majority of this labor need was met by immigrants from regions around the world, resulting in the continued diversification of the San Luis Obispo’s population. Due to the decline of Chinese immigration and reduction in Chinese laborers that followed the passage of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, other groups stepped in to meet the demand for agricultural labor. By 1910, a majority of agricultural workers in San Luis Obispo County were of non-European descent. More than half of agricultural workers were Japanese.84 Japanese farm laborers arrived in San Luis Obispo in notable numbers in 1904 after finishing work on the Pacific Coast Railway in Guadalupe.85 Many became known for their skill at growing green vegetables, sugar beets, grapes, fruits, and nuts, though Japanese farmers gained particular success and a high reputation for growing peas.86 Japanese farmers followed a graduated strategy to move up the agricultural employment ladder, often starting as contracted labor-for-hire, then rising through the ranks as sharecroppers, tenant farmers, and finally for a small number of individuals, as landowners of their own farms. However, like Chinese immigrants before them, racism again reared its head in the first decade of the 20th century to tamp down the surge of Japanese immigration. In 1907, the United States 83 Stan Harth, Dan Krieger, and Liz Krieger, War Comes to the Middle Kingdom, 1939-1942 (San Luis Obispo: EZ Nature Books, 1998). 84 Jenzen, Growing Conflict, 71. 85 Ann Fairbanks, "Historical Moment for Japanese Sites," San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune, 7 July 1980, B-1. 86 Jenzen, Growing Conflict, 74-75.
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and Japan enacted the so-called Gentlemen’s Agreement, in which Japan agreed to stop the immigration of laborers into the United States. Six years later, passage of the 1913 Alien Land Law made it illegal for Japanese immigrants to own property or lease agricultural land for more than three years, largely cutting off these pathways to landowning. However, some families evaded the law by forming corporations in the names of their American-born children or friends and purchasing property through these corporations.87 The Eto family, which was responsible for developing much of San Luis Obispo’s Japantown, provides such an example. The family, led by Tameji Eto, purchased farming land in Morro Bay under the name of a white friend. There, the Eto family became the first to grow winter peas in the San Luis Obispo area and introduced truck farming to the region. Tameji Eto became a founding figure in the local vegetable industry and was a leader in the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce and county farm bureau.88 With the United States entrance into World War I in 1917, there was an enormous demand for agricultural products, which proved an economic boon to Central California. During the War, many farmers turned to the production of navy beans, since these were subsidized by the War Relief Administration. Before reliable refrigeration, beans could be shipped to the troops in Europe without spoiling, and San Louis Obispo County’s economy boomed. With anti-immigration laws limiting the influx of workers from Asia, the United States initiated the first Bracero Program to recruit agricultural workers from Mexico. The program lasted until 1921 before being reinstated during World War II. These programs brought a new wave of Mexican immigrants to the San Luis Obispo area.89 By 1930, nearly 2,000 Mexican people lived in San Luis Obispo County.90 Passage of the Immigration Act of 1924 further cut off the flow of immigrants from Europe and Asia into the United States in the early 20th century. California’s farms and agricultural industries, which were rapidly expanding during this period and depended heavily on immigrant labor, faced a shortage of workers. While Mexican Bracero workers helped meet the demand, labor contractors turned primarily to the Philippine Islands—which became a United States territory following the Spanish-American War in 1898 and were, therefore, not subject to anti-immigration laws—to fill the void. After arriving by ship in San Francisco, Filipino workers were dispersed to work in farms across the state, including San Luis Obispo County. Filipino labor encampments formed in Pismo Beach, Ocean View Drive, along Highway 1, Avila Beach, Nipomo, Arroyo Grande, and the Edna Valley. By the 1930s, Filipino workers overtook Japanese workers as the largest proportion of the county’s agricultural workforce, comprising 46% of the total number of farm laborers. The cycle of racism and anti-immigrant sentiment again repeated itself in response to the rapid influx of Filipino workers. In 1934, the United States divested of its possession of the Philippine Islands, giving the island its independence. Filipinos went from being considered U.S. nationals to aliens, making them subject to immigration restrictions.91 In the early 20th century, oil derricks were erected in the San Luis Obispo area and drilling for oil began. The most lucrative oil fields were located south of San Luis Obispo and were controlled by families from outside of the region, including the Doheny family from Los Angeles. The Producers 87 Page & Turnbull and Donna Graves, E-37; Jenzen, Growing Conflict, 74. 88 Emily Pan, “Take Eto's Story up to World War II, Told by her Daughter,” Central California Asian American History, January 4, 2021, https://www.centralcoastasianhistory.org/post/take-eto-s-story-up-to-world-war-2-told-by-her-daughter. 89 Sarah Linn, “Rooted in Struggle: Meet Mexican Americans Working in the Wine Industry,” PBS SoCal, September 27, https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/the-migrant-kitchen/mexican-americans-working-in-the-wine-industry. 90 United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930, Population, Volume III, Part 1 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1932). 91 Jenzen, Growing Conflict, 77-81.
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Transportation Company represented the largest oil interest in San Luis Obispo County, accommodating the transport of oil from the Union Oil Company and the Independent Producers Agency via 500 miles of pipeline to the Port of San Luis. Pumping stations in San Luis Obispo County were located in Shandon, Creston, Santa Margarita, Tank Farm, Avila and Port San Luis. There was a 250-acre Tank Farm just south of San Luis Obispo, which was constructed for the storage of oil while it awaited transport to the port for shipment. The oil business of the Producers Transportation Company made of Port San Luis the greatest oil shipping port in the world and provided employment to hundreds of men in the county. At Port San Luis the Pacific Coast Railway built a special wharf to handle the oil shipments.
Industrial buildings may be associated with agriculture and are likely located in areas with easy access to transportation corridors, with earlier examples clustered along the railroad. There may be some remnant agricultural-related buildings and structures, such as remnant chicken coops and other utilitarian structures. There are likely few remaining properties directly associated with the oil industry, although it had an effect of the development of the area, and in particular the importance of Port San Luis. There may be some remnant industrial and agricultural properties that were initially located outside of the City limits but have since been annexed. In the late 19th and early 20th century, it was illegal to accommodate “noxious” businesses such as brick works and slaughterhouses inside City limits. In general, agricultural and industrial properties are not associated with particular architectural styles. Vernacular industrial buildings of brick and reinforced concrete are the predominate form, and significance is frequently derived from historic association rather than from aesthetic qualities. Agricultural and industrial resources from this period may be eligible under several early 20th century themes.
Channel Commercial Company, 1880 Santa Barbara Avenue. The Channel Commercial Company was a wholesale grocery outlet that facilitated shipment of produce via the railroad. Photo date unknown. Source: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Special Collections (c. 1912).
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Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Agricultural and Industrial properties Property Type Summary: Industrial types include warehouses, factories, ice houses, and other light industrial types. Agricultural property types include warehouses, farmhouses, and related outbuildings. Period of Significance: 1900-1929 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• As a rare, intact example of a particular type of agricultural or industrial development
• For its association with the development of an important local industry
Agricultural and industrial properties from this period eligible under Criterion A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of location,
design, feeling, and association.
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As a rare example of a specific agricultural or industrial property type
• As the work of a significant architect or designer
Agricultural and industrial properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location,
design, materials, workmanship,
and feeling
Extant Examples: Early 20th Century Agricultural & Industrial Development
Golden State Creamery, 570 Higuera Street, built 1910. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
Channel Commercial Company, 1880 Santa Barbara Avenue, built 1912. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
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Harmony Creamery, 991 Nipomo, built 1929. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source City of San Luis Obispo.(2013).
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Early 20th Century Transportation & Infrastructure Transportation-related development in San Luis Obispo in the early 20th century was dominated by a marked increase in automobile use. Although the Southern Pacific Railroad continued to thrive and constructed some of its most significant buildings during this era, including the Signal Repair Shop (non-extant) and the Transportation Company Building, railroad activity began to decline by the 1920s due to the advent of the automobile and advances in technology for commercial transportation, such as refrigerated trucks. Americans embraced the freedom and personal mobility that accompanied traveling by car, and the creation of the interstate freeway system increased access and created more direct travel routes. Road improvements and auto-oriented development accompanied the growing popularity of automobiles. In 1912, San Luis Obispo was chosen as the location of the district headquarters of the California Highway Commission for the counties of San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Barbara, making the city a center for regional highway planning and construction.92 The first state highway in the area, Legislative Route 2, came through San Luis Obispo County in 1915. Within one year, there were five service stations in San Luis Obispo, and by the 1920s all the major roads in town were paved. The original wood bridges over the creek were also replaced with a series of concrete bridges, and alleyways were improved to accommodate the automobile.93 In 1925, Legislative Route 2 was designated U.S. Highway 101. The original highway route ran through San Luis Obispo on Higuera Street to Chorro Street, before jogging one block over to Monterey Street and continuing north along Santa Rosa Street.94 By the late 1920s, clusters of auto-related development existed along the route of the highway through San Luis Obispo. Fire insurance maps published by the Sanborn Map Company in 1926 show garages, gas stations, automobile service and repair shops, and used car lots on Higuera Street where it was intersected by Carmel, Nipomo, Walker, and Pacific streets; on Monterey Street between Osos Street and Toro Street near the County Courthouse; and on the block between Palm, Moro, Monterey, and Chorro streets. Gas stations, often small one-story buildings with an office and a roof that extended over a driveway with a pump, were built, often at street corners along the route. 95
92 Galadriel Bree Highhouse, "Madonna Inn: A Hotel in Context," Master of Arts thesis, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 2011. 93 City of San Luis Obispo, “Completion Report: Historic Resources Survey,” July 1983, 22. 94 "US Highway 101," California Highways, accessed October 4, 2024, https://www.cahighways.org/ROUTE101.html. 95 Sanborn Map Company, “San Luis Obispo,” 1926, Library of Congress.
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1923 map, showing the original routing of U.S. Highway 101 (red line), streets, and railroads through San Luis Obispo. Source: David Rumsey Map Collection (1923).
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Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Transportation-related property types include rail lines (including spur lines and switches); railroad company-owned freight or storage buildings; support structures, such as turntables, equipment mounts, and crossing structures; vestiges of demolished railroad buildings; bridges and culvert crossings; and other transportation-related infrastructure. Infrastructure-related property types include buildings and features associated with public infrastructure agencies such as those providing power and water. Period of Significance: 1900-1929 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• As an example of an important transportation- or infrastructure- related property that influenced the development of San Luis Obispo.
• As an early and/or influential transportation-related development.
• For historic districts, as a cohesive group or collection of properties developed for or used by the transportation-related commercial businesses or industries.
Transportation-related properties from this period eligible under Criterion A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of location, design,
feeling, and association.
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Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As a rare or unique example of a particular type of transportation- or infrastructure-related development.
• As a rare or unique example of transportation-related type or method of construction.
• As the work of a significant architect or designer
In order to be eligible for listing at the federal, state, or local levels, a property must retain sufficient integrity to convey its historic significance under the Early 20th Century Transportation-Related Development theme. Transportation-related properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, design,
materials, workmanship, and
feeling
Extant Examples: Early 20th Century Transportation & Infrastructure
Southern Pacific Warehouse, built c. 1900. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo, Master List Properties Story Map.
Southern Pacific Transportation Company Building, 1021 Railroad Avenue. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark.
Old Gas Works, 280 Pismo Street, built 1902. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND WORLD WAR II (1930-1945) The stock market crash of 1929 precipitated an economic depression in the United States that would last until the Second World War. San Luis Obispo County’s agricultural diversity shielded it from the worst of the Great Depression of the 1930s; however, there was little residential or commercial growth in the area during this period. The County benefited from the domestic policies of the administration of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt – popularly called the “New Deal” – which marshaled direct government investment to alleviate the problems of poverty, unemployment, and the disintegration of the American economy during the Great Depression. The Public Works Administration (PWA), which began in 1933 and the Works Progress (later Work Projects) Administration (WPA), which began in 1935, funneled significant financial resources to communities across the United States for the construction of roads, bridges, parks, and civic and institutional buildings. Through the involvement of these agencies, the County received a new Courthouse, flood-control projects, and highway improvements.96 During this period, architect Julia Morgan spent a great deal of time in San Luis Obispo while working on Hearst Castle in nearby San Simeon.97 In the 1920s, Morgan was commissioned by the local Monday Club to design a new clubhouse for the rapidly growing membership. Morgan inspected the lot on Monterey Street that the club had purchased and consented to designing a clubhouse without charge, in return for Monday Club members arranging her room and board when she came to San Luis Obispo. The clubhouse was dedicated on May 11, 1934.98 Cal Poly went through several reorganizations during this period, until 1940 when the school was granted collegiate status by the California State Board of Education and began to offer Bachelor of Science degrees in agriculture and engineering. During World War II, the campus played a part in the war effort by serving as the site of a Naval Flight Preparatory School, which graduated more than 3,600 cadets. By 1945, civilian enrollment had skyrocketed from eighty to just over 800 students, primarily returning veterans studying under the G.I. Bill. Just four years later, enrollment had increased to over 2,900 students. There are several military establishments near San Luis Obispo, the most significant of which is Camp San Luis Obispo (formerly Camp Merriam). The site now known as Camp San Luis Obispo was first established in 1927, when the state of California secured a 25-year lease for 2,000 acres of ranch land, known as the Jack Ranch, located along Highway 1. The lease marked the establishment of a formal training camp for the California National Guard, which had previously been forced to conduct their summer training sessions on private ranches, in state parks, or in some cases, on land belonging to other federal military installations. Construction began on Camp San Luis Obispo in 1928, and the first official encampment took place in 1929. That same year, the state exercised its power of eminent domain and purchased the camp lands it had been leasing up to that point. By 1932, the camp had grown to 5,800 acres and had been renamed Camp Merriam, after then-Lieutenant Governor Frank F. Merriam, who had campaigned vigorously for the establishment of the camp while serving as Speaker of the California State 96 Living New Deal Project, “San Luis Obispo Sites,” accessed December 2, 2024, https://livingnewdeal.org/?s=san+luis+obispo. 97 Julia Morgan designed a playhouse in San Luis Obispo for the driver who took her to San Simeon each day. The house has been relocated to Mill & Johnson Street and is not visible from the public right-of-way. 98 “The Monday Club, San Luis Obispo, California,” Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Robert E. Kennedy Library, accessed December 2, 2024, https://lib.calpoly.edu/search-and-find/collections-and-archives/architectural/julia-morgan/.
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Assembly. The site proved ideal for military training purposes, as it was equidistant to both Los Angeles and San Francisco, adjacent to both major railroads and a major highway, and featured rugged terrain that allowed for the creation of realistic military training exercises. Many soldiers stationed at Camp Merriam (and, later, Camp San Luis Obispo) found the area so appealing that they returned to settle in the area following their release from active duty. Activity at Camp Merriam increased sharply in the late 1930s as war broke out across Asia and Europe. To accommodate the increased training efforts, the camp was divided into an artillery camp and a separate, larger infantry camp. In 1940, in anticipation of further military engagement, the United States government exercised its preemptive right to lease Camp Merriam from the state of California, at which point the site was re-christened as Camp San Luis Obispo in honor of the nearby Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. In the 1940s, the pace of development increased dramatically in San Luis Obispo, in large part due to the expansion of Camp Merriam into Camp San Luis Obispo in 1940. A property tax increase was approved to fund the construction of a United Service Organization (USO) center. Many former agricultural workers relocated from the San Joaquin Valley and other farming areas in search of employment at the camp and other military manufacturing sites along the coast, which offered federally guaranteed wages. Expansion efforts during this period were directed towards mitigating the strain placed on existing facilities and services by the sudden influx of residents, as there was still little new residential development.99 The United States’ entrance into World War II effectively ended the Depression in California and boosted the regional economy. California received almost 12% of the government war contracts and produced 17% of all war supplies.100 California also acquired more military installations than any other state by a wide margin, and military bases were opened throughout the state. Aircraft, shipbuilding, and numerous other industries were booming due to the war effort, and unemployment was virtually eliminated. During World War II, Camp San Luis Obispo was expanded to serve as a training base for multiple combat divisions deployed to both Europe and the Pacific, and much of the site’s development took place during 1940-1941. The site was also expanded to over 15,000 acres, and camp construction transitioned from the erection of temporary structures and tents to more permanent buildings. Extant structures from this period consist entirely of artillery camp facilities; there are no remaining extant infantry camp facilities. At its peak during World War II, Camp San Luis Obispo housed approximately 20,000 soldiers. A second, off-post facility, the Baywood Park Training Camp, was also acquired during World War II. The Baywood Park Training Camp was located approximately thirteen miles northwest of the City of San Luis Obispo and consisted of about 8,800 acres used primarily as a maneuver area and as a site 99 The USO building was constructed on the site of the Court School, which by that time was vacant and in disrepair. By 1944, there were 3,000 USO buildings strategically located throughout the world. After the war, the City of San Luis Obispo leased the property from the Federal government until acquiring title in 1957. Source: Patti Taylor and Suzette Lees, 75 SLO City Sites: An Informative Self-Guided Architectural Tour in Historic San Luis Obispo. San Luis Obispo, CA: Graphic Communication Institute at Cal Poly, California Polytechnic State University, 2010. 100 State of California Capitol Museum, “California’s Infrastructure,” accessed December 3, 2024, https://capitolmuseum.ca.gov/exhibits/called-to-action-californias-role-in-ww2/californias-infrastructure/.
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for bivouacs, or campsites. In 1946, the site was declared as excess by the government, and all of the Baywood Park lands were returned to their original owners in 1947. World War II had a significant impact on the population and demographics of San Luis Obispo. The city’s Japanese community continued to grow until the outset of the war. In 1931, officers of the Guarantee Building and Loan Association created a small subdivision known as the Nippon Tract around what is now known as Brook Street. From 1934 to 1942, Brook Street was known as Eto Street, after the Tameji Eto family, who, along with the Tsutsumi family, helped develop San Luis Obispo’s Japantown along Higuera Street between South and French streets. On the eve of the United States’ entrance into World War II, there were seven homes on the 32 lots of the Nippon Tract.101 In 1942, after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which forced all people of Japanese descent living in California into internment camps, based on the fear that they posed a security risk to the United States. It is estimated that approximately 800 Japanese American residents from San Luis Obispo County were sent to internment camps around the country during the war. 102 San Luis Obispo’s Japantown was erased virtually overnight. The Tsusumi family was compelled to sell their property along Higuera Street, which was worth an estimated $150,000, to a local realtor for $2,000. Concurrently, Eto Street was renamed Brook Street in 1942. While the war resulted in the expulsion of one community, it was the major driver in increasing the population of others. World War II brought thousands of African American military servicemen and their families to the San Luis Obispo area. Most African American servicemen were assigned to the Corps Area Service, Unit 1947 (renamed the Service Command Unit in 1942), stationed at Camp San Luis Obispo, or the 54th Coast Artillery Battalion, which was stationed at Morro Bay State Park to protect the coastal oil terminals in Morro Bay and Port San Luis.103 A Filipino battalion was also stationed Camp San Luis Obispo in 1942. So many men enlisted that a second Filipino regiment was formed at Camp Cook (now Vandenberg Air Force Base).104 The infusion of these African American and Filipino servicemen into the San Luis Obispo region changed its demographics, particularly in the postwar period as many veterans chose to permanently settle in San Luis Obispo.
101 Harth, Krieger, and Krieger, War Comes to the Middle Kingdom, 1939-1942; History Center San Luis Obispo County, “Eto Park and Brook Street in San Luis Obispo.” 102 Ryan Cooley, “Imprisoning Our Own: SLO County Families and Executive Order 9066,” San Luis Obispo New Times, April 6, 2017, https://www.newtimesslo.com/news/imprisoning-our-own-slo-county-families-and-executive-order-9066-2978896; History Center San Luis Obispo County, “Eto Park and Brook Street in San Luis Obispo.” 103 Daniel M. Sebby, “San Luis Obispo’s ‘Colored’ USO, 1941-1945,” Historic California Posts, Camps, Stations and Airfields, February 8, 2016, https://www.militarymuseum.org/SLOAAUSO.html. 104 Jenzen, Growing Conflict, 97.
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Map of San Luis Obispo's Japantown. Source: Japantown Atlas (2022). Important people during this period in San Luis Obispo’s history include several individuals who were instrumental in the expansion of military establishments in the area. Major General Richard E.
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Mittelstaedt, State Adjutant General; Major General Walter P. Story, Commanding General 40th Division; and State Senator Chris N. Jespersen were all influential in persuading the California State Legislature to establish Camp Merriam near San Luis Obispo. Frank F. Merriam had also lobbied vigorously for the camp while serving as Speaker of the California State Assembly, and the camp was named in his honor. Julian A. McPhee was instrumental in the growth of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo during this period. McPhee was the school’s longest-serving president, holding the position from 1933 to 1966. He used his influence in the state’s Board of Agriculture to prevent the struggling school from being closed by the state, and he played a key role in the reorganization of the school during the Depression. He served concurrently as both university president and as the head of the Bureau of Agricultural Education for the California State Department of Education. He continued to hold positions in California’s educational bureaus throughout his time at Cal Poly, including serving as chief of California’s War Food Training Program and later, as director of Vocational Education for the state.
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Residential Development, 1930-1945 Most residential construction projects were halted during the Great Depression and many residents faced layoffs and foreclosures. Land use was focused on re-purposing existing properties in more useful ways, such as utilizing vacant lots and yards to create gardens and raise rabbits and chickens. When residential development did occur, it was on an individual basis rather than on the massive scale seen in the post-World War II era. Through most of the 1930s, the average contractor in California built no more than four homes per year.105 In San Luis Obispo, there were no annexations and only three subdivisions during the 1930s: the Nippon tract, recorded in 1931; the California Park tract, recorded in 1938; and the Escuela Alta tract, recorded in 1939. All told, less than 200 additional residential lots were created during the entire decade. After the forced removal of Japanese American residents to internment camps after the United States’ entrance into World War II, family members of the Black military unit, the 54th Artillery Battalion, moved into the cottages and Pacific Hotel along Brook and Higuera streets that had belonged to interned Japanese Americans.106 The Pacific Hotel became the only hotel that was run by and welcomed Black people.107 San Luis Obispo’s former Japantown, thus, evolved into a primarily African American neighborhood, starting in the 1940s. Residences from this period range from small, one-story Minimal Traditional houses, to one- and two-story residences designed in popular architectural styles. Residential architecture from this period in San Luis Obispo includes American Colonial Revival, Mediterranean Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, and Tudor Revival.
105 California Department of Transportation, Tract Housing in California, 1945-1973: A Context for National Register Evaluation, Sacramento, 2011, 4 106 History Center San Luis Obispo County, “Eto Park and Brook Street in San Luis Obispo.” 107 Liz and Dan Krieger, “Blacks, Blues and Blood,” San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune, 19 January 1991: 23.
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Map indicating the three subdivisions recorded in San Luis Obispo in the 1930s. Source: San Luis Obispo GIS data.
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Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Single-family residences; multi-family residences (duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, apartment buildings, bungalow courts, etc.); and residential neighborhoods Period of Significance: 1930-1945 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), B/2/2 (Persons), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• As an excellent example of 1930s residential development in San Luis Obispo
• As a rare example of a multi-family residential development or a particular multi-family residential property type from the period
• A collection of residences from this period that are linked geographically may be eligible as a historic district.
There was minimal residential development during this period; therefore, there are likely relatively few eligible properties related to this theme. Residential properties from this period eligible under Criteria A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of
location, design, feeling, and
association.
B/2/2 (Persons)
• For its association with a significant person in San Luis Obispo’s history. A residential property significant under Criterion B/2/2 (Persons) should retain integrity of design,
feeling, and association, at a minimum, in order to convey the historic association with a significant person.
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As a rare example of a multi-family residential development or a particular multi-family residential property type from the period
• As an excellent or rare local example of particular architectural style associated with the period.
• A collection of residences from this period that are linked geographically may be eligible as a historic district.
There was minimal residential development during this period; therefore, there are likely relatively few eligible properties related to this theme. Residential properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, design,
setting, materials, workmanship, and feeling.
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Extant Examples: Residential Development, 1930-1945
822 Murray Street, built 1930. Listed on the San Luis Obispo Inventory of Historic Resources. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
752 Mission Street, built 1931. Listed on the San Luis Obispo Inventory of Historic Resources. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Commercial Development, 1930-1945 There was little new commercial development in the years leading up to and during World War II. A notable exception is the Fremont Theater, designed by nationally-prominent architect S. Charles Lee and located in downtown San Luis Obispo. The Fremont Theater retains its original neon sign, one of a small number of neon signs in the city which date from the 1940s through the post-World War II era. Architectural styles from this period include Mediterranean Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Streamline Moderne, and Art Deco. Architects whose work is represented in San Luis Obispo during this period include S. Charles Lee, Walker & Eisen, and Julia Morgan.
Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Associated property types include one- and two-story commercial blocks, theaters, low-rise storefront buildings, and other commercial properties. Period of Significance: 1930-1945 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), B/2/2 (Persons), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• As an intact and significant or influential example of 1930s commercial development Commercial properties from this period eligible under Criteria A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of
location, design, setting, feeling,
and association.
B/2/2 (Persons)
• For its association with a significant person in San Luis Obispo’s history A commercial property significant under Criterion B/2/2 (Persons) should retain integrity of design,
feeling, and association, at a minimum, in order to convey the historic association with a significant person.
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As a good or rare example of a particular architectural style associated with the period
• As the work of a significant architect or designer
• Historic signs may also be eligible under this theme, as excellent or rare examples of commercial neon signs
Commercial properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, design,
setting, materials, workmanship,
and feeling.
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Extant Examples: Commercial Development, 1930-1945
Doton Building, 777 Higuera Street, built 1931. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Fremont Theater, 1035 Monterey Road, built1942. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
Gas station at 311 Higuera Street, built 1937. Source: Google Street View (2024).
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Civic & Institutional Development, 1930-1945
San Luis Obispo County Courthouse, 976 Osos Street, built 1941. Source: courthousehistory.com (no date). Civic and institutional development in San Luis Obispo continued in the 1930s, some of which was the result of New Deal programs and funding. This theme also encompasses military-related properties constructed during this period, including buildings used by the United Service Organizations (USO) during World War II. The Edward G. and Ida E. Ludwick Community Center at the corner of Santa Rosa Street and Mill Street was the USO for white soldiers from Camp San Luis Obispo. The city also had two USOs for Black soldiers. Unlike in most cities in the United States, the Black USOs in San Luis Obispo were not relegated to an outlying or segregated part of town. One was located in the city center at 879 Morro Street, one block from Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, the County Courthouse, and City Hall and adjacent to Chinatown. A second Black USO was located on the 900 block of Higuera Street.108 Properties significant under this theme may also be significant examples of a particular architectural style. Architectural styles associated with this period include Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, PWA Moderne, and period revival styles including Mediterranean Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, and Tudor Revival. Architects whose work is represented in San Luis Obispo during this period include S. Charles Lee, Walker & Eisen, and Julia Morgan.
108 Sebby, “San Luis Obispo’s ‘Colored’ USO, 1941-1945.”
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Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Civic and institutional property types include city halls, post offices, fire stations, auditoriums, and office buildings for public agencies. Non-governmental institutional buildings include churches, meeting halls, and buildings associated with social organizations. Infrastructural improvements and other civic amenities may also be eligible under this theme, as roadways, bridges, and other improvements were funded by the WPA and the PWA during this period. This theme also encompasses military-related properties constructed during this period. Note on intangible cultural heritage: Civic and institutional properties, including social halls, religious buildings, and other community gathering spaces, may also be associated with intangible cultural heritage, such as annual festivals, parades, and/or other cultural events and practices. Period of Significance: 1930-1945 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• For its direct association with New Deal funding or employment programs
• For its association with the military establishments in the area
• For its association with an important religious, social, cultural, or civic institution
• A property may also be significant for its association with a particular cultural or ethnic community in San Luis Obispo. A property may be associated with migration or community formation in San Luis Obispo, a community-serving or religious organizations or intangible cultural heritage, or civil rights activism.
Civic and institutional properties from this period eligible under Criterion A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of location, design,
feeling, and association.
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Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As an excellent or rare example of a particular architectural style associated with the period
• As the work of a significant architect or designer
Civic and institutional properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, design,
materials, workmanship, and
feeling.
Extant Examples: Civic & Institutional Development, 1930-1945
Sunny Acres, built 1931. Source: San Luis Obispo Tribune (c. 2003). Monday Club, 1815 Monterey Street, built 1933-1934. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
San Luis Obispo County House, 976 Osos Street, built 1936-1941. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Fire Station, 750 Pismo Street, built 1941. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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San Luis Obispo High School Gymnasium, 1499 San Luis Drive, built 1936. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
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Transportation and Infrastructure, 1930-1945
Although the Great Depression slowed private development across the country, New Deal agencies, such as the PWA and WPA, pumped federal money into large-scale public works projects to put unemployed citizens back to work during the 1930s. San Luis Obispo County received federal aid for highway improvements. The headquarters of the State Department of Public Works’s Highway District 5—which comprised the counties of San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Barbara—were located in San Luis Obispo at 50 Higuera Street, making the city the regional hub of state highway construction during the Depression. President Roosevelt attended the Grand Opening of Highway 1 between Morro Bay and Carmel on June 27, 1938. Originally estimated to cost $1.5 million, the 139-mile section of Highway 1 included 33 bridges and was completed at a cost of $10 million. The project to build the highway was begun in 1919 and completed in 1937.109 In spite of these improvements, most residential streets in San Luis Obispo were still unpaved and lacked street signs in 1940. In 1941, however, the city’s first public bus system, operated by Jones Transportation Company, began regular service.110 Other infrastructure projects completed in San Luis Obispo under New Deal programs included laying water pipes to improve the city’s water supply (c. 1930s), paving eight blocks of Chorro street between Pacific and High streets, which included construction of the Chorro Street Bridge (1939-1940), constructing the Stenner Creek Bridge (1936-1937, demolished in 1971), and building a stone retaining wall at the west side of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa (1939).111 The railroad industry suffered during the Depression, when many Americans could not afford the luxury of leisure travel. However, World War II drew increased rail traffic on the Southern Pacific as passengers traveled to visit family members stationed at Camp San Luis Obispo. A new Mission 109 California Department of Transportation, “About District 5,” accessed December 3, 2024, https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-5/district-5-popular-links/d5-about. 110 Dan Krieger, “World War II Brought Changes to Transportation in the County,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 9 September 2014, https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/times-past/article39496002.html. 111 “San Luis Obispo Sites,” Living New Deal, https://livingnewdeal.org/?s=san+luis+obispo.
Southern Pacific Roundhouse. Source: San Luis Obispo County Historical Society (1953).
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Revival-style railroad depot opened for the Southern Pacific Railroad at 1011 Railroad Avenue in 1943 to replace the railroad’s outdated 1894 station (demolished in 1971).112 Despite transporting record numbers of passengers throughout the 1940s, the Southern Pacific Railway suffered another decline in the years following World War II, when automobile ownership increased in the postwar economic boom. Although the company attempted to upgrade their services by replacing steam locomotives with more efficient diesel engines, the new engines required less maintenance and many railroad workers were made redundant. As the demand for skilled railroad labor diminished and ridership declined even further, the area surrounding the now-obsolete Southern Pacific roundhouse (demolished in 1959) began to transform from railroad to other industrial and warehouse uses. Meanwhile, the local landscape began to be transformed by an even newer form of transportation: the airplane. In 1939, the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport opened, with a single hangar and dirt runways. The airport was established by Earl Thomson, who leased land from the County. During World War II, the airport was run by the government as part of the war effort. In 1940 hard surface runways and lights were installed, and from 1940 to 1941 the airport served as a training ground for a federally sponsored Civilian Pilot Training Program for the armed services. The airport was returned to County control in 1946.
San Luis Obispo Airport, established in 1939. Source: San Luis Obispo Tribune (1963).
Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Examples of transportation -related property types from this period include railroad depots, warehouses, railyards, rail lines, 112 Krieger, “World War II Brought Changes to Transportation in the County.”
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and rail spurs; highway interchanges and infrastructure; airports, hangars, and air strips; bridges, culverts and other transportation-related infrastructure. Infrastructure-related property types may include buildings and structures related to operation of municipal services such as water or power utilities. Period of Significance: 1930-1945 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• As an example of an important transportation-related property that influenced the development of San Luis Obispo.
• As an early and/or influential transportation-related development.
• For historic districts, as a cohesive group or collection of properties developed for or used by the transportation-related commercial businesses or industries.
Transportation-related properties from this period eligible under Criteria A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of location, design,
feeling, and association.
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As a rare or unique example of a particular type of transportation-related development
• As a rare or unique example of transportation-related type or method of construction.
• As the work of a significant architect or designer
Transportation-related properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, design,
materials, workmanship, and
feeling
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Extant Examples: Transportation and Infrastructure, 1930-1945
Division of Highways District 5 Office, built 1931. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Google Street View (2024).
The Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, built 1943. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Google Street View, 2019.
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MID-LATE 20TH CENTURY GROWTH (1945-1980) In the immediate post-World War II period, California experienced unprecedented growth as many people who came west to participate in the war effort, including former military personnel, decided to settle permanently. San Luis Obispo’s growth during this period was further influenced by the opening of the California Men’s Colony correctional facility and the transition of Cal Poly to a co-educational institution. Between 1940 and 1950, California’s population increased by fifty-three per cent, which was partially accounted for by the 850,000 veterans who took up residence after the War.113 The population of San Luis Obispo grew over 59%, from 8,881 in 1940 to 14,180 in 1950.114 Two new subdivisions were recorded in San Luis Obispo in the 1940s: the Mira Monte subdivision with 83 parcels in 1946, and the Hagen subdivision with 38 parcels in 1949. Camp San Luis Obispo was returned to the state of California in 1946. For the next several years, the camp served as the primary training site for the 40th and 49th Infantry divisions of the California National Guard. However, when the Korean War broke out in 1950, the site was reactivated by the federal government and the Signal Corps training center was established. The camp was maintained in “inactive” status by the United States government following the Korean War until 1965, when it was returned to the California National Guard and developed in part as an academic complex for the Guard’s California Military Academy. In 1972, a portion of the camp land was deeded to the county under President Nixon’s “Legacy of Parks” program and now serves as El Chorro Regional Park. Today, Camp San Luis Obispo continues to host large-scale military exercises, as well as provide operational, training, and logistical support to a variety of civilian and military agencies. Many of the area’s wartime visitors became permanent residents in the ensuing decade. Soldiers who had been stationed at Camp San Luis Obispo opted to return with their families and settle in the area following their release from active duty. The G.I. Bill and the proximity of Cal Poly also provided an attractive incentive to veterans thinking of relocating to the area. As a result, development in San Luis Obispo in the 1950s was largely in response to this sudden and substantial need for single-family housing. Among these new residents were African American military servicemen who had been stationed in the San Luis Obispo area during World War II and chose to permanently settle in the area and start families. Black troops that served in the area included the 54th Artillery Battalion and the Corps Area Service, Unit 1947 (later renamed the Service Command Unit). The scale of African American migration was smaller than other cities across the country due to the comparative lack of large-scale industry and manufacturing that could provide substantial employment bases to attract workers to San Luis Obispo both during and after the war.115 Nevertheless, between 1940 and 1950, the number of African American residents in San Luis Obispo County grew from just 25 to 335; in the City of San Luis Obispo, those numbers increased from only four to 144.116 As the number of Black residents 113 Kevin Starr, Embattled Dreams: California in War and Peace, 1940-1950. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002, 193-194. 114 United States Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census, Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940, Population, Volume II (Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1943); United States Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census, A
Report of the Seventeenth Decennial Census of the United States, Census of Population: 1950, Volume II (Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1952). 115 Joshua Michael Harmon, "'But Not In Vain:' The Civil Rights Movement in San Luis Obispo, California 1947-1969," Master of Arts thesis, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, 2009, 14. 116 United States Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census, Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940, Population, Volume II; United States Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census, A Report of the Seventeenth Decennial Census of the United States, Census of
Population: 1950, Volume II.
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slowly grew, a true community, albeit small in size, developed, which included residential enclaves, churches, and other services. In 1948, a local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was formally established at an event at the Madonna Inn to support San Luis Obispo’s small community, which needed the broader support network of a national organization like the NAACP to enact change.117 Significant civic improvements were undertaken during this era, most notably in downtown and the Mission Plaza. As early as the 1940s, residents of San Luis Obispo were expressing concern over the dilapidated appearance of the historic mission landscape as well as the layout of some of the city’s early streets. The demolition of the Mission Garage at the corner of Monterey and Chorro Streets improved safety conditions downtown and restored the area’s early vistas, which spurred further beautification efforts. The Mission Garden Association was formed in 1961 and played a key role in the development of the plan for Mission Plaza throughout the 1960s. Landscape architect Robert B. Taylor was hired in 1968 to design the Mission Plaza, which closed the area surrounding the mission to vehicular traffic, restored and beautified the creek, and created a landscaped public park. The redesigned plaza was dedicated at a ceremony in 1971.118
Mission Plaza during construction. Source: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Special Collections (1970). Detail of Mission Plaza. Source: Historic Resources Group (2012). The presence of Cal Poly also bolstered the local Black and LGBTQ+ communities and became a hotbed for local activism and community organizing. Black students at Cal Poly led much of the push for equal rights in the 1960s in San Luis Obispo. Following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, the local Black residents and Cal Poly students from the university’s Black Student Alliance united to organize a march to the Springfield Baptist Church. Forty students, many wearing the black berets and black armbands of the Black Panther Party, participated.119 Cal Poly was also the birthplace of the city’s first visible LGBTQ+ community. Inspired by the Stonewall Uprisings in New York City, which sparked a nationwide Gay Liberation Movement, students at Cal Poly formed some of the earliest known openly LGBTQ+ social and activist groups in the area. In 1971, approximately 30 students collaborated with the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) in Los Angeles to establish a local 117 Harmon, "'But Not In Vain:' The Civil Rights Movement in San Luis Obispo, California 1947-1969," 14, 18-19. 118 Elliot Curry, “City Flag to Wave at Dedication,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 9 September 1971. 119 Harmon, "'But Not In Vain:' The Civil Rights Movement in San Luis Obispo, California 1947-1969," 45, 58-61.
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chapter of the GLF at Cal Poly.120 A Gay Student Union formed at Cal Poly by the end of the same year.121 Although the Student Affairs Council and Associated Students Inc. supported formation of the GSU, university administrative officials opposed formal authorization.122 The GSU filed a lawsuit against the university that was finally settled by the State Attorney General in 1976, after which the Cal Poly GSU received official university recognition.123 Very few openly LGBTQ+ spaces are documented in San Luis Obispo prior to 1980, though spaces that openly welcomed members of the LGBTQ+ community existed in the city. Most of the cruising locations where gay men could meet intimately were located at Cal Poly, including the men’s gym, Fine Arts Building, and Architectural Building. Local beaches—such Diamond Cove, Pirates Cove Beach, and Pismo Dunes—and public parks, including Laguna Lake Park and Santa Rosa Park, were also popular local cruising areas where gay men could meet intimately.124 The formation of early LGBTQ+ groups and spaces laid the groundwork for further community development and activism in the later decades of the 20th century. San Luis Obispo’s population growth rate reached its peak to date in the wartime and post-war decade between 1940 and 1950, of with 59.7% growth. Growth slowed in subsequent decades. The population in 1960, 20,437, reflected growth of 44.1% over 1950. 125 Between 1960 and 1970, San Luis Obispo’s population grew from 20,437 to 28,036 (a 37.2% increase), 3,930 of which were residents of areas annexed by the growing city.126 In 1980, the city’s population of 34,252 reflected only a 22.2% increase.127 Commercial and residential developments were gradually developed at the margins of the city through the 1970s and 1980s in newly annexed areas as well as some portions of the existing city limits which had previously been undeveloped. Neighborhoods at the south side of the City annexed and developed between 1970 and 1979 included Vista Grande, Prefumo Canyon, and Higuera Street Annexation No. 2 in 1970, Higuera Street Annexation No. 3 in 1972. At the northwest side of the City, annexed areas include the Foothill subdivision and Ferrini Subdivision No. 3 in 1978 (both developed in the 1980s). Also developed in the 1980s was the Exposition Park area near the south end of the City’s original limits. An area prone to flooding since its earliest days of settlement, San Luis Obispo experienced major floods in January 1969, with more than ten inches of rain over two days, and again in January 1973 with over six inches of rain in a single day. Extensive property and infrastructure damage resulted from these events, particularly in areas adjacent to San Luis Obispo Creek and its tributaries. 120 “'Gay Lib' in SLO," Mustang Daily, XXXIII, No. 128, 24 May 1971. 121 "Gays Explain Themselves to A Curious Radio Audience," Daily Mustang, XXXIV, No. 40, 9 November 1971. 122 Bruce Kyse, "SAC Backs Gay Students," Mustang Daily XXXIV No. 96, 10 March 1972; "The Kennedy Interview II," Daily Mustang 40, No. 13 21 October 1975. 123 “Gay Student Union Approved,” Mustang Daily 40, No. 40, 13 January 1976. 124 Mapping the Gay Guides, accessed October 11, 2024, https://mappingthegayguides.org/viz/map/. 125 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, The Eighteenth Decennial Census of the United States, Census of Population: 1960 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1961). 126 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1970 Census of Population, Volume 1: Characteristics of the Population, Part 6: California (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1973). 127 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1980 Census of Population, Volume 1: Characteristics of the Population, Part 6: California (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1982).
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Mid-20th Century Residential Development There was a great deal of residential development in San Luis Obispo from the 1940s to the 1960s. Development from this period included some infill construction in previously-established neighborhoods, along with new residential subdivisions. The presence of nearby military installations, overall post-World War II growth throughout California, and the continued influence of the California Polytechnic Institute (by this time known as the California Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly) all played a role in the City’s post-World War II residential development. The growth of Cal Poly during this period resulted in custom houses designed for professors (many of whom lived in Monterey Heights), along with the proliferation of work by graduates of the architecture program. The National Housing Act of 1934 created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which was meant to reignite the construction of single family homes by establishing mortgage terms that were conducive to the average American family and would regulate the interest rates and terms that had ballooned in the aftermath of the stock market crash. During the 1940s, FHA programs also helped finance military housing and homes needed for returning veterans. While the FHA rose to prominence because of these financial incentives, it also influenced how homes and neighborhoods were designed. In particular, FHA guidelines promoted a 624-square-foot dwelling type termed the basic plan or minimum house: “In the design of small, low-priced houses, the principles of efficiency, economic use of materials, and proper equipment, which are important in any class of dwellings, become paramount.”128 As early as 1936, the FHA embraced the principles of modern community planning, advocating for well-designed comprehensive communities at the neighborhood scale. This development model would become the standard approach for the rapid development of the suburbs after the War. The FHA published a series of informational pamphlets to help spread these ideas and to inform land developers and speculative builders of the economic advantages of good planning in the creation and maintenance of real estate values. These pamphlets also outlined concepts of proper street patterns, planning for parks, playgrounds, and commercial areas, and recommending a buffer zone of multifamily dwellings and commercial buildings between major arterials and minor interior streets.”129 In 1944, the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (more commonly known as the G.I. Bill) helped military families attain the dream of home ownership. The G.I. Bill allowed veterans to purchase a home with no down payment using the FHA mortgage guarantee program. With the FHA’s low down payment requirements and attractive loan terms, for many returning G.I.s and other middle-class workers, owning a home became as affordable as renting an apartment.130 In spite of the small size of the African American community, Black residents experienced racism, social exclusion, employment and housing discrimination, just as Black people did across the United States. Though not written into law, Black residents experienced informal, de facto, segregation thanks to the housing shortage, high price of homes, and real estate industry’s practice of steering residents of color away from desirable neighborhoods. As a result, Arthur Glover, one of the founders of the local branch of the NAACP, stated that 97 percent of San Luis Obispo’s Black population lived 128 As quoted in Hise, Greg. Magnetic Los Angeles (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997), 68. 129 Hise, Magnetic Los Angeles, 34. 130 California Department of Transportation, Tract Housing in California, 1945-1973, 17.
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in a one-square block “ghetto,” presumably the former Japantown around Higuera and Brook streets.131 Constructing single-family residences in the numbers required by the post-war population boom also necessitated developing large parcels of land, and this led to an increase in both the size and number of subdivisions and annexations recorded in San Luis Obispo in the 1950s; over half of the fifty-four subdivisions recorded between 1935 and 1965 were established between 1950 and 1959.132 While annexations extended the city boundary further south along Broad and Higuera Streets, tract development typically remained relatively close to the city’s center and usually tended to be clustered together. Subdivisions were frequently recorded adjacent to each other as larger residential areas developed. There were three tracts subdivided in the 1950s with over one hundred parcels each: the McMillan No. 9 subdivision with 123 parcels, recorded in 1950; the Park View Homes No. 1 subdivision with 139 parcels, recorded in 1952; and the McMillan Manor No. 18 subdivision with 144 parcels, also recorded in 1952. The city continued to subdivide and annex land in the 1960s and 1970s, usually on a much larger geographic scale than in previous periods. An additional 2.95 square miles was annexed in the 1960s, establishing the San Luis Obispo City boundary recognized today.133 There were also new subdivisions recorded in the 1960s, with development focused on the tracts south of Southwood Street and the Laguna Lake area. The Lakewood subdivision, recorded in 1960, was the largest of the 1960s subdivisions with 196 residential lots. In the 1970s, several new subdivisions of varying sizes were recorded. The largest were Ferrini at the north side of the city, which included 51 acres for residential development and 148 acres for open space, and South Higuera Street and Prefumo Canyon at the south side of the city.134 By the mid-1960s, San Luis Obispo faced a serious housing shortage, caused by high prices, the demolition of old housing that did not meet city building standards, Cal Poly’s growing student population, and a limited supply of new housing that did not keep up with the pace of the city’s population growth. A 1967 study showed that approximately 10 percent of the city’s housing stock was not up to code. The following year, the City Housing Authority was created and began constructing new low-income apartment developments with funding from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), including two on High Street, on King Street, and one on Los Osos Valley Road.135 The housing squeeze within the city limits of San Luis Obispo pushed some people who worked in the city to move to move to other surrounding communities.136 Cal Poly’s student body far outstripped its supply of student housing, prompting the university to build new residence halls in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Still, university-owned housing was inadequate to meet the demand. Students snatched up housing wherever they could find it, including living in their cars, World War II-era military cabins at Camp Ranch El Chorro, spare rooms in family homes, and local motels, which 131 Harmon, "'But Not In Vain:' The Civil Rights Movement in San Luis Obispo, California 1947-1969," 28. 132 Information in this section related specifically to post-World War II subdivisions is drawn from Allison Dean Zike, “Mid-Twentieth Century Residential Development in San Luis Obispo (master’s thesis, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 2012). 133 The City boundary may continue to change as additional land is annexed. 134 San Luis Obispo Local Agency Formation Commission, “History of Annexations,” accessed November 15, 2024, https://slo.lafco.ca.gov/history-of-annexations. 135 “First Low-Rent Housing to be Open on Saturday,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 10 July 1970; David Middlecamp, "1970s Housing Crisis Conditions Worried SLO City Leaders," San Luis Obispo Tribune, 28 March 2022. 136 “Housing Shortage is More Desperate Than Ever,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 18 September 1970.
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offered discounted student rates during the tourism offseason. In some cases, parents of Cal Poly students purchased houses for their children to live in during school, rented spare rooms to other students, and sold the houses after their children graduated at a profit.137 The demand for student housing attracted private developers, who constructed new apartment buildings near the university’s campus.138 Postwar subdivisions typically reflect modern community planning principles that grew out of the Progressive Era. These principles were best articulated in 1929 by Clarence Perry’s neighborhood unit theory, which proposed a self-contained residential development bounded by major arterial streets to accommodate through traffic, while curvilinear internal streets offered residential access only. The typical postwar subdivision is immediately distinguishable from older city neighborhoods by the street layout, which typically included curvilinear street patterns and culs-de-sac. Nearly all of the tracts developed between 1935 and 1965 in San Luis Obispo, particularly in those areas developed outside the original city boundaries, feature curved streets with elongated blocks and fewer intersections. Despite the focus on mass housing throughout the 1950s, there were also neighborhoods developed with custom-designed residences. These were usually concentrated away from the city center, located at higher elevations than typical residential subdivisions, and featured greater architectural variety. In San Luis Obispo, the McAllen Heights and Piedmont Estates subdivisions (recorded in 1957 and 1958 respectively) exemplify this trend, with a number of custom homes situated in the low hills lining the eastern boundary of the city. Tract development during this period can be found in the Terrace Hill neighborhood, which includes a cohesive collection of one-story Mid-century Modern houses along Greta Place. Architectural styles associated with this period include Mid-century Modern, Ranch, and Minimal Traditional. Architects who are represented in San Luis Obispo during this period include Frank Lloyd Wright (Dr. Karl Kundert Medical Clinic at 1106 Pacific Street) and Craig Ellwood, along with local architects Mackey Deasy, Homer Delawie, George Hasslein, Warren Leopold, Paul Neel, and Piercy K. Reibsamen.139 Notable local builders include Stan Bell, Leonard Blazer, Roger Brown, Alex Madonna, Patrick Smith, Arnold Volney, and Jack Westerman.140
137 Roger Vincent, “Housing: Rolling Into Town with No Place to Stay,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 25 September 1975. 138 “Cal Poly: 12,400 Students, Only 2,400 Beds,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 22 September 1970. 139 There are reportedly two works by Richard Neutra in San Luis Obispo. The first is now part of the Ludwick Center on Santa Rosa and Mill Streets, and it has been substantially altered. The second is on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. 140 Local builders played a significant role in the development of San Luis Obispo in the post-World War II era, developing both custom homes and housing tracts. Stan Bell in Laguna Shores, Leonard Blazer in Cuesta Highlands, Roger Brown with custom homes primarily in the Johnson Heights area, and Patrick Smith, Jack Westerman, and Arnold Volney with custom homes in various areas throughout the City including Ferrini Heights.
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Map indicating subdivisions recorded in San Luis Obispo in the 1950s. Source: San Luis Obispo GIS data.
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Map indicating subdivisions recorded in San Luis Obispo from 1960-1965. Source: San Luis Obispo GIS data.
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Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Single-family residences; multi-family residences (duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, apartment buildings, etc.), and residential subdivision developments Period of Significance: 1945-1980 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), B/2/2 (Persons), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• An individual residential property from this period may be significant for its association with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
• In general, tract houses are not individually significant, but a geographically-linked collection may be eligible as a historic district. A post-World War II residential historic district may be eligible for playing an important role in the post-war suburbanization of San Luis Obispo.
Resources eligible under Criterion A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of location, design,
setting, materials, and feeling. In historic districts, some alterations to individual buildings, such as replacement windows in original openings, replacement of roof materials, and replacement garage doors may be acceptable as long as the district as a whole continues to convey its significance. The district overall should convey a strong sense of time and place.
B/2/2 (Persons)
• For its association with a significant person in San Luis Obispo’s history A residential property significant under Criterion B/2/2 (Persons) should retain integrity of design,
feeling, and association, at a minimum, in order to convey the historic association with a significant person.
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Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As an excellent or rare example of a particular architectural style associated with the period
• As the work of noted architect Custom-designed buildings designed or influenced by a Cal Poly professor.
• In general, tract houses are not individually significant, but a geographically-linked collection may be eligible as a historic district. A post-World War II residential historic district may be eligible for collectively representing postwar planning and design principles.
Individual residential properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, design,
setting, materials, workmanship,
and feeling. In historic districts, some alterations to individual buildings, such as replacement windows in original openings, replacement of roof materials, and replacement garage doors may be acceptable as long as the district as a whole continues to convey its significance. The district overall should convey a strong sense of time and place.
Extant Examples: Mid-20th Century Residential Development
1944 Corralitos, built 1950. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
2554 Greta Place, built 1951. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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314 San Miguel Avenue, built c.1960. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013). Ken Schwartz House, 201 Buena Vista Avenue, built 1964. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Mid-20th Century Commercial Development
Downtown San Luis Obispo. Source: Hemmings Daily (c. 1950s). During the post-World War II period, Americans, including rapidly suburbanizing Californians, became ever more reliant on personal automobiles for transportation. Automobiles were more affordable than ever and new housing subdivisions and retail environments such as shopping malls were constructed with personal vehicles in mind. Many existing commercial buildings in the original downtown core were modified with contemporary storefronts during this period. New commercial development during this period included a small number of low-density commercial retail and office buildings located outside of the historic core. Many of these low-density office buildings were developed for use as medical offices and health services. The most prominent of these is the Kundert Medical Building, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1956. During the 1950s, San Luis Obispo saw its share of suburban sprawl within geographically defined borders, and the first mall was built just a few miles from downtown. The Madonna Plaza shopping mall opened at the south side of the city in 1968. In the 1970s, another mall was added. But unlike in other communities in California, the two shopping centers proved to be little competition for downtown San Luis Obispo as the major commercial center. In 1958, the U. S. Highway 101 was completed, which became a major thoroughfare for automobile tourism in the area. San Luis Obispo’s location near California’s Central Coast and at the mid-point between San Francisco and Los Angeles continued to make it an attractive destination for automobile tourism. Additional motels were developed around the San Luis Obispo that were easily accessible from the freeway in the 1950s and 1960s. The 1950 Sanborn Map Company fire insurance maps show a proliferation of motels, auto camps, and tourist courts at the north end of the city along Monterey Street between the railroad tracks along Pepper Street and the State Highway. These mid-century iterations of the earlier auto camps of the early 20th century typically consisted of connected rows of guest rooms with parking directly in front of each unit, rather than individual cabins. Mid-century motels often used creative architectural elements on their front facades and signs to differentiate them and draw the attention of passing motorists.
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The most prominent example is the Madonna Inn, developed by local construction magnate and entrepreneur, Alex Madonna. Madonna opened the Madonna Inn in 1961 and ran the hotel until his death in 2004; the inn is still owned and operated by the Madonna family today. The Madonna Inn exemplifies the eye-catching designs and prominent signage that characterized roadside motel design of the 1950s and 1960s. In 1950, the Sunset Drive-In opened in San Luis Obispo. The first drive-in theater opened in New Jersey in 1933. The drive-in reached the height of its popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, as over 4,000 outdoor theaters were opened across the country, accounting for 25% of the nation's movie screens. By the late 1980s, more than three-quarters of the country’s drive-ins closed as multiplexes proliferated. As of January 2013, drive-ins only accounted for 1.5% of the nation’s theaters. In California, fewer than twenty of the state’s more than two hundred theaters remain. Of those that are extant, many have been substantially altered or no longer operate as theaters. The Sunset Drive-In still operates as a drive-in theater today, representing a rare remaining example in California.
Detail from 1950 Sanborn Map Company fire insurance map, showing a group of motels and motor courts (parcels highlighted blue) at the intersection of Monterey, Palm, Grand, and Murray streets. Source: San Francisco Public Library.
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Milestone Mo-tel under construction, 2223 Monterey Street, built 1924. Source: Huntington Library, San Marino. Madonna Inn, 100 Madonna Road, 1961-1969. Source: madonnainn.com. During the postwar economic boom, several San Luis Obispo families established long-running enterprises. In 1947, brothers William and Pino Cattaneo founded the Cattaneo Brothers sausage company, and William Cattaneo’s wife, Mary (Piantanida) Cattaneo, worked as the company’s bookkeeper. Paul Piantanida built an auto repair shop, Paul’s Garage, in 1948 which now serves as the San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum. Today, Cattaneo Brothers is run by descendants of the Piantanida and Cattaneo families. The first openly LGBTQ+ business in the city, the Journey’s Inn bar and club, opened in 1979 at 2115 Broad Street. In 1982, the local chapter of the LGBTQ+ friendly church, the Metropolitan Community Church was located above the bar.141 Architectural styles associated with this period include Mid-century Modern. Architects who are represented in San Luis Obispo during this period include Frank Lloyd Wright and Craig Ellwood, along with local architects Mackey Deasy, Homer Delawie, George Hasslein, Warren Leopold, Paul Neel, and Piercy K. Notable local builders include Stan Bell, Leonard Blazer, Roger Brown, Alex Madonna, Patrick Smith, Arnold Volney, and Jack Westerman.
Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Mid-20th century commercial development typically includes retail storefronts, I haven’t service stations, motels, banks, grocery stores, motels, drive-ins, coffee shops, bowling alleys, car washes, department stores, theaters, retail strips, and office buildings. San Luis Obispo has a collection of low-density commercial/professional buildings that also housed medical clinics and related services. Period of Significance: 1945-1980 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), B/2/2 (Persons), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1 (Events)
• For a significant and/or influential role in post-World War II commercial development
Commercial properties from this period eligible under Criteria A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of
location, design, materials,
feeling, and association.
141 Mapping the Gay Guides, accessed October 11, 2024, https://mappingthegayguides.org/viz/map.
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Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
B/2/2 (Persons)
• For its association with a significant person in San Luis Obispo’s history A commercial property significant under Criterion B/2/2 (Persons) should retain integrity of design,
feeling, and association, at a minimum, in order to convey the historic association with a significant person.
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As an excellent or rare example of a particular architectural style associated with the period
• As the work of a significant architect or designer
• As an excellent example of a post-World War II commercial property type
• Historic signs may also be eligible under this theme, as excellent or rare examples of commercial neon signs
Commercial properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, design,
setting, materials, workmanship,
and feeling.
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Extant Examples: Mid-20th Century Commercial Development
Madonna Inn. 100 Madonna Road, built 1961-1969. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Office Building, 84 Santa Rosa Street, built 1967. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Sunset Drive-In, 225 Elks Lane, built 1950. Source Historic Resources Group (2013). Kundert Medical Building, 1106 Pacific, built 1956. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Mid-20th Century Civic and Institutional Development The population growth in the post-World War II era resulted in increased demand for civic and institutional buildings, including schools and a new city hall. Cal Poly expanded during this period, as returning veterans enrolled in great numbers under the G.I. Bill. One of the most significant buildings on the Cal Poly campus from this period is the “Weekend House.” The Weekend House was originally designed by Craig Ellwood in 1964; it was constructed by Cal Poly students in 1967-1968 as part of a class led by Ellwood, who was serving as a visiting professor. In the 1970s, the San Luis Coastal Unified School District pursued an extensive building program—which included expanding the facilities of existing schools in the San Luis Obispo area and constructing new elementary, junior high, and high schools— though it was slowed by a nationwide recession.142 New institutions formed and were founded to serve the needs of San Luis Obispo’s diversifying population, as well. The Springfield Baptist Church was constructed by the local African American community at 160 Brook Street and began services in 1947. It became an important community gathering place and center for local civil rights activity through the 1960s. Some members split off and formed a second church, St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church at 272 Pacific Street. The congregation of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church returned to the original church site on Brook Street in the late 1960s 143 In 1976, a local chapter of the Metropolitan Community Church, headed by lesbian minister Tere Anne Roderick, began religious services at 793 Higuera Street (extant). The MCC welcomed all people but had a special focus on reaching out to and providing a spiritual outlet for the LGBTQ+ community.144
Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Civic and institutional property types include schools, libraries, post offices, and fire and police stations. Non-governmental institutional buildings include churches and meeting halls. Note on intangible cultural heritage: Civic and institutional properties, including social halls, religious buildings, and other community gathering spaces, may also be associated with intangible cultural heritage, such as annual festivals, parades, and/or other cultural events and practices. Period of Significance: 1945-1980 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), C/3/3 (Architecture)
142 Bob Anderson, “November Vote Likely on $1 School Tax Hike,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 19 June 1974. 143 History Center San Luis Obispo County, “Eto Park and Brook Street in San Luis Obispo,” accessed June 19, 2024, https://www.historycenterslo.org/uploads/1/2/5/3/125313011/walkingtourhandout-v8.pdf. 144 “Worship in the Church of Synagogue of Your Choice," San Luis Obispo Tribune, 10 April 1976.
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Criteria • Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1
(Events)
• For its role in post-World War II civic or institutional development
• For its association with a particular cultural or ethnic community in San Luis Obispo. A property may be associated with migration or community formation in San Luis Obispo, a community-serving or religious organizations or intangible cultural heritage, or civil rights activism.
Individual properties significant under Criterion A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of location, design,
materials, feeling, and association.
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As an excellent example of a post-World War II property type
• As an excellent example of a particular architectural style
• As the work of noted architect
Individual properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, design,
setting, materials, workmanship,
and feeling.
Extant Examples: Mid-20th Century Civic and Institutional Development
San Luis Obispo City Hall, 990 Palm Street, built 1951. Designated as a San Luis Obispo Historic Landmark. Source: City of San Luis Obispo (2013).
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George Hasslein, Mount Carmel Lutheran Church, 1701 Fredericks Street, built 1958. Source: Google Street View, 2012.
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Mid-20th Century Transportation and Infrastructure, 1945-1980 Transportation and infrastructure-related development in the postwar decades continued to be oriented around the automobile. By the mid-1940s, the city’s streets were rutted, pockmarked, and in need of repairs.145 The city embarked on a program to raise funds for street improvements. In 1948, the City passed Ordinance No. 298, regulating street parking, loading zones, and one-way street traffic.146 During and immediately following World War II federal legislation, including the Federal-Aid Highway Acts of 1944 and 1956, provided funding mechanisms for a national system of highways. In 1958, the U. S. Highway 101 was completed, which became a major thoroughfare for automobile tourism in the area. However, by the 1970s, California Governor Jerry Brown encouraged a shift from highway building to mass transit. In 1974, San Luis Obispo Transit (SLO Transit) began operating local bus service. The San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority introduced intercity bus transportation between cities in San Luis Obispo County in the 1980s.147 In spite of the State’s encouragement of public transit, the automobile continued to dominate. Throughout the 1970s, business owners and City officials sought solutions to the lack of sufficient parking in the downtown area through installing parking meters and plans to construct new parking garages.148 The City also embarked on several projects to widen key arteries through the city, including Broad Street, Santa Rosa Street, San Luis Drive/Johnson Avenue, Prefumo Canyon Road, Los Osos Valley Road, and others. The projects required the demolition of buildings along the streets and realignments of intersections.149 San Luis Obispo experienced repeated floods that caused millions of dollars in damage, including record-breaking events in 1969 and 1973.150 The city developed a flood plan that called for enlarging creek channels, culverts, and bridges. Subsequently, many infrastructure projects in the latter part of the 20th century focused on flood control.151
145 “City Rejects Petition on Street Work,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 7 October 1947: 1. 146 “Ordinance No. 298 (New Series),” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 16 March 1948: 6. 147 “San Luis Obispo Transit,” Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board, accessed October 24, 2024, https://cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php/San_Luis_Obispo_Transit. 148 “Easing Pains of Parking,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 21 June 1977; “New Parking Meters Will Go Up in SLO,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 17 August 1977. 149 “City of San Luis Obispo State of California Notice to Bidders,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 29 March 1975; “City of San Luis Obispo State of California Notice to Bidders,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 19 November 1975. 150 “Flooding History,” Public Works, County of San Luis Obispo, accessed November 18, 2024, https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/departments/public-works/committees-programs/flood-control-zones/zone-9-%E2%80%93-san-luis-obispo-creek-watershed/flooding-history. 151 Carl Neiburger, “Study Proposes Floodproof SLO,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 28 June 1977.
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Aerial photograph taken in 1947. Source: Fairchild Aerial Surveys, Flight C-11252, University of California, Santa Barbara Libraries.
Aerial photograph taken in 1965, showing the completed route of Highway 101. Source: Mark Hurd Aerial Surveys, Inc., Flight HB-CX, University of California, Santa Barbara Libraries.
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Evaluation Criteria Associated Property Types: Transportation and Infrastructure-Related Properties Property Type Summary: Transportation-related property types include segments of highways, overpasses, bridges, tunnels, traffic management features and roadside appurtenances. Infrastructure-related property types include buildings and features associated with public infrastructure agencies such as those providing power and water. Period of Significance: 1945-1980 Criteria for Eligibility: A/1/1 (Events), C/3/3 (Architecture)
Criteria Significance Integrity Standards
A/1/1
(Events)
• As an example of an important transportation-related property that influenced the development of San Luis Obispo.
• As an early and/or influential transportation-related development.
• For historic districts, as a cohesive group or collection of properties developed for or used by the transportation-related commercial businesses or industries.
Transportation-related properties from this period eligible under Criteria A/1/1 (Events) should retain integrity of location, design, feeling, and
association.
C/3/3
(Architecture)
• As a rare or unique example of a particular type of transportation-related development
• As a rare or unique example of transportation-related type or method of construction.
• As the work of a significant architect or designer
Transportation-related properties significant under Criterion C/3/3 (Architecture) should retain integrity of location, design, materials,
workmanship, and feeling
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Extant Examples: Mid-20th Century Transportation and Infrastructure, 1945-1980 Examples of historic resources associated with this theme may be identified in future survey efforts.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY “A History of Chinese Americans in California.” National Park Service. November 17, 2004. Accessed June 19, 2024. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/5views/5views3h2.htm. “Ah Louis in San Luis Obispo.” Central Coast Asian American History. March 14, 2022. Accessed June 19, 2024. https://www.centralcoastasianhistory.org/post/ah-louis-in-san-luis-obispo. Anderson, Bob. “Noveer Vote Likely on $1 School Tax Hike.” San Luis Obispo Tribune. 19 June 1974. Angel, Myron. History of San Luis Obispo County with Illustrations. Oakland, CA: Thompson & West, 1883. Reprinted by Fresno Valley Publishers, CA, 1979. Biscarra, Sarah. "Diablo Ancestral Canyon Homelands Back." YouTube. Accessed December 2, 2024. https://yttnorthernchumashtribe.com/lifeways. “Cal Poly: 12,400 Students, Only 2,400 Beds.” San Luis Obispo Tribune. 22 September 1970. California Department of Transportation. “About District 5.” Accessed December 3, 2024. https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-5/district-5-popular-links/d5-about. ___. Tract Housing in California, 1945-1973: A Context for National Register Evaluation. Sacramento, CA, 2011. “’California’s Next Big City’ is Slogan.” San Luis Obispo Daily Telegraph. 14 April 1926. Carnegie Libraries of California Project. “By Architect - Who Built the Libraries.” Accessed December 2, 2024. http://www.carnegie-libraries.org/california/architect/index.html. “Cavazos, Genuine Top Liner Pleases Large Audience.” San Luis Obispo Tribune. 25 June 1914. City of San Luis Obispo. “Completion Report: Historic Resources Survey.” July 1983. ___. “Draft Historical and Architectural Conservation Element.” n.d. ___. “Guide to Architectural Styles in San Luis Obispo.” October 1982. ___. “Historic Preservation Program Guidelines.” November 2010. ___. “Historic Resources Inventory.” 2011-2012. “City of San Luis Obispo State of California Notice to Bidders.” San Luis Obispo Tribune. 29 March 1975.
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“City of San Luis Obispo State of California Notice to Bidders.” San Luis Obispo Tribune. 19 November 1975. “City Rejects Petition on Street Work.” San Luis Obispo Tribune. 7 October 1947. Cooley, Ryan. “Imprisoning Our Own: SLO County Families and Executive Order 9066.” San Luis
Obispo New Times. April 6, 2017. https://www.newtimesslo.com/news/imprisoning-our-own-slo-county-families-and-executive-order-9066-2978896. Craigo, Steade R. “To Do No Harm: Conserving, Preserving, and Maintaining Historic Adobe Structures.” Getty Conservation Institute. Accessed December 2, 2024. http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/pdf_publications/pdf/gsap_part2d.pdf. Curry, Elliot. “City Flag to Wave at Dedication.” San Luis Obispo Tribune. 9 September 1971. Dandekar, Hemalata and Adrianna Jordan. “The Railroads and San Luis Obispo’s Urban Form.”
Focus XVII. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. 2010. Dartt-Newton, Deanna and Jon M. Erlandson. “Little Choice for the Chumash: Colonialism, Cattle, and Coercion in Mission Period California.” American Indian Quarterly 30. No. 3-4. Special Issue: Decolonizing Archaeology (Summer-Autumn, 2006): 416-430. “Easing Pains of Parking.” San Luis Obispo Tribune. 21 June 1977. Estey, Charles. “Hotel for Motorists.” Pacific Coast Travel. October 1925.
Federal Register 48, no. 190 (September 29, 1983): 44738-44739. Fairbanks, Ann. "Historical Moment for Japanese Sites." San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. 7 July 1980. “First Low-Rent Housing to be Open on Saturday.” San Luis Obispo Tribune. 10 July 1970. “Flooding History,” Public Works, County of San Luis Obispo. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/departments/public-works/committees-programs/flood-control-zones/zone-9-%E2%80%93-san-luis-obispo-creek-watershed/flooding-history. "Gays Explain Themselves to A Curious Radio Audience." Daily Mustang XXXIV. No. 40. 9 November 1971. “'Gay Lib' in SLO." Mustang Daily XXXIII. No. 128. 24 May 1971. “Gay Student Union Approved.” Mustang Daily 40. No. 40. 13 January 1976.
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Hamilton, M. Colleen, Kholood Abdo and Keith Warren. From Mission to Commercial District:
Archaeological Excavations at CA-SLO-1419H, San Luis Obispo, California. San Luis Obispo: Prepared by Applied EarthWorks, Inc. for Copeland Properties, December 2017. Harmon, Joshua Michael. "'But Not In Vain:' The Civil Rights Movement in San Luis Obispo, California 1947-1969.” Master’s thesis. California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, 2009. Harth, Stan, Dan Krieger, and Liz Krieger. War Comes to the Middle Kingdom, 1939-1942. San Luis Obispo: EZ Nature Books, 1998. Highhouse, Galadriel Bree. "Madonna Inn: A Hotel in Context." Master's thesis. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. 2011. Historic American Buildings Survey. “Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, 782 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, CA.” Accessed December 3, 2024. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ca0799/. History Center San Luis Obispo County. “Eto Park and Brook Street in San Luis Obispo.” Accessed June 19, 2024. https://www.historycenterslo.org/uploads/1/2/5/3/125313011/walkingtourhandout-v8.pdf. “Housing Shortage is More Desperate Than Ever.” San Luis Obispo Tribune. 18 September 1970. "In 1852." San Luis Obispo Morning Tribune. 31 August 1892. James, George Wharton. The Old Franciscan Missions of California. Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1919. Jordan, Adrianna. The Historical Influence of the Railroads on Urban Development and Future
Economic Potential in San Luis Obispo. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Master’s Thesis, Master of City and Regional Planning, August 2011. “Japantown - San Luis Obispo.” LocalWiki. Accessed Jun 19, 2024. https://localwiki.org/slo/Japantown. “Japantown Atlas - Central California - San Luis Obispo.” 2022. Accessed June 19, 2024. http://japantownatlas.com/map-sanluis.html. Jenzen, Douglas P. Growing Conflict: Agriculture, Innovation, and Immigration in San Luis Obispo
County, 1837–1937. Master’s Thesis. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 2011.
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Johnson, John R. Descendants of Native Rancherías in the Diablo Lands Vicinity: A Northern Chumash
Ethnohistorical Study. Santa Barbara: Prepared for the PG&E Diablo Canyon Power Plant, September 2020. "The Kennedy Interview II." Daily Mustang 40. No. 13. 21 October 1975. King, Chester. "The Names and Locations of Historic Chumash Villages." The Journal of California
Anthropology 2. No. 2 (1975): 175. Krell, Dorothy. The California Missions. Menlo Park, CA: Sunset Books, 1979. Krieger, Dan. “World War II Brought Changes to Transportation in the County.” San Luis Obispo
Tribune. 9 September 2014. Accessed October 24, 2024, https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/times-past/article39496002.html. Krieger, Liz and Dan. “Blacks, Blues and Blood.” San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. 19 January 1991. Kyse, Bruce. "SAC Backs Gay Students." Mustang Daily XXXIV. No. 96. 10 March 1972. Linn, Sarah. “Rooted in Struggle: Meet Mexican Americans Working in the Wine Industry.” PBS SoCal. September 27, 2022. https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/the-migrant-kitchen/mexican-americans-working-in-the-wine-industry. Lynch, John. “SLO County Combs Through ‘Millions of Documents’ to Remove Racist Language.” Mapping the Gay Guides. Accessed October 11, 2024. https://mappingthegayguides.org/viz/map/. “Milestone Company to Build San Jose Motel.” Mercury News. November 24, 1925. Milliken, Randall and John R. Johnson. An Ethnogeography of Salinan and Northern Chumash
Communities – 1769 to 1810. Davis, CA: Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc. March 2005. Middlecamp, David. “1970s Housing Crisis Conditions Worried SLO City Leaders." San Luis Obispo
Tribune. 28 March 2022. “The Monday Club, San Luis Obispo, California.” Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Robert E. Kennedy Library. Accessed December 2, 2024. https://lib.calpoly.edu/search-and-find/collections-and-archives/architectural/julia-morgan/. Morrison, Annie L. and John H. Haydon. History of San Luis Obispo County and Environs, California,
with Biographical Sketches of the Leading Men and Women of the County and Environs Who
Have Been Identified with the Growth and Development of the Section from the Early Days to
the Present History. Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1917.
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National Park Service. National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for
Evaluation. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior. 1997. ___. National Register Bulletin 16A. How to Complete the National Register Registration Form. Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior. 1997. ___. National Register Bulletin 24: Guidelines for Local Surveys. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, 1977. Revised 1985. Neiburger, Carl. “Study Proposes Floodproof SLO.” San Luis Obispo Tribune. 28 June 1977. “New Parking Meters Will Go Up in SLO.” San Luis Obispo Tribune. 17 August 1977. Nettles, Wendy M. “The Copelands Project: Neophytes, Shopkeepers, and the Soiled Doves of San Luis Obispo.” City of San Luis Obispo, Community Development Department. October 2006. “Obituary: George Hasslein, 83; Dean of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo School of Architecture.” Los
Angeles Times. September 8, 2001. “Ordinance No. 298 (New Series)” San Luis Obispo Tribune. 16 March 1948. “Our Home.” Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. Accessed October 10, 2024. https://chumash.gov/the-santa-ynez-reservation. Page & Turnbull and Donna Graves. “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California, 1850-1970.” National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form. 2023. Pan, Emily. “A Timeline of the Chinese Population in San Luis Obispo.” Central Coast Asian American History. January 3, 2021. https://www.centralcoastasianhistory.org/post/a-timeline-of-the-chinese-population-in-san-luis-obispo. ___. “Ah Louis Store.” Central Coast Asian American History. January 3, 2021. https://www.centralcoastasianhistory.org/post/ah-louis-store. ___. “Take Eto's Story up to World War II, Told by her Daughter.” Central California Asian American History. January 4, 2021. https://www.centralcoastasianhistory.org/post/take-eto-s-story-up-to-world-war-2-told-by-her-daughter. Pavlik, Robert C. “Historical Architectural Survey Report for the Cuesta Grade Project.” California Department of Transportation. October 1994.
“Putting One Over on the Elks’ Minstrels by Printing the Criticism in Advance.” San Luis Obispo
Tribune. 5 May 1913. “Ramona Depot Move Approved by City.” San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. 12 May 1964.
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Rigley, Colin. “The Long, Storied History of San Luis Obispo’s Historic Chinatown and the Artifacts Left Behind.” San Luis Obispo New Times. 1 October 2014. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://www.newtimesslo.com/news/the-long-storied-history-of-san-luis-obispos-historic-chinatown-and-the-artifacts-left-behind-2935874. Robinson, W.W. The Story of San Luis Obispo County. Los Angeles, CA: Title Insurance and Trust Company. 1957. Sanborn Map Company. “San Luis Obispo.” 1926. Library of Congress. San Francisco Planning Department. City Within a City: Historic Context Statement for San
Francisco’s Mission District. San Francisco, November 2007. San Luis Obispo Local Agency Formation Commission. “History of Annexations.” Accessed November 15, 2024. https://slo.lafco.ca.gov/history-of-annexations. “San Luis Obispo Sites.” Living New Deal. Accessed November 14, 2024. https://livingnewdeal.org/?s=san+luis+obispo. “San Luis Obispo Transit.” Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board. Accessed October 24, 2024. https://cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php/San_Luis_Obispo_Transit.
San Luis Obispo Tribune. 9 March 2023. Sebby, Daniel M. “San Luis Obispo’s ‘Colored’ USO, 1941-1945.” Historic California Posts, Camps, Stations and Airfields. February 8, 2016. https://www.militarymuseum.org/SLOAAUSO.html.
The Seventh Census of the United States: 1850. Washington, DC: Robert Armstrong, Public Printer, 1853. Starr, Kevin. Embattled Dreams: California in War and Peace, 1940-1950. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. State of California Capitol Museum. “California’s Infrastructure.” Accessed December 3, 2024. https://capitolmuseum.ca.gov/exhibits/called-to-action-californias-role-in-ww2/californias-infrastructure/. Taylor, Patti and Suzette Lees. 75 SLO City Sites: An Informative Self-Guided Architectural Tour in
Historic San Luis Obispo. San Luis Obispo, CA: Graphic Communication Institute at Cal Poly, California Polytechnic State University. 2010. Tritenbach, Paul. San Luis Obispo Discoveries. San Luis Obispo, Excellence Press: 1989. UNESCO. “What is Intangible Cultural Heritage?” Accessed November 14, 2024. https://ich.unesco.org/en/what-isintangible-heritage-00003.
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United States Department of the Interior. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1864. ___. Ninth Census – Volume I, The Statistics of the Population of the United States. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1872. ___. Census Office. Statistics of the Population of the United States at the Tenth Census. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1882. ___. Census Office. Compendium of the Eleventh Census: 1890, Part I – Population. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1892. ___. Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1900. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1901. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Thirteenth Census of the United
States Taken in the Year 1910. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1913. ___. Bureau of the Census. Fourteenth Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1920, Volume III –
Population: 1920. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1922. ___. Bureau of the Census, Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930, Population, Volume III, Part 1. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1932. ___. Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940, Population, Volume II. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1943). ___. Bureau of the Census. A Report of the Seventeenth Decennial Census of the United States, Census of
Population: 1950, Volume II. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1952. ___. Bureau of the Census. The Eighteenth Decennial Census of the United States, Census of Population:
1960. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1961. "US Highway 101." California Highways. Accessed October 4, 2024. https://www.cahighways.org/ROUTE101.html. Vincent, Roger. “Housing: Rolling Into Town with No Place to Stay.” San Luis Obispo Tribune. 25 September 1975. “Worship in the Church of Synagogue of Your Choice." San Luis Obispo Tribune. 10 April 1976. YTT Northern Chumash Tribe. “yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Lifeways.” Accessed October 10, 2024. https://yttnorthernchumashtribe.com/lifeways. Zike, Allison Dean. “Mid-Twentieth Century Residential Development in San Luis Obispo.” Master’s thesis, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 2012.
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APPENDIX A: EVALUATION CRITERIA NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES The National Register of Historic Places is an authoritative guide to be used by Federal, State, and local governments, private groups, and citizens to identify the Nation's cultural resources and to indicate what properties should be considered for protection from destruction or impairment.152 The National Park Service administers the National Register program. Listing in the National Register assists in preservation of historic properties in several ways, including recognition that a property is of significance to the nation, the state, or the community; consideration in the planning for federal or federally assisted projects; eligibility for federal tax benefits; and qualification for Federal assistance for historic preservation, when funds are available. To be eligible for listing and/or listed in the National Register, a resource must possess significance in American history and culture, architecture, or archaeology. Listing in the National Register is primarily honorary and does not in and of itself provide protection of a historic resource. The primary effect of listing in the National Register on private owners of historic buildings is the availability of financial and tax incentives. In addition, for projects that receive Federal funding, a clearance process must be completed in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. State and local regulations may also apply to properties listed in the National Register. The criteria for listing in the National Register follow established guidelines for determining the significance of properties. The quality of significance in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture is present in districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects: A. That are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or B. That are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or C. That embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or D. That have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. 153 Standard preservation practice evaluates collections of buildings from similar time periods and historic contexts as historic districts. The National Park Service defines a historic district as “a significant concentration, linkage, or continuity of sites, buildings, structures, or objects united historically or aesthetically by plan or physical development.”154
152 36CFR60, Section 60.2. 153 36CFR60, Section 60.3. 154 National Register Bulletin 15. (5)
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CALIFORNIA REGISTER OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES The California Register is an authoritative guide in California used by State and local agencies, private groups, and citizens to identify the State's historical resources and to indicate what properties are to be protected, to the extent prudent and feasible, from substantial adverse change.155 The criteria for eligibility for listing in the California Register are based upon National Register criteria. These criteria are: 1. Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the United States. 2. Associated with the lives of persons important to local, California or national history. 3. Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region or method of construction or represents the work of a master or possesses high artistic values. 4. Has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California or the nation. The California Register consists of resources that are listed automatically and those that must be nominated through an application and public hearing process. The California Register includes the following:
• California properties formally determined eligible for (Category 2 in the State Inventory of Historical Resources), or listed in (Category 1 in the State Inventory), the National Register of Historic Places.
• State Historical Landmarks No. 770 and all consecutively numbered state historical landmarks following No. 770. For state historical landmarks preceding No. 770, the Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) shall review their eligibility for the California Register in accordance with procedures to be adopted by the State Historical Resources Commission (commission).
• Points of historical interest which have been reviewed by the OHP and recommended for listing by the commission for inclusion in the California Register in accordance with criteria adopted by the commission.156 Other resources which may be nominated for listing in the California Register include:
• Individual historical resources.
• Historical resources contributing to the significance of an historic district.
• Historical resources identified as significant in historical resources surveys, if the survey meets the criteria listed in subdivision (g) of Section 5023.1” of the Public Resources Code.
155 California PRC, Section 5023.1(a). 156 California PRC, Section 5023.1(d).
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• Historical resources and historic districts designated or listed as city or county landmarks or historic properties or districts pursuant to any city or county ordinance, if the criteria for designation or listing under the ordinance have been determined by the office to be consistent with California Register criteria.
• Local landmarks or historic properties designated under any municipal or county ordinance.157 LOCAL DESIGNATION Individual resources and historic districts in San Luis Obispo may be designated according to the following categories:
• Landmarks are historic resources which are of the greatest importance at the local, regional, state, or national level in terms of age, architectural or historical significance, rarity, or association with important persons or events in the City’s past, which meet one or more of the significance criteria and which retain a high degree of integrity. Individual properties which have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and/or California Register of Historical Resources are automatically included in the Inventory of Historical Resources as Landmarks.
• Local Register Resources are historic resources which are important locally for their architectural or historical significance, rarity, or association with important persons or events in the City’s past and which retain sufficient integrity to convey their significance.
• Historic Districts are discrete areas or neighborhoods with concentrations of buildings, structures, objects, or sites which help define an area or neighborhood’s significant architectural, cultural, and historic character or sense of place and which meet one or more of the criteria outlined below, and which retain integrity. Historic districts consist of identified contributors and non-contributors within a defined boundary. Landmarks and Local Register Resources within the boundary of a historic district may be contributors or non-contributors to the district’s significance. To be eligible for designation, a Landmark, Local Register Resource, or Historic District should be at least fifty years old (if less than fifty it must be demonstrated that sufficient time has passed to understand its historical importance), demonstrate significance under at least one of the following criteria, and retain integrity as defined below. These criteria match those used for evaluation for eligibility for the National Register and California Register. 1. Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the United States. 2. Associated with the lives of persons important to local, California, or national history. 157 California PRC, Section 5023.1(e).
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3. Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, or represents the work of an architect or design professional of merit, or possesses high artistic values. 4. Information Potential: It has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California, or the nation. In addition to eligibility under one or more of these significance criteria, Historic Districts should also demonstrate a sufficient concentration of contributing resources (unless the district is discontiguous) and continuity of design or thematic associations to convey their character and significance. INTEGRITY In addition to meeting any or all of the designation criteria listed above, properties nominated must also possess historic integrity. Historic integrity is the ability of a property to convey its significance and is defined as “the authenticity of a property’s historic identity, evidenced by the survival of physical characteristics that existed during the property’s historic period.”158 The National Register recognizes seven aspects or qualities that comprise integrity, which are also referenced in the City’s local ordinance: location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. These qualities are defined as follows:
Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event took place.
Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of a property.
Setting is the physical environment of a historic property.
Materials are the physical elements that were combined or deposited during a particular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form a historic property.
Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory.
Feeling is a property's expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time.
Association is the direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property.159 In assessing a property's integrity, the National Park Service recognizes that properties change over time. National Register Bulletin 15 provides:
158 National Register Bulletin 16A. 159 U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service, National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for
Evaluation. Washington D.C.: National Park Service, 1995.
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To retain historic integrity a property will always possess several, and usually most, of the aspects. It is not necessary for a property to retain all its historic physical features or characteristics. The property must retain, however, the essential physical features that enable it to convey its historic identity. A property that has lost some historic materials or details can be eligible if it retains the majority of the features that illustrate its style in terms of the massing, spatial relationships, proportion, pattern of windows and doors, texture of materials, and ornamentation. The property is not eligible, however, if it retains some basic features conveying massing but has lost the majority of the features that once characterized its style.160 For properties which are considered significant under National Register Criteria A and B, National
Register Bulletin 15 states: A property that is significant for its historic association is eligible if it retains the essential physical features that made up its character or appearance during the period of its association with the important event, historical pattern, or person(s). A property important for illustrating a particular architectural style or construction technique must retain most of the physical features that constitute that style or technique.161 A property that has sufficient integrity for listing at the national, state, or local level will typically retain a majority of the identified character-defining features, and will retain sufficient integrity to convey its significance. The required aspects of integrity are dependent on the reason for a property’s significance. Increased age and rarity of the property type are also considerations when assessing integrity thresholds. For example, for properties that are significant for their architectural merit, a higher priority is placed on integrity of design, materials, and workmanship. For properties that are significant for their association with important events or people, integrity of feeling and/or association may be more important. To convey its historical significance, a property that has sufficient integrity for listing in the national or state register will generally retain a majority of its character-defining features. However, the necessary aspects of integrity also depend on the reason the property is significant. High priority is typically placed on integrity of design, materials, and workmanship for properties significant for their architectural design (Criterion C/3/3), while for properties significant in association with events or people (Criteria A/1/1 and B/2/2), these aspects are only necessary to the extent that they help the property convey integrity of feeling and/or association. Similarly, integrity of location and setting are crucial for properties significant in association with events (Criterion A/1/1) but are typically less important for properties significant in association with people (Criterion B/2/2) or architectural design (Criterion C/3/3). For properties significant under any of these criteria, it is possible for some materials to be replaced without drastically affecting integrity of design, as long as these alterations are subordinate to the overall character of the building. For example, minor alterations such as window replacement may 160National Register Bulletin 15. 161National Register Bulletin 15.
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be acceptable in residential districts, but not in an individual property designed by a notable architect or builder. Properties that are significant for their association with an ethnic or cultural group may be a rare extant property or may be associated with intangible cultural heritage, and it should be understood that these properties may have been altered over time to meet the changing needs of the community. As such, the aspects of integrity that are most important for these properties include location, feeling, and association, and design to a lesser degree. A property associated with an ethnic or cultural group may have some alteration to its design, but may remain eligible as long as the property has enough of its essential physical features to be able to convey its reason for significance. A rule of thumb is that the property would be recognizable to a community member who was familiar with the property during its period of significance. Evaluations of integrity should also include some basis of comparison. In other words, the evaluator should understand the relative levels of integrity associated with each property type. Some properties may rate exceptionally highly in all aspects of integrity; such properties should be given high priority in preservation planning efforts and are more likely to be eligible for listing in the National Register, in addition to the California and San Luis Obispo registers. Generally, a property with exceptional integrity will have undergone few or no alterations since its original construction and will not have been moved from its original location. Conversely, increased age and rarity of the property type may lower the threshold required for sufficient integrity. Where properties have previously been altered, historic integrity can be increased if restoration or rehabilitation projects are conducted accurately based on documentary evidence, such as historic photographs and/or original drawings. Finally, it should be stressed that historic integrity and condition are not the same. Buildings with evident signs of deterioration can still retain eligibility for historic listing if it can be demonstrated that they retain enough character-defining features to convey their significance.
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APPENDIX B: HISTORIC ARCHITECTURAL STYLES IN SAN LUIS OBISPO
Introduction This section describes the predominant construction methods and historic architectural styles represented in San Luis Obispo. This section can be used to supplement or expand the City’s existing Guide to Historic Architectural Styles in San Luis Obispo.162 The information below briefly describes the origin of each style, provides a list of character-defining features, and includes extant local examples.163 A property that is eligible for designation as a good example of its architectural style retains most - though not necessarily all - of the character-defining features of the style, and continues to exhibit its historic appearance. For guidance on the proper treatment of historic resources and appropriate alterations to specific architectural styles, refer to the City of San Luis Obispo Design Guidelines,164 and the Historic Preservation Program Guidelines.165 The diverse architectural character of San Luis Obispo reflects changes in popular tastes over time. These include Victorian-era styles of the late 19th-century (Italianate, Gothic Revival, Stick/Eastlake, Queen Anne); the Craftsman style, a distinctly regional style that enjoyed widespread popularity in the first two decades of the 20th century; Period Revival styles of the 1920s and 1930s which made explicit references to their European predecessors (Mission Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Renaissance Revival, Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, Classical Revival); and the Modern styles of the late 1930s through the 1950s (Streamline Moderne, Minimal Traditional, Mid-Century Modern, Ranch). While some buildings are thorough representations of a particular architectural style, others are more restrained or subtle in their design. Many buildings display certain characteristics of popular styles of a period, but are less elaborated than their high-style counterparts. In some cases, buildings may display characteristics of more than one architectural style or type popular at the time of its construction.
162 City of San Luis Obispo, Historic Resources Survey Program, “Guide to Historic Architectural Styles in San Luis Obispo,” October, 1982. 163 All photographs in the “Architectural Character” section were taken 2012-2013. 164 City of San Luis Obispo, “Community Design Guidelines,” June 2010. 165 City of San Luis Obispo, “Historic Preservation Program Guidelines,” November 2010.
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Adobe Construction From the 1820s to the mid-1800s, adobe construction was the primary building type in San Luis Obispo. Early adobe buildings were typically small, single-story structures, with thick adobe walls, low sloping tile roofs, and wood detailing. Adobe construction consists of thick walls composed of large sun-dried bricks, usually made from clay, sand, and straw and covered with whitewash. The unreinforced adobe walls typically vary from one and one-half to six feet thick, resting on a dirt or rock foundation. Roofs are typically tile or wood shingle, resting on wooden roof timbers. Door and window openings are normally surrounded by heavy timbers, often with a prominent timber lintel above the openings. There are examples with second story additions that are referred to as Monterey Style adobes. Adobe construction demonstrates a continuation of indigenous building traditions that were passed down from generation to generation of craftsmen. Adobe construction used locally available resources, and was appropriate for the climate in the Southwest, staying cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The majority of the extant adobes in and around San Luis Obispo were built in the second half of the 19th century. Following California’s annexation to the United States in 1850, there was a migration of settlers from the east. During this period many adobe structures were destroyed to make way for new development. Many were altered during this period, with the addition of wood siding, composition roofing, and exterior finishes that may have obscured the adobe structure beneath. Clapboard siding was commonly used to protect adobe blocks from weathering, or to create a more stylish, ornamental appearance. In some cases, adobes were covered with a stucco or plaster finish. Character-defining features include:
• Rectangular plan
• Thick masonry walls of adobe brick
• Simple, unadorned exteriors (often with stucco cladding)
• Few, small window openings
• Simple arrangement of interior spaces
Murray Adobe, 747 Monterey Street, built 1850. Source: City of San Luis Obispo.
Butron Adobe, 466 Dana Street, built 1860. Source: City of San Luis Obispo.
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Commercial Vernacular Although not an officially recognized style, “commercial vernacular” describes simple commercial structures with little decorative ornamentation, common in American cities and towns of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They are typically brick in construction, with minimal decorative detailing. Character-defining features include:
• Simple square or rectangular form
• Flat roof with a flat or stepped parapet
• Brick exterior wall surfaces, with face brick on the primary facade
• First-story storefronts, typically with a continuous transom window above
• Wood double-hung sash upper-story windows, often in pairs
• Segmental arch window and door openings on side and rear elevations
• Decorative detailing, if any, may include cornices, friezes, quoins, or stringcourses
1901 Broad Street. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
1401 Osos Street. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Gothic Revival (Carpenter Gothic) Like the Italianate style, Gothic Revival emerged in England as part of the Picturesque Movement. Often termed “Carpenter Gothic” in the United States, this style commonly was applied to both residences and churches. Buildings may be of wood or masonry construction, but wood-frame predominates in domestic examples. Character-defining features include:
• Asymmetrical façade
• Vertical emphasis
• Steeply-pitched roof, often with cross gables and overhanging eaves
• Often features a square or octagonal tower
• Typically have horizontal wood exterior cladding
• Tall narrow windows, commonly with pointed arches
• One-story entry or full-width porch, often supported by flattened Gothic arches
• Fanciful wood ornamentation, including decorative vergeboards
McManus House, 639 Pismo Street, built 1901. Source: City of San Luis Obispo.
Biddle House, 552 Pismo Street, built 1889. Source: City of San Luis Obispo.
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Stick/Eastlake The Stick style is an architectural link between the earlier Gothic Revival and later Queen Anne style, all of which are adapted from Medieval buildings traditions. The Stick style is defined primarily by its decorative detailing, where the wall surface itself is treated as a decorative element, frequently with visible stick work. The term “Eastlake” typically refers to the decorative ornamentation found on Victorian-era residences, such as those designed in the Stick style. Character-defining features include:
• Steeply-pitched gabled roof, usually with cross gables
• Decorative trusses at the gable apex
• Overhanging eaves with exposed rafters
• Wood exterior wall cladding with applied decorative stick work
• Entry or full-width porches with diagonal or curved braces
• May incorporate Eastlake detailing
Shipsey House, 1266 Mill Street, built 1890. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Queen Anne The Queen Anne style was one of the most popular Victorian-era styles for residential buildings in California. Like the Stick style that it quickly replaced, Queen Anne uses exterior wall surfaces as a primary decorative element. Character-defining features include:
• Asymmetrical façade
• Steeply-pitched roof of irregular shape, usually with a dominate front-facing gable
• Wooden exterior wall cladding with decorative patterned shingles
• Projecting partial-, full-width or wrap-around front porch, usually one story in height
• Cut-away bay windows
• Wood double-hung sash windows
• Towers topped by turrets, domes or cupolas
• Tall decorative brick chimneys
• Ornamentation may include decorative brackets, bargeboards and pendants, as well as Eastlake details, such as spindle work
Crocker House, 793 Buchon Street, built 1901-1902. Source: City of San Luis Obispo.
Stanton House, 752 Buchon Street, built 1903-1905. Source: City of San Luis Obispo.
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Neo-Classical Cottage The term “Neo-Classical Cottage” is used to describe simple house forms or cottages with fewer decorative features than other styles from the period. While vernacular residences may display certain characteristics of recognizable styles, decorative detailing is typically confined to the porch or cornice line. Character-defining features include:
• Symmetrical façade
• Simple square or rectangular form
• Gabled or hipped roof with boxed or open eaves
• Wood exterior cladding
• Simple window and door surrounds
• Details may include cornice line brackets
• Porch support with turned spindles or square posts
1203 Pismo Street, built c.1900. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
1211 Pismo Street, built 1908. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Residential Vernacular The term “Residential Vernacular” is used to describe simple houses or cottages with little or no distinguishing decorative features. These buildings are characterized by their simplicity and lack of any characteristics of recognizable styles. Character-defining features include:
• Simple square or rectangular form
• Gabled or hipped roof with boxed or open eaves
• Wood exterior cladding
• Simple window and door surrounds
Fitzpatrick House, 670 Islay Street, built 1880. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Anderson House, 532 Dana Street, built 1898. Source: City of San Luis Obispo.
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Mission Revival The Mission Revival style is indigenous to California. Drawing upon its own colonial past, Mission Revival was the Californian counterpart to the Colonial Revival of the Northeastern states. Never common beyond the Southwest, its regional popularity was spurred by its adoption by the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific Railways as the preferred style for train stations and resort hotels. Features of the California Missions were borrowed and freely adapted, often in combination with elements of other revival styles. Character-defining features include:
• Red clay tile roofs with overhanging eaves and open rafters
• Shaped parapets
• Stucco exterior wall cladding
• Arched window and door openings
• Details may include bell towers, quatrefoil openings or patterned tiles
Old Gas Works, 280 Pismo Street, built 1902. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Milestone Motel, 2223 Monterey Street, built 1925. Source: City of San Luis Obispo.
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Craftsman Craftsman architecture in America grew out of the late-19th century English Arts and Crafts movement. It stressed simplicity of design, hand-craftsmanship, and the relationship to the climate and landscape. Craftsman architecture was widely published in architectural journals and pattern books, popularizing the style throughout the country. Affordable and easily constructed from local materials, the mostly one- or one-and-a-half-story homes were often referred to as “bungalows” and dominated middle-class residential design during the first quarter of the 20th century. Character-defining features include:
• Horizontal massing
• Low-pitched gabled roof
• Widely overhanging eaves with exposed rafters, beams, or braces
• Wood exterior wall cladding (shingle, shake, or clapboard)
• Projecting partial-, full-width or wrap-around front porch
• Heavy porch piers, often of river stone or masonry
• Wood-frame casement or double-hung sash windows, often grouped in multiples
• Widely-proportioned front doors, often with a beveled light
• Wide window and door surrounds, often with extended lintels
• Extensive use of natural materials (wood, brick or river stone)
Burch House, 1333 Mill Street, built 1915. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Residence, 863 Islay Street, built c. 1915. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Tudor Revival The Tudor Revival style is loosely based on a variety of Medieval English building traditions. In the United States, these traditions are combined freely, but retain the steeply-pitched front-facing gable which is almost universally present as a dominant façade element. The style’s popularity expanded dramatically in the 1920s and early 1930s, when masonry veneering techniques allowed even the most modest examples to mimic closely the brick and stone exteriors seen on English prototypes. The Storybook cottage is a more whimsical version of Tudor Revival. Storybook residences typically feature roofs laid in irregular patterns and rolled eaves to suggest thatching, eyebrow arches over entries and dormers, and exterior walls with irregular plaster finish. The Storybook style was particularly popular in Hollywood where motion picture set designers sometimes moonlighted as architects. Character-defining features include:
• Asymmetrical facade
• Steeply-pitched gabled roof with a prominent front-facing gable
• Stucco or brick exterior wall cladding, typically with half-timbering
• Tall, narrow divided-light windows, casement or double-hung sash, often arranged in multiples
• May display picture windows with leaded diamond panes
• Small gabled entry porch, often with arched openings
• Details may include stone or brick accents or faux quoining
Dunne House, 59 Benton Way, built 1927. Source: City of San Luis Obispo. 1167 Marsh Street, built 1930. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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American Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival style proliferated during the first half of the 20th century. This style incorporates traditions from the Georgian, Adam and early Classical Revival styles that were prevalent during the English colonial period. Dutch colonial influences were also incorporated, which often include a gambrel roof. Earlier examples were rarely accurate recreations but were instead free interpretations with details inspired by colonial precedents, while later examples shifted to more historically correct proportions and details. Character-defining features include:
• Side gable or hipped roofs
• Wood exterior wall cladding, typically horizontal
• Accentuated front entry or portico, featuring decorative pediments supported by pilasters or slender columns
• Wood double-hung sash windows with multi-pane glazing
• Front doors flanked by sidelights with fanlights above
• Fixed wooden shutters
1727 Corralitos Avenue, built c.1940. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
1624 Morro Street. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Classical Revival The Classical Revival style did not achieve the broad popularity of its closely-related Colonial Revival contemporary. The style is best identified by its symmetrical façade, which is typically dominated by a full-height porch with the roof supported by classical columns. Like the Renaissance Revival, this style was widely used for imposing civic buildings, institutional buildings, and banks. Character-defining features include:
• Symmetrical façade
• Front- or side-gabled roof
• Wood or masonry exterior wall cladding
• Full-height gabled or pedimented front porch
• Porch roof supported by slender fluted columns with Ionic or Corinthian capitals
• Wood double-hung sash windows with multi-pane glazing
• Details may include dentils, a wide frieze beneath the cornice, and roofline balustrades
Stover’s Sanitarium, 1160 Marsh Street, built 1911. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Masonic Temple, 856 Marsh Street, built 1913. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Italianate The Italianate style began in England as part of the Picturesque Movement. As used in the United States, this style generally followed the informal model of the simple Italian farmhouse, but was adapted into an indigenous style. This style did not enjoy the widespread popularity of other Victorian-era styles, and relatively few Italianate buildings were built. Character-defining features include:
• Symmetrical façade
• Low pitched hipped or flat roof
• Widely overhanging eaves with large decorative brackets
• Tall narrow windows, commonly arched or curved above
• Elaborated window crowns
• One-story entry porch, often supported by square posts with beveled corners
• Centrally-placed square tower or cupola
Jack House, 536 Marsh Street, built 1880. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Fitzgerald House, 794 Buchon Street, built 1902. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival buildings were often fairly literal interpretations of the Italian originals, unlike the free interpretations of the preceding Italianate style. Its formal, symmetrical facades and Classical or Beaux Arts details including quoins, roofline balustrades, pedimented windows, molded cornices and belt courses were often used for imposing civic buildings, institutional buildings, and banks.
• Character-defining features include:
• Symmetrical facade
• Tiled low-pitched hip roof, sometimes flat roof
• Boxed eaves with decorative brackets
• Stucco or masonry exterior wall cladding
• Arched window and door openings on the first story
• Wood divided-light casement or double-hung sash windows in the upper stories
• Front entry accentuated with slender classical columns or pilasters
Andrews Building, 998 Monterey Street, built 1893-1906. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Sinsheimer Building, 849 Monterey Street, built 1884. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Spanish Colonial Revival Enormously popular in Southern California from the late 1910s through the late 1930s, the Spanish Colonial Revival style emerged from a conscious effort by architects to emulate older Spanish architectural traditions, and break with Eastern colonial influences. At the peak of its popularity, design features of other regions of the Mediterranean were often creatively incorporated, including those of Italy, France, and North Africa. The result was a pan-Mediterranean mélange of eclectic variations on Spanish Revival styles. Character-defining features include:
• Asymmetrical facade
• Red clay tile hip or side-gable roof, or flat roof with a tile-clad parapet
• Stucco exterior cladding, forming uninterrupted wall planes
• Wood-frame casement or double-hung windows, typically with divided lights
• Arched colonnades, window or door openings
• Decorative grilles of wood, wrought iron, or plaster
• Balconies, patios or towers
• Decorative terra cotta or tile work
M.F. Avila House, 1443 Osos Street. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Division of Highways District 5 Office, 50 Higuera Street, built 1931. Source: City of San Luis Obispo.
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Art Deco Art Deco was the first popular style in the United States that consciously rejected historical precedents. Most commonly used in public and commercial buildings, Art Deco was rarely used in domestic architecture. The highly decorative style employed stylized floral, figurative and geometric motifs s as decorative elements on the façade. Towers, piers and setbacks were employed to give the buildings a vertical emphasis. Character-defining features include:
• Smooth wall surfaces, usually of stucco
• Stylized decorative floral and figurative elements
• Geometric decorative motifs such as zigzags and chevrons
• Towers, piers and other vertical elements
• Setbacks as design elements
Doton Building, 777 Higuera Street, built 1931. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
Fremont Theatre, 1035 Monterey Street, built 1941. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Streamline Moderne Characterized by smooth surfaces, curved corners, and sweeping horizontal lines, Streamline Moderne is considered to be the first thoroughly Modern architectural style to achieve wide acceptance among the American public. Inspired by the industrial designs of the period, the style was popular throughout the United States in the late 1930s, particularly with the Federally-funded projects of the Works Progress Administration; buildings executed under those programs are often referred to PWA Moderne. Unlike the equally modern but highly-ornamental Art Deco style of the late 1920s, Streamline Moderne was perceived as expressing an austerity more appropriate for Depression-era architecture. Character-defining features include:
• Horizontal massing
• Asymmetrical façade
• Flat roof with coping
• Smooth wall surfaces, typically clad in stucco
• Curved end walls and corners
• Glass block and porthole windows
• Flat canopy over entrances
• Horizontal grooves or stringcourses
• Pipe railings along exterior staircases and balconies
1259 Palm Street. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
1219 Monterey Street. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Minimal Traditional The Minimal Traditional style is defined by simple exterior forms and a restrained use of traditional architectural detailing. The Minimal Traditional house was immensely popular in large suburban residential developments throughout the United States during the World War II and postwar periods. The style had its origins in the principles of the Modern movement and the requirements of the FHA and other Federal programs of the 1930s. Its open plan reflected the developer’s desire for greater efficiency. Modern construction methods addressed the builder’s need to reduce costs and keep homes affordable to the middle class. Conventional detailing appealed to conservative home buyers and mortgage companies. Character-defining features include:
• One-story
• Simple rectangular plan
• Medium or low-pitched hip or side-gable roof with shallow eaves
• Smooth stucco wall cladding, often with wood lap or stone veneer accents
• Wood multi-light windows (picture, double-hung sash, casement)
• Projecting three-sided oriel
• Shallow entry porch with slender wood supports
• Fixed wooden shutters
• Minimal decorative exterior detailing
Example of a Minimal Traditional House. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Ranch The Ranch style enjoyed enormous popularity throughout the United States during the late 1950s and 1960s, becoming the predominant domestic style in Southern California’s postwar suburbs. The Ranch style emerged from the 1930s designs of Southern California architect Cliff May, who merged modernist ideas with traditional notions of the working ranches of the American West. The resulting architectural style – characterized by its low horizontal massing, sprawling interior plan, and wooden exterior detailing - embodied the mid-century ideal of “California living.” Character-defining features include:
• One-story configuration
• Sprawling plan, often with radiating wings
• Low, horizontal massing with wide street facade
• Low-pitched hip or gable roof with wide open eaves and wood shakes
• Wood lap or board-and-batten cladding, often with brick or stucco accents
• Large wood multi-light windows (picture, double-hung sash, diamond-pane)
• Wide recessed front porch with wood supports and balustrades
• Attached two-stall garage
• Details may include wooden shutters, attic vents in gable ends, hipped dovecote, extended gables, or scalloped barge boards
• Common sub-styles include California Ranch and Modern Ranch
1755 Tanglewood. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
1749 San Luis Drive. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Mid-Century Modern Mid-century Modern is a term used to describe a post-World War II iteration of the International Style in both residential and commercial design. The International Style was characterized by geometric forms, smooth wall surfaces, and an absence of exterior decoration. Mid-century Modern represents the adaptation of these elements to the local climate and topography, as well as to the postwar need for efficiently-built, moderately-priced homes and buildings. The Mid-century Modern building is characterized by its clear expression of structure and materials, large expanses of glass, and open interior plan. Character-defining features include:
• One or two-story configuration
• Simple geometric forms
• Expressed post-and-beam construction, in wood or steel
• Flat roof with wide overhanging eaves and cantilevered canopies
• Unadorned wall surfaces
• Exterior panels of wood, stucco, brick or stone
• Flush-mounted metal frame full-height and clerestory windows
• Exterior staircases, decks, patios and balconies
• Little or no exterior decorative detailing
• Expressionistic/Organic subtype: sculptural forms and geometric shapes, including butterfly, A-frame, folded plate or barrel vault roofs
2525 Augusta Street, built 1951. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
201 Buena Vista Street, built 1964. Source: Historic Resources Group (2013).
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Googie Googie has been described as Modernism for the masses. With its swooping lines and organic shapes, the style attempted to capture the playful exuberance of postwar America. Named for the John Lautner-designed Googie’s Restaurant in Los Angeles, the style was widely employed in roadside commercial architecture of the 1950s, including coffee shops, bowling alleys, and car washes. Character-defining features include:
• Expressive rooflines, including butterfly, folded-plate, and cantilevers
• Organic, abstract, and parabolic shapes
• Clear expression of materials, including concrete, steel, asbestos, cement, glass block, plastic, and plywood
• Large expanses of plate glass
• Thematic ornamentation, including tiki and space age motifs
• Primacy of signage, including the pervasive use of neon
SLO Coast Diner (former Denny’s), 1460 Calle Joaquin, built c. 1960. Source: City of San Luis Obispo.
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City of San Luis Obispo Appendix C Citywide Historic Context Statement HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP (2013) REVISED BY PAGE & TURNBULL (2025)
APPENDIX C: PROPERTIES LISTED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER
HISTORIC NAME NR REGISTREATION
NUMBER
ADDRESS Ah Louis Store 08000203 800 Palm Street Myron Angel House 82000988 714 Buchon Street Robert Jack House 92000312 536 Marsh Street Pacific Coast Railway Company Grain Warehouse 88000921 65 Higuera Street The Powerhouse 93000670 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, northeast corner of South Perimeter Road & Cuesta Avenue San Luis Obispo Carnegie Library 95000357 696 Monterey Street Tribune-Republic Building 93000548 1763 Santa Barbara Street William Shipsey House 10000115 1266 Mill Street The Monday Club 16000230 1815 Monterey Street Pereira Octagon Barn 13001068 4400 Octagon Way
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14.01.070 Evaluation criteria for historic resource listing.
When determining if a property should be designated as a listed historic or cultural resource,
the CHC and city council shall consider this chapter and State Historic Preservation Office
(“SHPO”) standards. In order to be eligible for designation, the resource shall exhibit a high level
of historic integrity, be at least flfty years old (less than flfty if it can be demonstrated that
enough time has passed to understand its historical importance) and satisfy at least one of the
following criteria:
A. Architectural Criteria. Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or
method of construction, or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values.
1. Style. Describes the form of a building, such as size, structural shape and details within
that form (e.g., arrangement of windows and doors, ornamentation, etc.). Building style will
be evaluated as a measure of:
a. The relative purity of a traditional style;
b. Rarity of existence at any time in the locale; and/or current rarity although the
structure refiects a once popular style;
c. Traditional, vernacular and/or eclectic infiuences that represent a particular social
milieu and period of the community; and/or the uniqueness of hybrid styles and how
these styles are put together.
2. Design. Describes the architectural concept of a structure and the quality of artistic
merit and craftsmanship of the individual parts. Refiects how well a particular style or
combination of styles are expressed through compatibility and detailing of elements. Also,
suggests degree to which the designer (e.g., carpenter-builder) accurately interpreted and
conveyed the style(s). Building design will be evaluated as a measure of:
a. Notable attractiveness with aesthetic appeal because of its artistic merit, details
and craftsmanship (even if not necessarily unique);
b. An expression of interesting details and eclecticism among carpenter-builders,
although the craftsmanship and artistic quality may not be superior.
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3. Architect. Describes the professional (an individual or flrm) directly responsible for the
building design and plans of the structure. The architect will be evaluated as a reference to:
a. A notable architect (e.g., Wright, Morgan), including architects who made signiflcant
contributions to the state or region, or an architect whose work infiuenced
development of the city, state or nation.
b. An architect who, in terms of craftsmanship, made signiflcant contributions to San
Luis Obispo (e.g., Abrahams who, according to local sources, designed the house at 810
Osos—Frank Avila’s father’s home—built between 1927 – 1930).
B. Historic Criteria.
1. History—Person. Associated with the lives of persons important to local, California, or
national history. Historic person will be evaluated as a measure of the degree to which a
person or group was:
a. Signiflcant to the community as a public leader (e.g., mayor, congress member, etc.)
or for his or her fame and outstanding recognition—locally, regionally, or nationally.
b. Signiflcant to the community as a public servant or person who made early, unique,
or outstanding contributions to the community, important local affairs or institutions
(e.g., council members, educators, medical professionals, clergymen, railroad officials).
2. History—Event. Associated with events that have made a signiflcant contribution to the
broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the
United States. Historic event will be evaluated as a measure of:
a. A landmark, famous, or flrst-of-its-kind event for the city—regardless of whether
the impact of the event spread beyond the city.
b. A relatively unique, important or interesting contribution to the city (e.g., the Ah
Louis Store as the center for Chinese-American cultural activities in early San Luis
Obispo history).
3. History—Context. Associated with and also a prime illustration of predominant patterns
of political, social, economic, cultural, medical, educational, governmental, military,
industrial, or religious history. Historic context will be evaluated as a measure of the degree
to which it refiects:
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a. Early, flrst, or major patterns of local history, regardless of whether the historic
effects go beyond the city level, that are intimately connected with the building (e.g.,
County Museum).
b. Secondary patterns of local history, but closely associated with the building (e.g.,
Park Hotel).
C. Integrity. Authenticity of a historical resource’s physical identity evidenced by the survival of
characteristics that existed during the resource’s period of signiflcance. Integrity will be
evaluated by a measure of:
1. Whether or not a structure occupies its original site and/or whether or not the original
foundation has been changed, if known.
2. The degree to which the structure has maintained enough of its historic character or
appearance to be recognizable as a historic resource and to convey the reason(s) for its
signiflcance.
3. The degree to which the resource has retained its design, setting, materials,
workmanship, feeling and association. (Ord. 1557 § 3 (part), 2010)
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CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
Historic Resource Ordinance and
Historic Context Statement Update
Historic Resources Inventory (HRI) Update
Project (Phase 1)
September 29, 2025
Staff Planner: Brian Leveille, AICP, Principal Planner, City of San Luis Obispo
Project Consultant: Stacy Kozakavich PhD, RPA, Page and Turnbull
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
2Recommendation & Next Steps
9-29-25: CHC Review - recommendation to the Planning
Commission
10-22-25: Planning Commission Review – recommendation to City
Council
12-2-24: City Council Review – adoption of HPO and HCS
Phase 1 – Update of Historic Preservation Ordinance (HPO) &
Historic Context Statement (HCS)
Phase 2 – Historic Resource Inventory Update (early 2026)
Evaluation for reclassifications on existing HRI
Surveys for new candidate properties
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
MONTEREY ST
CH
O
R
R
O
S
T
BR
O
A
D
S
T
HRI status and necessity to update
HRI includes 760 identified resources (Master List and
Contributing) + Five historic districts
City’s HRI over 35 years old (1983 & 1987) surveys
Historic Preservation Ordinance (2010) and Historic Context
Statement (2013).
City still needs to comprehensively review list and continue to
maintain the HRI based on adopted criteria and guidance of HPO
& HCS.
Council Direction to initiate update HRI as work program item in
FY 23-25 Budget
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
4Previous CHC review
Preliminary Assessment by Page and Turnbull
December 12, 2022: CHC subcommittee meeting & staff
presentation to CHC (consultant recommended approach)
February 27, 2023: CHC Review of Draft Preliminary
Assessment
September 25, 2023: CHC reviewed the project work scope
to be included with RFP for consultant assistance
April 22, 2024: CHC study session and overview of main
recommended updates.
May 20, 2025: meeting with subcommittee (Tischler,
Bernard, Gray) to hear feedback on administrative draft
updates.
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
5Correction – 14.01.100 Relocation of
Listed or Eligible Resources
Correction - 14.01.100 090
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
6Environmental Review
The recommended updates to the Historic Preservation
Ordinance and Historic Context Statement are categorically
exempt under CEQA section 15308, Actions by Regulatory
Agencies for the Protection of the Environment.
Recommend the Planning Commission forward a
recommendation to the City Council to approve and adopt
updates to the Historic Preservation Ordinance and Historic
Context Statement
Staff Recommendation
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
•Definitions
•Updated to reflect HPO contents and revised
categories
•Resource Categories
•Clarified to distinguish between the most significant
historic properties in the city (Landmarks),
individual properties that are locally significant
(Local Register Resources), and properties that are
not individually significant but contribute to a
historic district.
•Designation Criteria
•Simplified to align with California and National
Registers and clarified the integrity requirement.
•Designation Process
•Landmarks require City Council approval, Local
Register Resources do not.
Historic Preservation Ordinance Update
What changed?
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
Individual Resources
Landmark •Highest threshold for significance and
integrity
•Most stringent project review
requirements
•Requires City Council approval for
designation
•May not be designated against owner
objection
•Eligible for Mills Act Program
Local Register •Locally significant
•Proposed projects should not diminish
integrity
•May be designated by the Director at
CHC recommendation
Not Significant •Formally evaluated and found not to be
individually significant.
•No review for proposed project if not
in a district.
Not Evaluated •If over 45 years old, may need to be
evaluated for individual significance
prior to demolition or relocation.
Contributors Non-Contributors
May include:May include:
Landmark
Local Register
Not Significant
Landmark
Local Register
Not Significant
Historic Districts
Historic Preservation Ordinance UpdateWhat changed?
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
What is the HCS for?
•Context for evaluating built environment resources,
not a comprehensive history of the city.
•Outlines which historic themes and property types
are locally important, and the significance and
integrity thresholds for evaluating historic
properties.
•Used by planning staff, consultants, and interested
members of the public.
The updated HCS:
•Includes more discussion of some communities not
thoroughly covered in the previous HCS.
•Integrates different communities into the main
historic periods and themes, rather than separating
their significance from the mainstream.
•Aligns evaluation criteria with the revised criteria in
the HPO.
Historic Context Statement Update
What changed?