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Home My WebLink About04-25-2016 CHC Agenda Packet City of San Luis Obispo, Council Agenda, City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo Agenda Cultural Heritage Committee Monday, April 25, 2016 5:30 p.m. REGULAR MEETING Council Hearing Room 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, CA CALL TO ORDER: Chair Hill OATH OF OFFICE: Re-appointed Commissioner Thom Brajkovich ROLL CALL: Sandy Baer, Craig Kincaid, Shannon Larrabee, James Papp, Leah Walthert, Vice-Chair Thom Brajkovich, and Chair Jaime Hill ELECTION: Election of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson ACCEPTANCE OF AGENDA: Committee or staff may modify the order of items. PUBLIC COMMENT: At this time, people may address the Committee about items not on the agenda. Items raised are generally referred to staff and, if action by the Committee is necessary, may be scheduled for a future meeting. PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS NOTE: The action of the CHC is a recommendation to the Community Development Director, another advisory body, or City Council and, therefore, is not final and cannot be appealed. 1. 535 Higuera Street. HIST-2793-2016; Review of request add a residence at 535 Higuera Street to the Master List of Historic Resources; C-R zone; Jean Martin, applicant. (Walter Oetzell) San Luis Obispo – Cultural Heritage Committee Agenda of April 25, 2016 Page 2 2. 1214 Mill Street. HIST-2842-2016; Review of a request to add a Contributing historic residence at 1214 Mill Street to the City’s Master List of Historic Resources; R-2-H zone; Lawrence Brooks & Heidi Harmon, applicant. (Kyle Van Leeuwen) 3. CEQA Study Session. An overview and discussion of evaluating potential impacts to Cultural Resources under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). (Brian Leveille). COMMENT AND DISCUSSION 1. Agenda Forecast & Staff Updates 2. Training opportunities ADJOURNMENT Meeting Date: April 25, 2016 Item Number: 1 CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMITTEE AGENDA REPORT SUBJECT: Consideration of the inclusion of property in the Master List of Historic Resources as The Robert Pollard House ADDRESS: 535 Higuera St BY: Walter Oetzell, Assistant Planner Phone: 781-7593 FILE #: HIST-2793-2016 E-mail: woetzell@slocity.org FROM: Brian Leveille, Senior Planner 1.0 RECOMMENDATION Adopt the Draft Resolution (Attachment 1), determining that the property meets eligibility criteria for historic listing and recommending that the City Council include the property at 535 Higuera Street on the City’s Master List of Historic Resources as The Robert Pollard House. 2.0 SITE DATA Applicant and Property Owner Jean Martin General Plan General Retail Zoning Retail Commercial (C-R) Site Area 10,430 sq. ft. Historic Status Not a Listed Resource; not within an historic district Environmental Status Categorically Exempt (CEQA Guidelines §15331) 3.0 BACKGROUND The applicant has requested that the property at 535 Higuera Street be included in the City’s Master List of Historic Resources as The Robert Pollard House. The property is not currently included in the City’s Inventory of Historic Resources, nor is it located within any historic district. The Committee reviews applications to determine if property meets eligibility criteria for historic listing and forwards a recommendation to City Council, who will take final action on the application.1 1 Historic Preservation Ordinance § 14.01.060 CHC1 - 1 HIST-2793-2016 (535 Higuera) Page 2 4.0 DISCUSSION 4.1 Site and Setting The site is located just beyond the western edge of the downtown area, on the south side of Higuera Street, between Carmel and Nipomo Streets, in a Retail Commercial (C-R) Zone. The immediate surroundings are characterized by small-scale commercial development mixed with older single-family homes. Many of the residential structures are older buildings with historical character, particularly along the westerly end of Higuera. However, only a few properties in the immediate area are listed historic resources, including: the Norcross House (546 Higuera), the Creamery (570 Higuera), and the Jack House (536 Marsh), all Master List Historic Resources; and the Wilkenson House (412 Marsh), a Contributing List Resource. The property is a rectangular parcel, 10,430 square feet in area, developed with a single-family residence estimated to have been built around 1876,2 a detached garage and a small cottage constructed later.3 The applicant and James Papp have prepared a narrative description of history of the property (Attachment 3), the house, and the people associated with them. This report summarizes relevant information from the applicant’s narrative. 4.2 Building Architecture As described in the applicant’s narrative, the residence is “a single story in plain ranch house style” sheathed in wood shiplap siding, with gabled roof forms and a covered porch. The architect is not identified, but the builder was Robert Pollard, an early resident of San Luis Obispo who as further described in this report, was active in local civic affairs. 4.3 The Pollard Family Robert Pollard, born in Virginia and educated in New Orleans, came to San Luis Obispo in 1852. He was the brother of Samuel Pollard, of Cambria, who was himself, as detailed in the applicant’s historical narrative, an influential local figure active in the civic affairs of 19th Century San Luis Obispo County. After his arrival in San Luis Obispo, Robert Pollard held several important public posts, including Assistant Postmaster, Deputy Assessor, and Deputy Recorder. He was later elected County Coroner and appointed San Luis Obispo City Clerk. His 2 The applicant’s historical narrative provides an estimated construction date by reference to several early images of the City. The City’s Land Use database estimates construction “before 1927.” The outline of the residence appears on a Sanborn Map of the City dated 1903. 3 Using Sanborn, construction of the garage can be estimated to occur between 1909 and 1926 and the cottage between 1926 and 1950. The City’s Land Use database describes a new dwelling at 533 Higuera, “est. 1920 – Martin Home.” CHC1 - 2 HIST-2793-2016 (535 Higuera) Page 3 personal life was similarly active: he was elected secretary of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and appointed to the committee soliciting building funds to build the church; installed as Noble Grand of the Odd Fellow’s Chorro Lodge; and elected Secretary of the San Luis Obispo Society of Pioneers. Robert Pollard married Jane Chesney in 1874, and together they had three children: Harry, Mary Frances, and Josephine. Mary Frances Pollard worked for the San Luis Obispo Tribune as a compositor (typesetter) and was a signatory to the charter of the local International Typographical Union Chapel 576. Josephine Pollard owned a millinery store in the Charles Johnson Building on Chorro Street. The Pollard family lived in the house since its construction, until Robert Pollard’s death in 1911. The family relocated to Los Angeles, but all are now buried in the San Luis Cemetery. 4.4 E.D. Bray and Pauline Bray Martin Egbert Delaney “E.D” Bray was a prominent Central Coast architect and builder. He arrived in Cambria with his family from Missouri in 1877, started business in Santa Maria, and relocated the business to San Luis Obispo in 1909. The applicant’s historical narrative describes the distinctive nature of E.D. Bray’s buildings, which include, among many listed historic resources, the Crossett House and Righetti Apartments, both Master List Historic Resources. He lived in the house at 535 Higuera since 1916, leaving it in 1935 to live with his daughter Leola on Peach Street until his death in 1946. Pauline Bray, E.D. Bray’s daughter was the first woman to work in a bank in San Luis Obispo, hired by the Commercial Bank in 1917. She also sang, played piano, performed radio theater and comedy, and entertained in prominent homes throughout the City. In 1935, after her father moved to Peach Street, she moved into the house at 535 Higuera with her husband, Gene Martin, and her daughter, Jean Martin, who continues to occupy the house to this day, carrying on the memories of its builder and former occupants. 5.0 EVALUATION Inclusion in the City’s Master List of Historic Resources is limited to the most unique and important historic properties and resources in terms of age, architectural or historical significance, rarity, or association with important persons or evens in the City’s past. To be eligible for such listing, an historic resource must exhibit a high level of historic integrity, be at least 50 years old, and meet one or more of the eligibility criteria described in § 14.01.070 of the Historic Preservation Ordinance (see Attachment 4). 5.1 Architectural Criteria The house satisfies criteria under § 14.01.070 A (1) (b) related to architectural style. The simple rectangular plan, unadorned wood frame construction, simple window pattern and detail, and gabled roof of the house exhibits a vernacular architectural style representative of the period of San Luis Obispo’s establishment as a City in the last decades of the 19th Century. The architect of the building is unknown, as is common with such early vernacular structures, but the house is one of the few remaining examples of residential development from this early period of the City’s history. CHC1 - 3 HIST-2793-2016 (535 Higuera) Page 4 5.2 Historic Criteria The house is closely associated with the lives of several persons important to local history, as summarized in this report and detailed in the applicant’s historical narrative, satisfying criteria under § 14.01.070 (B) (1) and (B) (3) related to historical persons and context. Robert Pollard was the builder of the house, and lived in it for the remainder of his life, about 35 years. He was particularly significant to the community as a public servant, having conducted a multitude of important functions in San Luis Obispo County and City government during its earliest days, and through his involvement in the development of the local Episcopal Church, and in the Odd Fellows Lodge and San Luis Obispo Society of Pioneers. Its subsequent owner, E.D. Bray, designed many signature buildings that continue to reflect the patterns of early 20th Century residential development in the City, and occupied the house for almost 20 years. These accomplishments are echoed by the participation of Mary Frances Pollard in the establishment of a local labor organization and by Pauline Bray Martin’s pioneering entry into the financial sector. Mary Frances Pollard lived in the house with her father until his death in 1911. After the death of E.D. Bray, Pauline Bray Martin continued to own and occupy the house with her husband, Gene Martin, and their children. Her daughter, Jean Martin, owns and continues to occupy the house to this day. 5.3 Integrity The house also satisfies criteria under § 14.01.070 (C), related to historical integrity: as it sits on the site on which it was built in the late 19th Century and occupies its original foundation. Minor additions have been made to the structure, but its residential character and vernacular style have been preserved by retention of the basic elements of its simple design: the unadorned wood frame construction, shiplap siding, gable roof forms, and simple window pattern and detail. Smaller structures have been added to the property, but the residential setting and the feeling and association with early 19th Century residential development in the City have been retained, as the structures are small and located in the rear of the lot, inconspicuous to the viewer. 5.4 Conclusion According to the information in the applicant’s narrative documenting the historical significance and architectural character of the house, the property is eligible for designation as a Master List Historic Resource because of the rarity of the late 19th Century residential vernacular style of the house, (§ 14.01.070 (A) (1) (b) – Architectural Criteria: Style), its association with the lives of historically important people and major patterns of local history (§ 14.01.070 (B) – Historic Criteria), and the authenticity of its physical identity (§ 14.01.070 (C) - Integrity). 6.0 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW This project is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). It is limited to preservation of historical resources, as described in § 15331 of the CEQA Guidelines. 7.0 ALTERNATIVES 1. Continue consideration of the request with direction to the applicant and staff on pertinent issues. CHC1 - 4 HIST-2793-2016 (535 Higuera) Page 5 2. Recommend that the property not be included in the City’s Master List of Historic Resources, based on finding that the property does not satisfy the criteria for designation as a listed Historic Resource. 8.0 ATTACHMENTS 1. Draft Resolution 2. Vicinity Map 3. Applicant Narrative 4. Historic Criteria (Historic Preservation Ordinance) CHC1 - 5 CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMITTEE RESOLUTION NO. XXXX-16 A RESOLUTION OF THE SAN LUIS OBISPO CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL ADD THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 535 HIGUERA STREET TO THE MASTER LIST OF HISTORIC RESOURCES AS “THE ROBERT POLLARD HOUSE” (HIST-2793-2016) WHEREAS, the applicant, Jean Martin, filed an application on February 23, 2016, for review of the inclusion of the property at 535 Higuera Street on the City’s Master List of Historic Resources; and WHEREAS, the Cultural Heritage Committee of the City of San Luis Obispo conducted a public hearing in the Council Hearing Room of City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California, on April 25, 2016, for the purpose of reviewing the inclusion of the property at 535 Higuera Street on the City’s Master List of Historic Resources; and WHEREAS, notices of said public hearings were made at the time and in the manner required by law; and WHEREAS, the Cultural Heritage Committee has duly considered all evidence, including the testimony of the applicants, interested parties, and the evaluation and recommendations by staff, presented at said hearing. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Cultural Heritage Committee of the City of San Luis Obispo as follows: Section 1. Findings. Based upon all the evidence, the Cultural Heritage Committee makes the following findings: 1. The house is eligible for the Master List of Historic Resources because it satisfies more than one of the evaluation criteria for historic resource listing described in the Historic Preservation Ordinance, exhibits a high level of historic integrity, and, being depicted on a Sanborn Map prepared in 1903, is more than 50 years old. 2. The house satisfies evaluation criteria for historic resources listing related to architectural style (§14.01.070 A). It is a rare remaining example of an owner-built residence exhibiting a vernacular style representative of the period of San Luis Obispo’s establishment as a City in the last decades of the 19th Century. 3. The house satisfies evaluation criteria for historic resources listing related to historical persons and with predominant patterns the City’s history (§14.01.070 B(1) and B(3)). It is closely associated with Robert Pollard, who held many important public posts and made important contributions to local institutions during the City’s early history, and E.B. Bray, a noted local architect with several works included in the City’s Inventory of ATTACHMENT 1 CHC1 - 6 Resolution No.XXXX-16 HIST-2793-2016 (535 Higuera) Page 2 Historic Resources. It is also associated with Mary Frances Pollard, who participated in the establishment of a local labor organization, and with Pauline Bray Martin, the first woman to work in the local banking sector. 4. The house exhibits a high level of historic integrity and satisfies evaluation criteria for historic resources listing related to historic integrity (§14.01.070 C). The structure occupies its original site and the extent of its original foundation. The residential character and vernacular style of the house have been preserved, despite subsequent additions, by retention of the basic elements of its simple design: the unadorned wood frame construction, shiplap siding, gable roof forms, and simple window pattern and detail. The residential setting and the feeling and association with early 19th Century residential development in the City have been retained with the location of additional structures to the property, as the added structures are small and located in the rear of the lot, inconspicuous to the viewer. 5. The project is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as it is limited to the designation of a historical resource, an action taken to preserve a historical resource, as described in §15331 of the CEQA Guidelines. Section 2. Action. The Cultural Heritage Committee does hereby recommend that the City Council add the property located at 535 Higuera Street to the Master List of Historic Resources as “The Robert Pollard House.”. On motion by Committee Member __________, seconded by Committee Member ________ , and on the following roll call vote: AYES: NOES: REFRAIN: ABSENT: The foregoing resolution was passed and adopted this 25th day of April, 2016. _________________________ Brian Leveille, Secretary Cultural Heritage Committee ATTACHMENT 1 CHC1 - 7 C-R C-R C-D C-D C-R HIGUE R A VICINITY MAP HIST-2793-2016535 Higuera St ¯ ATTACHMENT 2 CHC1 - 8 1 The Robert Pollard House, 535 Higuera Street Application for Master List Status Owner and Applicant: Jean A. Martin 1. Introduction 2. Timeline 3. The Genealogy of 535 Higuera Street 4. Early Images of the Norcross, Pollard, and Jack Houses 5. The Evolution of the House 6. Occupants The Builder: Robert Pollard Union Founder Franky Pollard and Businesswoman Jo Pollard Architect-‐Builder E. D. Bray Banker Pauline Bray Martin Introduction The Robert Pollard House, which dates from 1876, is one of a cluster of three of San Luis Obispo’s oldest surviving residential wooden structures in the city’s West End district. Figure 1: Pollard House façade, 2015 The other two, the Norcross House, dating from 1873 or 1874 (San Luis Obispo Tribune, 25 April 1874), and the Jack House, from 1878 (San Luis Obispo Tribune, 27 July 1878), are both in the Master List and the latter, with its gardens, in the National Register of Historic Places. All three were built by significant San Luis Obispo pioneers; occupy their original locations; and are, in their street appearance, little changed from the time of their construction. A passerby of 1876 would instantly recognize the Pollard House today, with its roof sloping toward the street, a separate front porch roof running the width of the façade, and twinned front windows. A visitor of 1876 would find the same doors, door hardware, window glass, and interior arrangements in the front section of the house. ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 9 2 The Pollard House appears in the iconic 1877 engraving Bird’s-‐Eye View of San Luis Obispo. Its absence from the earliest photographic panoramas of the city, by Thomas Houseworth and Carleton Watkins, helps us date both of those works to 1873–76. In contrast to the Italianate Jack House and carpenter Gothic Norcross House, both two stories, the Pollard is a single story in plain ranch house style. It rivals the Jack House, however, for primary and secondary documentation. Only two families have owned the Pollard House, and the second remained in close communication with the first. Not only did County Coroner and City Clerk Robert Pollard build and, for the remaining thirty-‐five years of his life, occupy the house, but it was the birthplace and residence of compositor and early union local founder Mary Frances “Franky” Pollard and independent businesswoman Josephine “Jo” Pollard; the prominent Central Coast architect-‐ builder E. D. Bray during his most productive San Luis Obispo period; and Pauline Bray Martin while she worked as the first woman banker in San Luis Obispo. In addition, the Pollard House and property are a physical reminder of the social and business network of gentiles and Jews in late-‐nineteenth-‐century San Luis, maintained to a large extent through the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 10 3 Timeline 1832 Robert Pollard born in Richmond, Virginia August 16 1850–52 Merchant Samuel Adams Pollard, who came West for the Mexican-‐American War, serves as postmaster, county recorder, clerk, deputy treasurer, district attorney, and first chair of the board of supervisors in San Luis Obispo 1852 Robert Pollard moves to the county at his brother Samuel’s urging; sets up in business in Cambria 1861–65 Robert Pollard returns to Virginia to fight in the Civil War 1869 Tomas Higuera grants deed for lots on Higuera Street to John Allan July 17 1873 Robert Pollard elected secretary of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in San Luis Obispo and appointed to committee to solicit building funds 1874 Robert Pollard marries Jane Chesney 1875 John Allan grants deed for lot on Higuera to Max Pepperman September 15 1875 Robert Pollard installed as Noble Grand of IOOF Chorro Lodge (SLO) 1876 Mary Frances Pollard born in April; Max Pepperman grants deed for Higuera Street lot to Robert Pollard May 1 1877 Robert Pollard elected county coroner 1879 Robert Pollard elected secretary of San Luis Obispo Society of Pioneers; appointed city clerk of San Luis Obispo March 3, serving till March 21, 1881 1894 Mary Frances Pollard hired by San Luis Obispo Tribune. Her first paycheck pays for a dining room extension to the house 1898 Pauline Bray born 1902 Mary Frances Pollard co-‐founds International Typographical Union Chapel 576 1909 E. D. Bray moves his design and construction business from Santa Maria to the City of San Luis Obispo 1911–30 E. D. Bray designs and constructs commercial and residential buildings in San Luis Obispo, including nine in the Master and Contributing Lists 1911 Death of Robert Pollard 1912 Pollard family moves to Los Angeles 1912–13 The Joseph Green family of Green Brothers rents the Pollard House till E. D. Bray builds them a house 1913–16 The Euer family rents the Pollard House 1916 E. D. Bray purchases the Pollard House 1917 Pauline Bray graduates from high school, works briefly for District Attorney Charles A. Palmer, and at his recommendation is hired by Commercial Bank as first woman in banking in San Luis Obispo 1918 Pauline Bray becomes the legal owner of the Robert Pollard House 1927 Pauline Bray marries Gene Martin 1933 Pauline Bray Martin retires from banking 1934 Jean A. Martin born 1935 E. D. Bray leaves the Pollard House and Pauline Bray Martin, Gene Martin, and Jean Martin move into it 1956 Jean Martin admitted to first class of women at Cal Poly since 1930 1972 Death of Gene Martin 1988 Death of Pauline Bray Martin ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 11 4 The Genealogy of 535 Higuera Street The land that would eventually hold the Norcross, Pollard, and Jack Houses was known as the Fields of Carrasco and acquired by Tomas Higuera, descendant of a De Anza Expedition family who came to San Luis in 1855 (Betsy Bertrando, “Information, as requested, for the house located at 546 Higuera Street,” no date: 1). The 1870 Harris and Ward map of San Luis shows a large section on the north of Higuera Street sold off to Calvin Mills (via David Mallagh), but Tomas Higuera retains the south side of the street almost to Pacific, with M. Henderson and one Haley owning the Pacific Street frontages. Marsh Street has yet to continue beyond Nipomo. The 1874 Harris map of San Luis shows Norcross in possession of his now smaller lot, Higuera owning the central part of the block where Marsh would eventually run, and Higuera, J. Allan, A. Godoy, H. M. Warden, and E. M. Day owning the Higuera Street frontages, with Allan owning three lots, on one of which the Pollard House was to be built. Max Pepperman bought the lot from John Allan 15 September 1875. The current owner of the Pollard House, Jean Martin, has the deed transferring ownership of the 50’-‐wide, 300’-‐ deep lot from Max Pepperman to Robert Pollard for $450, signed 1 May 1876 and recorded 8 May at twenty-‐five minutes past 10 a.m. by County Clerk and Recorder Nathan King. Pollard’s daughter Franky attested to its being in the hand of her father, who was deputy county clerk at the time (Frances Pollard, letter to Pauline Bray Martin, 17 July 1957). Pepperman, along with the Sinsheimers and Goldtrees, was one of San Luis Obispo’s thriving community of Jewish merchants and bankers in the second half of the nineteenth century, being the first businessman on record in the city to merchandise such holidays as Valentine’s Day and Christmas with San Luis Obispo Tribune advertisements. From 1872 to 1877 he bought six lots in the city from various owners. Figure 2: Deed, Max Pepperman to Robert Pollard, 1876. Courtesy of Jean Martin. In 1878 Pollard and Pepperman were both elected trustees of the Chorro Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, or IOOF, a fraternal organization that welcomed both Christians and Jews. Figure 3: Pepperman’s Valentine advertisement, San Luis Obispo Tribune, 5 February 1870. Courtesy of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. Pollard bought a further 20-‐foot frontage on the west of his lot running from Higuera to Marsh Street from Isaac Goldtree on 27 January 1882 for $100. The lot extended to Marsh ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 12 5 Street, and Pollard farmed it. Franky Pollard told the house’s second owner, Pauline Bray Martin, that she and her sister Josephine had a burial for one of their dolls on the property, which bordered the Catholic Cemetery; their father continued to plow around the site, thinking it was a real grave; and they never told him for fear of a spanking (Pauline Bray Martin, letter to Louisiana Clayton Dart, 26 June 1969: 2). On February 24 , 1879 the San Luis Obispo city council resolved that R. E. Jack and Robert Pollard be granted “the privilege to tap the sewer on Marsh Street, for the purpose of irrigation,” in Jack’s case presumably for his wife Nellie Hollister Jack’s famous garden (the 1880 census lists a gardener as their only live-‐in servant) and in Pollard’s case presumably for his crops. According to Pauline Bray Martin’s account from Franky Pollard, the Marsh-‐facing section was sold in 1902 to Mrs. A. M. Lilley, shown in the May 1903 Sanborn map of San Luis Obispo. Figure 4: 535 Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo Sanborn map, May 1903. Courtesy of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. Robert Pollard died in 1911, and in 1912 his family left San Luis Obispo for Los Angeles, renting the house to the Jewish merchant Joseph Green (who had been one of Pollard’s pallbearers), his wife Nell, and their children Kenneth (“Pinky”) and Alva (Pauline Bray Martin, op. cit.:1). Joseph and Kenneth were both principles in Green Brothers men’s clothing store, a longtime San Luis Obispo establishment on Monterey and later Higuera Streets. They moved in 1913 when E. D. Bray completed their house at 1042 Palm Street (since demolished) (Dan Krieger, “First-‐Rate Clothiers Outfit County’s Men,” Times Past, Tribune, 11 Dec. 2010; Jean Martin, “E. D. Bray: Architect and Builder of the Central Coast,” La Vista 2015: 92.). The family of a railroad man named Euer lived at 535 Higuera till 1916, when Bray purchased the house and moved there with his wife, Bertie Belle Barnett, and children. His daughter Pauline Bray soon graduated from high school, went to work, and took over payments, and in 1918 ownership was transferred to her name. Her mother died in 1934, and from 1935 until his death in 1946, E. D. Bray lived with his daughter Leola at 1027 Peach Street, while the Pollard House was occupied by Pauline Bray Martin, her husband Eugene Martin, and their one-‐year-‐old daughter Jean Martin, who in 2016 continues to make it her home. Early Images of the Norcross, Pollard, and Jack Houses The two earliest known panoramic photographs of San Luis Obispo, the Carleton Watkins view from early 1876 (Metropolitan Museum of Art 1986.1189.79) and the Thomas Houseworth view from slightly before—both taken from the rise near the western end of ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 13 6 Higuera—show the Norcross House on the north side of Higuera and nothing to the west of it on the other side of the street, where the Allan lots were in 1874 and the Pollard House would later be built. In the 1877 Bird’s-‐Eye View of San Luis Obispo engraved by E. S. Glover and published by A. L. Bancroft and Company, San Francisco, the Robert Pollard House appears in its current location and with its current configuration and façade: the gables perpendicular to the street and the roof slope descending to a columned porch. Figure 5: E. S. Glover, Bird’s-‐Eye View of San Luis Obispo, 1877 (detail). The old Jack House is on the left, the Norcross House in the center, and the Pollard House, with an outbuilding behind, on the right. Courtesy of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. The current Jack House has yet to be built, although the earlier one stands directly behind it on Higuera. In a panoramic photograph taken from Cerro San Luis circa 1885 from about the same angle as the Bird’s-‐Eye View, the Jack House and the Robert Pollard House are both visible, with the Norcross House between them behind trees. The one-‐story Pollard House, with its roof sloping toward the street, covering a porch along the full front of the house, matches both the appearance in the Bird’s-‐Eye View and its appearance today. Figure 6: Panoramic photograph of San Luis Obispo from Cerro San Luis, circa 1885 (detail). The Jack House is on the left amid trees, the Norcross House obscured behind trees in the middle, and the Pollard House surrounded by a white picket fence and shaded by two or three tall trees on the right. Courtesy of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 14 7 The Evolution of the House The Pollard House today consists of a front section whose roofline runs parallel to Higuera, with a gable at each end, and a rear one whose roofline runs perpendicular to Higuera, with a gable facing Marsh. This arrangement is similar to the Norcross House, though there the front section is two stories and back section was originally one story, and, as attested by the Watkins and Houseworth photographs circa 1876 and Glover Bird’s-‐Eye View of 1877, both sections were built at the same time. In the Bird’s-‐Eye View, only the front section of the Pollard House appears. In the 1903 Sanborn map—absent two later east and west pushouts—the house’s footprint is largely as it is today, a structure, twice as long as wide, its narrow end facing the street. The rear section was added in parts from 1894, the first with Franky Pollard’s first Tribune paycheck of twenty dollars (Pauline Bray Martin, letter responding to Telegram-‐ Tribune Centennial Edition, 7 August 1969). The exterior wood of this extension is visible inside the cabinets of the adjoining kitchen wall. Figure 7: The Pollard House east front from the rear, early 1900s, with a bay window since superseded by the east pushout and the rear dining room extension built 1894. The front door is at the east end of the façade, under the porch; paired four-‐light sash windows with original panes and muntins are set to right. The interior of the façade is occupied by a parlor, with no separate entry. A hallway facing the door runs from the parlor along the original east wall past a bedroom on the west to a doorway in what was the original south wall, and into what is now a dining room. The parlor, front bedroom, and hallway comprise the house seen in the 1877 engraving. Comments by Franky Pollard suggest part of the hallway was a kitchen. In the rear addition to the house, behind the front bedroom, is an additional Figure 8: 1894 exterior wall inside kitchen cabinet. bedroom that was once a storeroom with an external entrance, and east of that the dining room. A bathroom was added behind the second bedroom and new kitchen behind the dining room shortly before the 1903 Sanborn map. ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 15 8 The original house is 20’ wide and 24’ deep, for 480 square feet. The storeroom/bedroom and dining room addition added 10 feet to the rear and the bathroom and kitchen addition a further 10 feet, for 400 square feet, and the east pushout 247 square feet. The original house has 10’4” ceilings, the dining room 9’10” and the storeroom/bedroom 9’7” ceilings (suggesting they might have been added separately). The History Center’s next Sanborn map from April 1926 shows a pushout on the east wall; this includes a small bedroom in front, and behind it extends the dining room east. It was built before the tenure of the Brays, probably while the Pollards still lived there. For his daughter Pauline, E. D. Bray built a china cabinet separating these two rooms circa 1918; he also added wainscot paneling to the dining room and pilastered wainscot paneling to the parlor, as well as extending the front porch columns and rafters into a pergola, the only change to the façade in 140 years. A closet pushout on the west wall between the bedrooms was also added during the Bray period, when Pauline Bray was earning money as a bank employee. Figure 9: West front, 2015, the parlor window in front, the original bedroom’s twin windows, behind, with a twentieth-‐century closet pushout shared by the front and rear bedroom (originally a storeroom) joining the original house with the rear extension. ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 16 9 Figure 10: Parlor, looking west, with E. D. Bray’s pilastered paneling. Owner Jean Martin stands between portraits of her mother, Pauline Bray Martin, the owner from 1918, and father Eugene Martin. Figure 11: Hall, in a straight line to the original rear wall and probable rear entrance, now the door to the dining room, added in 1894. Figure 12: Dining room, with E. D. Bray’s wainscot paneling and built-‐in china cabinet. The house retains many original windows and other early features, such as button light switches. Much original front door hardware remains; such as was replaced has been accessioned into the collection of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. In 1955– ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 17 10 56, the Martin family repapered the house and removed eight layers of paper from the parlor ceiling, most in shades of red, and including a newspaper reporting on President Chester Alan Arthur’s visit to San Francisco in the early 1880s. Outlets for gas lamps were discovered at that time. Outbuildings at the southwest corner of the Pollard House appear on the 1903 Sanborn map and are gone by 1926, replaced by a garage at the southeast corner. A later pasteover on the map, possibly from 1930, includes a cottage near the southwest corner of the house, which remains today. Pauline Bray Martin writes, “When I first moved here in 1916, the street out front was just a dirt road, and cattle were driven by. There were no sidewalks, and there was a little picket fence across the front of the lot. In 1918, 1919, or 1920, I do not know which, the original 101 Highway was built up the middle of Higuera Street, and we the property owners had to pave from that little strip to our sidewalk, which we built” (Pauline Bray Martin, “Ye Old House at 535 Higuera Street,” no date). The Builder: Robert Pollard Robert Pollard was born in Richmond, Virginia on 16 August 1832 and moved with his parents to New Orleans, where he was educated (“The Passing of Robert Pollard,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, 27 Jan. 1911: 4). In 1852, at the urging of his elder brother Samuel, he came to California via Nicaragua. Figures 13, 14, and 15: Robert Pollard as a young man, after the Civil War, and as an old man. Courtesy History Center of San Luis Obispo County. Samuel Pollard, who had taken part in a four-‐thousand-‐mile march from Missouri to Monterrey for the Mexican-‐American War (Daily Republic, 22 March 1888), was a ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 18 11 ubiquitous presence in local government in the early American years of San Luis Obispo, serving in the 1850s and ’60s as the first chair of the county board of supervisors, county clerk and recorder and treasurer, school superintendent, justice of the peace, district attorney, and (as owner of the only store in the City of San Luis Obispo) postmaster. He married, firstly, Captain William Dana’s daughter Josepha Dana de Tefft and, secondly, Maria Antonia Robbins, widow of Leandro Roman Branch, thus allying himself with three of the major pioneer families (“Samuel Pollard,” Cambria History Exchange, http://cambriahistory.org/?p=252 [accessed 2 Feb. 2016]). Figure 16: Samuel Pollard. Courtesy of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. Samuel Pollard in his late years became a source for local history of the early American period, writing dramatic newspaper accounts of the events he had witnessed, including the first American trial, where, since there was “only one other man in town besides the judge and myself who could read English[, … c]onsequently, the first pleading before a court of law in this county was done by the aforementioned county recorder– merchant–postmaster–deputy treasurer–district attorney. I had never opened a law book in my life” (Joseph Carotenuti, “Samuel Adams Pollard,” Journal Plus, Aug. 2011: 32). After Robert Pollard arrival in the county, he spent some years at Cambria in business. During the Civil War, he went back to the South via Panama and served in the Washington Artillery. After the war he returned to San Luis Obispo and served as deputy county clerk under Charles W. Dana and Nathan King, assistant postmaster with Jacob Simmler, then as deputy assessor and deputy recorder (“The Passing of Robert Pollard”; Pauline Bray Martin, letter to Louisiana Clayton Dart: 1). He was also the city clerk of San Luis Obispo 1879–81 under Mayor W. A. Henderson. Myron Angel writes of Pollard’s election as county coroner in 1877, the year after he built the house on Higuera, beating the Republican candidate 1,027 to 931. Angel also notes his election as secretary of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in 1873 (land developer Chauncey Phillips was treasurer) and his presence on the committee of three (with Judge McD. R. Venable and M. Henderson) to solicit funds to build the church. ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 19 12 Figure 17: Robert Pollard (right) with “Uncle Henry Loobliner” (as described by Frances Pollard on the back of the photo), Jewish merchant who became IOOF noble grand two years after Pollard’s term finished, in front of Loobliner’s store in San Luis Obispo, circa 1890. Courtesy of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. Angel includes Robert Pollard’s installation as Noble Grand, the highest office of the IOOF’s Chorro Lodge, in 1875 and his election as founding secretary of San Luis Obispo’s Society of Pioneers in 1879 (Myron Angel, History of San Luis Obispo County [Oakland: Thompson and West, 1882]: 160, 282, 197, 209). Pollard was also involved in the crude oil and asphalt business in Edna Valley (Pauline Bray Martin, letter to Louisiana Clayton Dart: 2). There was previous evidence of an asphalt drive leading to a carriage house on the property. He also appears, from a photograph inscription in the History Center, to have had a ranch in the area of Arroyo Grande. A brand for Robert Pollard is registered in 1877. In 1874 Pollard married Jane Chesney of Somerset, Kentucky, then thirty-‐four, in Paso Robles. ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 20 13 Figure 18: Robert Pollard’s brand. Courtesy of Jean Martin. Figure 19: Jane Chesney Pollard about the time of her marriage. Courtesy of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. Figure 20: Frances Pollard on ground on left, Robert (standing) and Jane Pollard (seated in chair) in the center, behind 535 Higuera (at left) looking toward Cerro San Luis. Figure 21: Siblings Harry (seated left) and Frances and Josephine (standing), circa 1920s. Courtesy of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. They had three children: Harry, Frances (Franky), and Josephine (Jo). Franky was born the month before Robert Pollard purchased the property on Higuera. After thirty-‐five years of residence in the house, Robert Pollard died and received his obsequies there, and was ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 21 14 buried in the IOOF cemetery, his pallbearers including such notables as George McCabe and August Vollmer, as well as Joseph Green, who would be the next occupant of his house (“A Pioneer’s Funeral,” Tribune, [?] Jan. 1911). Jane Chesney Pollard’s remains were returned to San Luis Obispo for burial in 1920, when her pallbearers included George McCabe and Morris Green, another principle in Green Brothers. Robert Pollard and his wife and three children are all buried in the IOOF cemetery, also known as San Luis Cemetery. Figures 22 and 23: Pollard family markers, San Luis Cemetery Franky and Jo Pollard Mary Frances Pollard was born in April 1876, her sister Josephine in January 1878. According to Pauline Bray Martin, Franky Pollard worked as a “printer” for the San Luis Obispo Tribune and claimed to have earned her first paycheck from the newspaper in 1894 (Pauline Bray Martin, letter responding to Telegram-‐Tribune Centennial Edition, 7 August 1969). In the 1900 census of the Pollard House, however, both she and her sister are listed as milliners, along with a twenty-‐eight-‐year-‐old lodger in the house, Anne Fairbanks. Perhaps this was because of a break in Franky’s Tribune work. The San Luis Obispo City and County Directory of 1901 (J. M. Deeds) lists Josephine as a milliner and her sister as a compositor, and on 27 December 1902 Mary F. Pollard was the only woman with six men who was a signer of the charter of one of San Luis Obispo’s earliest union locals, Chapel 576 of the International Typographical Union. The charter still hung in the newpaper’s composing room in 1969 (San Luis Obispo County Telegram-‐Tribune, 7 August 1969). Pollard worked for the Tribune under Benjamin Brooks, who, from 1886 to 1922, was the longest serving editor and owner of the newspaper (David Middlecamp, “The Storied Life of a Tribune Owner,” Photos from the Vault, Tribune, 13 May 2012). ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 22 15 Figures 24 and 25: Mary Frances Pollard circa 1900 and Jo Pollard circa 1920s. Courtesy of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. Leaving San Luis for Los Angeles with her mother and sister in 1912, Franky worked for the Germaine Seed Company for twenty years and moved to Santa Barbara in 1961, dying in 1967 at the age of ninety. She contributed to the Telegram-‐Tribune’s Centurama feature, celebrating the hundredth anniversary of San Luis Obispo cityhood, in May of 1956 (“Frances Pollard Reminisces over Old Times,” Telegram-‐Tribune, Apr.–May 1956). Franky’s younger sister Jo owned a millinery store in the Charles Johnson Building on Chorro Street between Monterey and Higuera, “the handsome display in the windows inevitably arresting the attention of every passerby[, …] the fabrics choice and the fashions of the very latest,” according to an article in the Tribune (“The New Millinery Store,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, no date). Both sisters continued to visit San Luis Obispo and the Pollard House during summers while the Martins were in residence. “I know you love the old home as I do,” Frances Pollard wrote to Pauline Bray Martin in 1957 (Mary Frances Pollard, letter to Pauline Bray Martin, 17 July 1957). Architect-‐Builder E. D. Bray “Egbert Delaney Bray was among the prominent self-‐made architects, engineers, and contractors who made the towns of the Central Coast in the early twentieth century” (Jean Martin: 83–94). Bray was born in Crawford County, Missouri in 1868. His family was associated with the Hearsts and moved to Cambria when he was nine. They also lived in Arroyo Grande. E. D. Bray’s father was a carpenter, and E. D. trained with relations who were carpenters in the Los Angeles area, including for the movie studios (ibid.). After his 1893 marriage he moved first to San Luis, where Pauline Bray was born in 1898, and then Santa Maria, where he started his business as a builder, contractor, engineer, and architect. His late Arts and Craft–style buildings were noted for fine detail, and he had numerous wealthy families among his clients. Bray studied with the San Jose ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 23 16 architects Frank Delos Wolfe and Charles McKenzie, a number of whose buildings are in the National Register of Historic Places. McKenzie designed the Master List Barneberg House. Annie L. Morrison and John H. Haydon’s 1917 History of San Luis Obispo County and Environs credits Bray with fifty-‐seven buildings in Santa Maria, including prominent houses, four business blocks, the Christian Church, and Masonic Temple. In 1909 he moved his business to San Luis Obispo, where he specialized in residential architecture, including mansions, apartment buildings, and modest bungalows. Figure 26: E. D. Bray (in suit) and his construction crew in front of the Wilkinson House, 412 Marsh Street, 1915 (detail). Courtesy of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. Bray’s buildings are instantly recognizable for their interior craftsmanship, exterior touches like cut-‐outs in exposed rafters under eaves, and their gracious proportions. Prominent Bray buildings in San Luis Obispo include the Crossett House and Righetti Apartments (both in the Master List); 1346 Morro, the Robasciotti Houses (862 and 872 Toro), the Wilkinson House (412 Marsh), and the Emery House and Todd House (1176 and 1190 Pismo), all in the Contributing List; and the Wickenden House at Johnson and Higuera (now Matt Kokkonen’s office) and the Easton Mills House at Johnson and Pacific (now the Dorothy D. Rupe Center Hospice). He did not, however, live in one of his own buildings. He purchased the Pollard House, made minimal changes to it (mostly inside), and transferred ownership of it to his daughter Pauline Bray while continuing to live in it till 1935. Banker Pauline Bray Martin Pauline Marguerite Bray married Alford Eugene “Gene” Martin, the son of Robert Franklin and Henrietta Newlove Martin, for whom Bray built a grand house at 800 South Broadway in Santa Maria that later served as the Santa Maria Club and Landmark Square. (The Newloves had discovered oil on their property on Mount Solomon.) Pauline, graduating from San Luis Obispo High School in 1917, went to work for a lawyer, then for District Attorney Charles A. Palmer, and then (when Palmer decided not to run again) for the ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 24 17 Commercial Bank, one of two banks in the city. Palmer, president of the Board of Education, convinced Mr. Kemper, a member of the board and cashier of the bank, who had decided to try employing a woman, to hire Pauline Bray. Pauline Bray was the first woman to work in any bank in San Luis Obispo. She took care of correspondence and remittances from other banks, made up the deposits for Atascadero founder E. G. Lewis, inspected and filed checks, managed the safe deposit vault and customers, and proved all transactions at the end of the day before the other employees could leave. Her salary rose from $50 to $140 per month, and by the time of her retirement in 1933, there were seven women working at what had become the Security First National Bank. Pauline Bray’s portrait hangs in San Luis Obispo’s City Hall as a founding mother, representing a generation who pioneered work for women in the financial sector. Bray also sang, played the piano, and performed in radio theater on KVEC. She also sang in the different choral societies and churches and entertained in prominent homes throughout the city, singing, playing the piano, and performing clean comedy. In 1927 Pauline Bray married Eugene Martin of Santa Maria, who became plant superintendent for Shell Oil. Their daughter Jean Martin was born in 1934, and in 1935 the family moved to 535 Higuera Street. Figure 27: Pauline Bray and two nieces in front of the Pollard House looking toward the Norcross House, early 1920s. Courtesy of Jean Martin. Figure 28: Gene and Jean Martin in front of the Pollard House, the Henry House visible at the left, 1937. Courtesy of the History Center of San Luis Obispo County. Eugene Martin continued to live in the house till his passing in 1972 and Pauline Bray Martin till her passing in 1988. Jean Martin—member of the first women’s class at Cal Poly, local teacher for thirty-‐nine years, and prominent local historian—continues to live in the house and maintain its historic features. Application prepared by Jean Martin and James Papp ATTACHMENT 3 CHC1 - 25 12 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 ordinance 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 (50) years old (less than 50 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: ATTACHMENT 4 CHC1 - 26 13 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 – 30). 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: (i) A landmark, famous, or first-of-its-kind event for the city - regardless of whether the impact of the event spread beyond the city. (ii) 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: 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). ATTACHMENT 4 CHC1 - 27 14 C. Integrity: Authenticity of an 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 an 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. ATTACHMENT 4 CHC1 - 28 Meeting Date: April 25, 2016 Item Number: 2 CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMITTEE AGENDA REPORT SUBJECT: Review of an application requesting the addition of 1214 Mill Street to the City’s Master List of Historic Resources. PROJECT ADDRESS: 1214 Mill Street BY: Kyle Van Leeuwen Planning Technician FILE NUMBER: HIST-2842-2016 FROM: Brian Leveille, Senior Planner 1.0 SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION Recommend the City Council add the property to the Master List of Historic Resources. 2.0 SITE DATA Applicant Lawrence Brooks & Heidi Harmon Historic Status Contributing Property Zoning R‐2 (Medium‐Density Residential) General Plan Medium Density Residential Site Area 0.13 Acres (5,850 square feet) Environmental Status Categorical Exemption, Class 3, Section 15308, Resource Protection, CEQA Guidelines. 3.0 BACKGROUND The property owner has submitted an application requesting the Contributing historic residence at 1214 Mill Street be added to the City’s Master List of Historic Resources. Bertrando & Bertrando Research Consultants (“Bertrando Report”) prepared a Historic Resource Evaluation report that recommends adding this house to the Master List of Historic Resources as the Theresa Torres True House. 4.0 DISCUSSION 4.1 Site Description HIST-2842-2016 1214 Mill Street Page 2 The property is located in a Medium-Density Residential (R-2-H) Zone and is within the Mill Street Historic District. The residence was constructed in 1899 and is on a lot measuring approximately 5,850 square feet in area. At the rear of the property there are two wooden buildings. The building in the eastern corner was built as a garage in 1923, and a workshop was built in the western corner of the lot sometime after 1957. There are many other contributing properties in the neighborhood including a Master List property at 1266 Mill Street, the Shipsey House, which is located to the east, at the end of the block, which was classified as a Master List Resource in 1983. 4.2 Architectural Description As discussed in the Bertrando report (Attachment 3), this home is an excellent example of a Queen Anne Cottage from the turn of the 20th century. The home exhibits characteristics of this style including an asymmetrical frontage with and front facing gable and octagonal bay window, porch and medium pitched roof. The detailing to the house includes ornamental roof cresting, front facing small dormer, and decorative front porch brackets. The residence was recognized in 1983 as a Contributing historical resource. The Mill Street Historic District was later established in 1987. The house was described in the Historic Resource Inventory as a highly decorated one-story Queen Anne Cottage with rich detail, a forward facing gable with square butt shingles, and having a decorated bargeboard (Attachment 4). 5.0 EVALUATION The Cultural Heritage Committee (CHC), pursuant to the Historic Preservation Ordinance (SLOMC §14.01.060), will make a recommendation to the City Council for final action. Master List Resources are 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. A resource must be at least 50 years old and exhibit a high level of historical integrity in order to be eligible for designation as a Master List Resource. The resource must also satisfy criteria related to architecture, history, or integrity. The following evaluation highlights the significance criteria. Most notably, this residence is excellent example of a Queen Anne Cottage from the turn of the twentieth century. 5.1 Architectural Criteria (§14.01.070 A) 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. Figure 1: 1214 Mill Street; Teresa Torres True House CHC2 - 2 HIST-2842-2016 1214 Mill Street Page 3 1. Style: Describes the form of a building, such as size, structural shape and detail 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 the 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 detain of elements. Also, suggests degree to which the designer accurately interpreted and conveyed the style. Building design will be evaluated as a measure of: a. Notable attractiveness with aesthetic appeal because of its artistic merit, details, and craftsmanship […]; b. An expression of interesting details and eclecticism among carpenter-builders, although the craftsmanship and artistic quality may not be superior. Staff Analysis: The Queen Anne Cottage style has a number of defining qualities, of which the proposed home is an excellent example. These include:  Asymmetrical design with a forward facing shingled gable  Raised finish floor  Recessed Porch with spindled columns  Medium pitched roof  Highly ornamental, including using wall surfaces as decorative elements  Round or octagonal rooms/bay windows The relative purity of this traditional style is connected to these qualities. Some previously removed elements on the home were replaced and have brought much of the style back to recognition. Where new construction was needed, it was done in the same style as what existed on the home and some wood used was specially milled for the rehabilitation. The Mill Street Historic District encompasses many different architectural styles. Within the district there are recognized examples of the Queen Anne style, most notably the Righetti House on the corner of Johnson and Palm. The Queen Anne Cottage style is not as large and spacious as many of the Queen Anne style examples. This reduced scale is due to the limitations of smaller CHC2 - 3 HIST-2842-2016 1214 Mill Street Page 4 rectangular urban lots and working men’s, or women's, budgets. No other Queen Anne Cottage style homes with this degree of purity are found elsewhere within the Mill Street District, making the home a rarity within this locale. The aesthetic appeal of the home is attributed to its rich detail. Notably, the home was featured in the Fire Department Souvenir of San Luis Obispo in 1904, as an outstanding addition to the town (Figure 2). In the years leading up to 1980 some of the detailing in this picture was removed. Recent rehabilitation efforts have brought the appearance of the home back to what is seen in this picture. This was achieved by the replacement of certain elements including the ridge cresting, porch brackets and small dormer which can be seen on the home currently. 5.2 Historic Criteria (§14.01.070 B) Person, Event, Context: Staff Analysis: The house was built for Teresa Torres True in 1899, who was a local seamstress. Although her life and occupation alone does not meet the set criteria of a person of outstanding recognition or contribution, it is of some significance to note her existence in context to the property. The original granite “hitching post” with iron ring is still in place along the street frontage of the property. A portion of the original concrete sidewalk at the base of the post also remains, with the words “TRUE HOUSE 1899” (Figure 3). Making note of this person, their connection to the property and their role in the community, gives context to this historic aspect of the property, although the property does not appear to meet the criteria for historical significance. Figure 2: 1214 Mill Street as seen in the Fire Department Souvenir of San Luis Obispo, 1904 CHC2 - 4 HIST-2842-2016 1214 Mill Street Page 5 5.3 Integrity (§14.01.070 C) Authenticity of a historical resource’s physical identity evidenced by the survival of characteristics that existed during the resource’s period of significance. Staff Analysis: The house is over 100 years old and has been rehabilitated and restored to convey its historical physical identity. The foundation has been replaced as a part of recent rehabilitation efforts, but occupies its original site and placement on the property. The home has also retained a high degree of its historical character and conveys its significance as a rare example of a Queen Anne Cottage style home. It has recently been returned to its original appearance, which is evident through the examination of the available pictures taken over time (figures 4-7). The existence of the original granite hitching post and stamped concrete also adds to the properties integrity. Figure 3: Hitching Post with brass ring and stamped concrete at base CHC2 - 5 HIST-2842-2016 1214 Mill Street Page 6 Figure 4: Circa 1904 Figure 6: 1983 Figure 5: Circa 1980 Figure 7: 2016 6.0 SUMMARY Within the Mill Street Historic District, this is the only example of this style of home and satisfies the criteria in the Historic Preservation Ordinance as a rare example of the Queen Anne Cottage architectural style; and the property has sufficient integrity to convey its significance. 7.0 RECOMMENDATION Recommend the City Council add the property to the Master List of Historic Resources. 8.0 ALTERNATIVES 1. Find that the property does not satisfy eligibility criteria for designation as a Master List Resource and recommend to the City Council that it not be added to the Master List of Historic Resources. CHC2 - 6 HIST-2842-2016 1214 Mill Street Page 7 2. Review and consider the Historic Resource Evaluation and continue the item to provide additional time for collecting additional information that may be useful in determining whether the property is eligible for designation as a Master List Resource. 8.0 ATTACHMENTS 1. Draft Resolution 2. Vicinity Map 3. Historic Resource Evaluation, Bertrando & Bertrando Research Consultants, 2016 4. Historic Resource Inventory, 1983 CHC2 - 7 RESOLUTION NO. XXXX-16 A RESOLUTION OF THE SAN LUIS OBISPO CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMITTEE, RECOMMENDING THE CITY COUNCIL ADD THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 1214 MILL STREET TO THE MASTER LIST OF HISTORIC RESOURCES, HIST-2842-2016 WHEREAS, applicant Lawrence Brooks, on March 2, 2016, submitted a complete application to add his residence to the Mater List of Historic Resources; and WHEREAS, the Cultural Heritage Committee of the City of San Luis Obispo conducted a public hearing in the Council Hearing Room of City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California, on April 25, 2016, pursuant to a proceeding instituted under HIST-2842-2016; and WHEREAS, notices of said public hearing were made at the time and in the manner required by law; and WHEREAS, the Cultural Heritage Committee has duly considered all evidence, including the testimony of the applicant, interested parties, and the evaluation and recommendations by staff, presented at said hearing. BE IT RESOLVED, by the Cultural Heritage Committee of the City of San Luis Obispo as follows: Section 1. Findings 1. The house is eligible for the Master List of Historic Resources because it is a relatively pure example of a Queen Anne Cottage that is at least 50 years old, and has retained its original architectural character. 2. The house is eligible for the Master List of Historic Resources because it is a rare example of a Queen Anne Cottage within the Mill Street Historic District. 3. The house is eligible for the Master List of Historic Resources because it has an authentic physical identity which displays characteristics that existed during the home’s period of significance, such as a forward facing shingled gable, recessed porch with spindled columns, octagonal bay widow and is highly ornamental. 4. The house is eligible for the Master List of Historic Resources because it satisfies the style and design architectural criteria and integrity criteria, Section 14.01.070, of the Historic Preservation Ordinance. Section 2. Environmental Review. Historic listing is exempt from environmental review (Section 15308 (Resource Protection)). Section 3. The Cultural Heritage Committee does hereby recommend the City Council add the property located at 1214 Mill Street to the Master List of Historic Resources. On motion by Committee member, , seconded by Committee member, , and on the following roll call vote: CHC2 - 8 Resolution No.XXXX-16 1214 Mill Street (HIST-2842-2016) Page 2 AYES: NOES: REFRAIN: ABSENT: The foregoing resolution was passed and adopted this 25th day of April, 2016. _____________________________ Brian Leveille, Secretary Cultural Heritage Committee CHC2 - 9 R-2-H O R-2 R-2-HR-2 R-2-H R-3 R-3-HR-2-H R-2 R-3-H PFR-2 R-2-H O R-2-H MILL T O R O PEAC H VICINITY MAP File No. 2842-20161214 MILL ST ¯ CHC2 - 10 CHC2 - 11 CHC2 - 12 CHC2 - 13 CHC2 - 14 CHC2 - 15 CHC2 - 16 CHC2 - 17 CHC2 - 18 CHC2 - 19 CHC2 - 20 CHC2 - 21 CHC2 - 22 CHC2 - 23 CHC2 - 24 CHC2 - 25 CHC2 - 26 CHC2 - 27 CHC2 - 28 CHC2 - 29 CHC2 - 30 CHC2 - 31 CHC2 - 32 CHC2 - 33 CHC2 - 34 CHC2 - 35 CHC2 - 36 CHC2 - 37