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Home My WebLink About06-27-16 CHC Correspondence - Item 1 (Cooper 2)06/27/2016 CHC, Item 1 Public Comment, Cooper To: Cultural Heritage Committee From: Allan Cooper, San Luis Obispo Re: June 27, 2016 - 71 Palomar Honorable Chair and Committee Members I am urging you to reconsider relocating the historic residence located at 71 Palomar. “Relocation has the potential to adversely affect the signiﬁcance of a historic resource...” per “Relocation of Historic Resources” (14.01.110) The Sandford residence at 71 Palomar should not be relocated for the very reason that its historic importance is greater than originally thought. Permit me to explain. Property Owners of 71 Palomar Avenue, San Luis Obispo Staff states: “The subject property does not appear signiﬁcant for any association with the lives of persons important to local, California, or national history...properties eligible under this criteria are generally associated with the productive life of the signiﬁcant individual...(Christina) Jacobson did not acquire the subject property until 14 years after founding KVEC-AM in 1937. While Jacobson began the KVEC television station in 1953, during her era of residence at the Sanford House, she also divested her interest in all local media holdings just 3 years later.” However, contrary to the staff report, this property is, indeed, “associated with the lives of persons important to local, California, and national history...”. First, it is associated with Chauncy H. Phillips, prominent banker and land developer who very likely built this house for his daughter (her husband neither had the ﬁnancial means nor the architectural wherewithal to undertake this project) and who likely retained the same prominent Bay Area architect who had designed his Ramona Hotel in 1888. Secondly, it is associated with the prominent Bay Area architectural ﬁrm of Julius C. Mathews & Sons, the ﬁrm that Chauncy Phillips had retained in 1888 to design his Ramona Hotel. Julius Mathews had two talented architects, his sons, working for him. His eldest son, Walter J. Mathews designed the Ramona Hotel. He worked for his father between 1877 and 1886. His youngest son, Edgar A. Matthews worked for his father between 1888 and 1895. This house was most likely designed by Edgar as he was an important designer of Bay Area residences and a proponent of the Italian Renaissance style (see an illustration of the Italian Renaissance style below). Thirdly, it is associated with Christina M. Jacobson. Christina Jacobson was the 5th female to own a radio station in America and this is the only radio station, among the ﬁrst four owned and operated by women, that is still in operation today (see below). In the 1950’s there were only 25 women who ran their own radio stations. Even today, women own just 6 percent of all full-power commercial broadcast radio stations, even though women comprise 51 percent of the U.S. population. More importantly, Christina was the ﬁrst female proprietor of a TV station in America (followed by Lucille Ball who became in 1960 the ﬁrst woman to run a TV studio). She founded KVEC-TV while residing in 71 Palomar. Chronology of Property Owners Dates Owners 1870 Encarnacion Bareras, born in Mexico in 1811, acquired the 80 acre Ranchero  July 1887 William M. Hersman, minister  September 1892 Reginald Wills-Sandford (1862-1944), Reginald emigrated from England in 1883, later became an orchardist in Santa Clara, CA. He married Mary Woods Sperry. Reginald and Mary moved to Oakland, CA (2802 Garber St.) in 1898 (presumably to be near her father who died three years later). Mary Woods Sperry was the daughter of Chauncy H. Phillips1  (1837-1902), leading banker in San Luis Obispo in partnership with H.M. Warden, SLO. He served on the SLO Board of Trustees 1873, He was part owner of the Coast Land Company, a company formed by Charles Crocker and Chauncey H. Phillips in March 1884. Crocker was involved in the operation of the Southern Paciﬁc Railroad and Phillips had been a businessman in the area for many years. Phillips started the Bank of San Luis Obispo in 1871, which was the only bank to survive the economic crash of 1875. March 1899 Lottie J. Stewart September 1900 Ellen L. Spangenberg, married to Ernest A. Spangenberg, SLO Court Auditor  1903 William H. Schultze, clothing merchant  March 1909 Henry Baehr, bank bookkeeper December 1919 Edward L. Elberg, hardware store proprietor  March 1928 Alexander and Agnes Taylor, dairy ranchers & son and daughter of Peter Taylor, prominent dairy rancher  June 1951 Christina M. Jacobson2 (1904-1965?) bookkeeper w/ Valley Electric Company, proprietor of a local radio/TV station and appliance dealer. In 1937 she started KVEC- AM. In 1953 she founded KVEC-TV (SLO’s ﬁrst TV station)3    Source: Donna Halper, radio historian: “Invisible Stars - A Social History of Women In American Broadcasting”: Ms. Halper also mentions the following women prominent in radio broadcasting: Eunice Randall (announcer), Emilie Sturtevant (program director for WBZ), Eleanor Poehler (program director) and Halloween Martin. Julius C. Mathews & Sons “The architect for the Ramona Hotel was Walter J. Mathews. Junior member of Julius C. Mathews & Sons, 1877-83. In private practice since 1886. Oakland City Architect and architect of Union Savings Bank, National Central, Bacon Block (Oakland), St. John’s Episcopal, Unitarian of Oakland, Hall of Records (Colusa, CA), Ramona Hotel, Redondo Beach Hotel. Walter’s brother, Edgar Aschael Mathews (1866-1946), specialized in homes concentrated in the S.F. Paciﬁc Heights neighborhood and started his own practice in 1895. Edgar worked for his father between 1888 (after graduating from the Van Der Naillen School of Engineering) to 1895.” Edgar A. Mathews Architect (1866-1946)  “Edgar Aschael Mathews was a Bay Area native, born into an artistic family. His father Julius Case Mathews, originally from New York, was living in Wisconsin with his wife Pauline McCracken and their two children, Walter and Caroline, when he decided to try to make his fortune out west. He arrived in Oakland in 1852, with his  younger brother Benjamin, and they tried their luck in the gold and silver mines, supporting themselves as carpenters. Julius returned to Wisconsin towards the end of that decade and a second son, Arthur, was born in 1860. In May 1866 Julius returned to Oakland with his family. Pauline was pregnant with their third son at the time and Edgar was born on September 8th of that year. Julius turned his construction experience into an architectural practice, opening his own ofﬁce in 1875 in Oakland. His eldest son, Walter, after training as a carpenter and draftsman, joined him 3 “The station call letters KVEC came from Valley Electric Company, the downtown appliance store run by Christine Jacobson, the ﬁrst owner of the ﬂedging radio station. That’s right—a woman was responsible for bringing broadcasting to the Central Coast. Jacobson and Les Hacker launched KVEC, and I’m sure Valley Electric saw a boost in radio sales. Also, credit Jacobson with eventually establishing KVEC-TV (now KSBY).” For more, read: http:// www.newtimesslo.com/commentary/7794/still-alive/ Edgar also started in his father’s ofﬁce, then attended the Van Der Naillen School of Engineering, graduating in 1888. He continued to work for his father, and other architects, before opening his own ofﬁce in 1895. Soon afterwards, he and his wife Katherine Dart moved into San Francisco and by the early 1900's he was well established as an important designer of town residences. His earliest inﬂuences were the rustic houses of Ernest Coxhead and Willis Polk, but he quickly developed his own styles. Two of his early favorites were a half-timbered, half- stucco look (termed “Elizabethan” by an architectural reviewer at the time) and a more steeply-roofed brown-shingle covered “box” (a less descriptive term used by the same reviewer). He would deﬁne his building sites with low brick walls and create inviting clinker-brick entry porches. Characteristic Edgar Mathews’ homes in Paciﬁc Heights include the adjacent houses at 2508 and 2510 Green (1895) and the matching pair at 2415 and 2421 Pierce (1897). When the situation demanded it though, he was not afraid to design in more formal styles, as seen by the house at 2590 Green (1899). For 2505 Divisadero, also commissioned in 1899, he knew he was designing a house to sit adjacent to the Georgian-style Spooner residence at 2800 Paciﬁc, designed by Coxhead & Coxhead, and completed in the spring of that year; the ﬁrst house to be built on this prominent Paciﬁc Heights block and the only house shown on the 1899 Sanborn map of the block. Mathews’ client for 2505 Divisadero was Clinton Jones, General Agent for the Rock Island Railway, which operated Pullman sleeping car trains from the West Coast to Chicago and Boston. Jones, a 51 year old native of Maine, and his wife Sarah, had seven children by 1899. The 1900 census shows that their household at 2505 Divisadero included, along with their ﬁve sons and two daughters, two servants - Belinda Murphy, from Ireland, and An Sing, from China. The water connection date of Sept. 26th, 1899 indicates that this house on its 9,000+ sq.ft. lot was completed before the end of that year. Buster Keaton on the steps of 2505 Divisadero his chauffeur, saying “I think a long walk would do me good” and goes back across the street on foot! In 1924, 2505 Divisadero was ﬁlmed for a characteristic visual gag in the silent movie The Navigator. Buster Keaton, as playboy Rollo Treadway, is wooing shipping heiress Betsy O’Brien, played by Kathryn Maguire. Intending to propose to her, he leaves the house on the north-east corner of Divisadero and Paciﬁc, gets into his limousine and has his chauffeur take him to Betsy’s house, which means simply making a U-turn on the block and dropping him off across the street outside 2505 Divisadero! Inside the house, Keaton’s proposal is summarily rejected with “Certainly not!” He leaves, shrugging off Mathews also designed many pairs of ﬂats and small apartment buildings, usually in the shingled style with entry porches and multi-gabled roofs, including these corner buildings in Paciﬁc Heights - 2249-53 Broderick / 2907-11 Jackson / 2915-19 Jackson (1904) three connected 3-unit buildings (he lived in 2919 Jackson after it was completed, until he ﬁnished his own house at 2980 Vallejo in 1908) and 3196 Washington / 2100 Lyon (the latter building completed in 1905, with 8 apartments), and many other buildings in Paciﬁc Heights, Presidio Heights and Cow Hollow. The next owner of 2980 Vallejo, Martin Stelling, immediately commissioned architect Earle Bertz, known for the many houses he designed in Sea Cliff, to enlarge the home signiﬁcantly with a rear addition and a side garage. This expansion was tastefully done, retaining the original charm of the home. The lot has a challenging downslope towards Green Street, and the house now is ﬁve stories tall at the rear with each level having views of the Bay.  3742 Washington His own home at 2980 Vallejo has the appearance from the street of a small English cottage with all of the Mathews’ characteristics - the steep roof line, overhanging entry porch, curved window sashes, low brick wall deﬁning the site - all enhanced by a landscaped front garden which is beautifully maintained by the present owners. Completed in early 1908, it was the ﬁrst home on the block, and the only one for ﬁve years. When built it had a shingled roof, which has since been replaced with tile. Edgar and Katherine lived in the house until August 1935 when they sold it and moved to a new house Mathews had designed at 1956 Great Highway. During his career, Mathews was involved in two well-publicized disputes. The ﬁrst, in 1908, was an attempt by an attorney client for whom Mathews had designed a house in San Rafael (“a plastered cottage of an unusual English design”) to stop him designing a similar house for someone close by. The plaintiff submitted an afﬁdavit signed by four respected San Francisco architects stating that Mathews was guilty of a breach of professional ethics by supplying the same plans to two residents of the same city! The judge ruled otherwise, “If this injunction were granted it would have the practical effect of putting architect Mathews out of business, because his personality expresses itself in a certain type of house, and this injunction seeks to restrain him from constructing that type. The application for a restraining order is therefore denied.” The second issue, in 1916, found Mathews as the plaintiff seeking to recover $11,900 for his time and expenses from the Board of Library Trustees after they had awarded the competition for the San Francisco Public Library (now converted into the Asian Arts Museum) to George Kelham, for a plan which Mathews thought was suspiciously similar to the Detroit Public Library design which had been won by New York architect Cass Gilbert. Gilbert was one of the judges for the San Francisco Library competition, as was Paul Cret, Professor of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, who had also been a judge in the Detroit competition and had voted for Gilbert’s design. Furthermore, Kelham had employed a draftsman who had assisted Gilbert in evolving the Detroit Public Library plans! Despite the evidence, Mathews did not ﬁnd much legal or architectural community support for his position in that dispute, but his point had been made. Mathews served as Vice-President of the San Francisco Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for four years from 1913 to 1916, and as its President in 1917. At the State level, he was President of the Board of Architectural Examiners (the licensing agency) for four years from 1915 through 1918. He also designed several churches, of which a ﬁne example in Paciﬁc Heights is the First Church of Christ Scientist, 1710 Franklin at California (1912), and many commercial buildings, including one for P. G. & E. at 447 Sutter (1916) in the Italian Walter, then 95, celebrated as the oldest living architect in the U.S. Both reportedly gave interesting accounts of the development of the practice of architecture in the Bay Area and it was noted that at times the older men were more progressive in their ideas than were the newer practitioners!” Read more at: http://www.2505divisadero.com/ Brochure.pdf Trees That Form A Part Of The Cultural Landscape Like historic buildings and districts, cultural landscapes reveal aspects of our country's origins and development through their form and features and the ways they were used. Cultural landscapes also reveal much about our evolving relationship with the natural world. For example, the Italian Renaissance garden emerged in the late 15th century at villas in Rome and Florence, inspired by classical ideals of order and beauty, and intended for the pleasure of the view of the garden and the landscape beyond. In the late Renaissance, the gardens became more symmetrical. The symmetrical placement of the two Eugenias and the two Norfolk Pines relative to the entrance of the Sandford Residence should be preserved as they complement the Italian Renaissance revival architecture. Similarly, the lone Stone Pine and Frond Palm, which were frequently planted within the context of Italian Renaissance gardens, should also be preserved. Trees That Are Either Endangered Or Historically Important Seven trees on the 71 Palomar property should be preserved both for their historical importance and for their rarity. Of the seven trees, two are Norfolk Island Pine, two Eugenia, one Frond Palm, one Italian Stone Pine and one European Olive. The trees are believed to have been planted by the owner, an orchardist, around 1895 when the historic Sandford residence was built. These trees are large and healthy specimens. They add beauty to the north part of San Luis Obispo and are accessible for viewing and enjoyment by the public. The City Arborist remarked recently “I have admired the trees at 71 Palomar for some time now and appreciate you and your group taking the time and effort to take pictures and ﬁll out part of the Heritage Tree Form. Thank you!…Bob and I feel very strongly about preserving canopy and habitat…”. Nevertheless, these trees are scheduled to be cut down for an apartment complex. Timely action by residents and the CHC/ARC may preserve them. Araucaria hetrophylla or Norfolk Island Pine are naturally long-lived and reach a height of 100’, making our local trees at over 65' very large specimens. In modern home landscapes, where frost-free climates or protected locations allow, Norfolks are known to live 150 years or more (see: The California Polytechnic State University SelecTree. "Araucaria Heterophylla Tree Record," 1995-2015). They are particularly tolerant of sandy soils and windy conditions. These pines are cylindrical at maturity. Due to its size, they are seldom seen in home landscapes and their use is limited to parks and botanical gardens. Norfolk Island Pines make spectacular specimen plants when situated on large expanses of lawn. Norfolk Island Pines are endemic to Norfolk Island located between New Zealand and New Caledonia. They were an early introduction into California by William Walker in 1859. These are the largest specimens in San Luis Obispo County having been planted only 25 years after this species was ﬁrst introduced into California Eugenia brasiliensis, with common names Brazil Cherry and grumichama, is medium sized tree (maximum 65’ height) endemic to Brazil which bears small fruits that are purple to black in color, and have a sweet cherry-like ﬂavor. Its slow growth and low rate of dispersal make it rare, and it's generally considered an endangered species. Although Phoenix canariensis or Frond Palm grows just six inches a year and requires many years to attain full height. But because the tree grows so slowly, needing decades to reach its full height of 60 feet, very few nurseries even try to grow it. Exceptionally tall specimens can be up to 120 feet. The rare full-grown trees can fetch $20,000. While best in full sun and the usual well-drained loamy soil, P. canariensis can tolerate a wide range of exposures, including deep shade, and a wide range of soil types, including sand and heavy clay. It has a unique ability to tolerate both severe drought and ﬂooding very well, which makes them ideal to plant in housing tracts in which the soil was heavily compacted. Frond Palms dating back to the 1880's are middle aged and some live to be over 400 years old. The pinus pinea or Italian Stone Pine is a coniferous evergreen tree that can exceed 82’ in height, but 40’–65’ is more typical. In youth, it is a bushy globe, in mid-age an umbrella canopy on a thick trunk, and, in maturity, a broad and ﬂat crown over 26’ in width. In Italy, the stone pine has been an aesthetic landscape element since the Italian Renaissance garden period and is frequently planted within the context of Italian Renaissance architecture, such as is the case with the Sandford Residence. Britain’s Kew Gardens has records of one of these Mediterranean beauties that attained an age of 300 years. Olea europaea, commonly called Common Olive, is an evergreen tree that is native to the Mediterranean region. It typically grows at a slow rate to 20’-30’ tall with a rounded crown. Common olive trees are drought tolerant once established. The lifespan of the European Olive tree ranges from 300 years to 600 years. The Italian Stone Pine was frequently planted within the context of Italian Renaissance gardens The Italian Renaissance garden emerged in the late 15th century at villas in Rome and Florence, inspired by classical ideals of order and beauty, and intended for the pleasure of the view of the garden and the landscape beyond. In the late Renaissance, the gardens became more symmetrical. “The upper class, however, wanted European reﬁnement, not rustic gardens. They favored aspects of Italian Renaissance gardens, with axial designs, fountains, and parterres, and the warm climate allowed them to incorporate into this frame a potpourri of exotic ornamental plants that would not grow outdoors in Europe or back east. They enjoyed living and entertaining outdoors here, appreciating the view of well-tended gardens with rose bushes an palm trees…” PROPOSAL FOR HERITAGE TREE DESIGNATION Criteria for Designation as San Luis Obispo Heritage Trees Trees shall be accepted for consideration as Heritage Trees when they fall within the following classiﬁcation: Project Location: 71 Palomar Ave. San Luis Obispo Historical Interest: The original owner of this property, Reginald Wills-Sanford, was an orchardist. He resided in this house between 1895 and 1899 and most likely planted many of the mature specimen trees still standing on this property. Arboricultural Interest a. Size: over 24 inch diameter b. Age (one of the oldest in the community): yes c. Rare or unusual species for this area: yes d. Outstanding specimens: yes e. Distinctive structural interest: Boles 20’-30’ in height with bark furrows; spreading crowns The Committee shall judge the request for consideration of each tree with the following factors in mind: 1.Condition and state of health of the specimen: healthy 2.Permanence of site location: pending sale of property 3.Visual accessibility: very accessible 4.Address of tree and location on lot: 71 Palomar 5.Requesting party (individual or group): Allan Cooper, Richard Schmidt, Cheryl McLean & David Brodie 6.Property Owner: Delta Tau House Corporation 7.Species: •2 - Araucaria hetrophylla or Norfolk Island Pine (unique specimens & some of the oldest in SLO) North: Bole: 2’- 5” Height: 60’ South: Bole: 2’- 7” Height: 80’ •2 - Grumichama Eugenia brasiliensis or Eugenia (2 of the oldest) North: Bole: 3’- 6” Height: 60’ South: Bole: 3’- 8” Height: 60’ •1 - Quercus agrifolia or native coastal oak Bole: 2’- 8” Height: 40’ •1 - Pheonix Canariensis or Frond Palm Bole: 2’- 0” Height: 60’ •1 - Pinus pinea or Italian stone pine Bole: 2’- 10” Height: 50’ •1 - Olea europaea or European olive Bole: 2’- 0” Height: 40’ •18 - Eucalyptus Globulus or blue gum North to South encircling house: Height: varies 115’ - 135’ Bole: 4’- 6” Bole: 4’- 7” Bole: 2’- 0” Bole: 3’- 5” Bole: 2’- 5” Bole: 4’- 10” Bole: 3’- 8” Bole: 4’- 8” Bole: 2’- 0’ Bole: 3’- 6” Bole: 2’- 3” Bole: 2’- 3” Bole: 2’- 10” East to West along Luneta Bole: 5’- 6” Bole: 3’- 4” Bole: 3’- 3” Bole: 3’- 3” 5. Age: 100 years + Height: 40-180 feet + Spread: varies 6. Trunk diameter at 24” above natural grade: Yes 7. Photographs (2) minimum at right angles to each other: see attached 8. Describe – Arboricultural or Historical Interest: An Environmental Checklist Prepared by Jeff Oliveira of Oliveira Environmental Consulting LLC for a proposed multi-family residential development located at 71 Palomar Ave. stated the following: “No heritage trees or signiﬁcant native vegetation exist on the portion of the site to be developed. Multiple small to fully mature native and non-native landscaping trees would be removed as part of the proposed project development. This includes mulberry trees/ shrubs, pine trees, olive trees, decorative palms, larch or spruce trees, eucalyptus and redwood trees. The proposed project includes a conceptual landscape plan showing the removal of all of the existing vegetation with the exception of a 28-inch diameter eucalyptus tree at the southwest corner of the site and a 74-inch palm tree midway along the east property boundary.” This report neither properly identiﬁes the mature non-native vegetation located on this property nor does it acknowledge the health, rarity or maturity of this vegetation. The proposed project will involve the removal of all of this vegetation with the exception of a 28-inch diameter eucalyptus tree. 2 - Araucaria hetrophylla or Norfolk Island Pine (unique specimens & some of the oldest in SLO) 2 - Grumichama Eugenia brasiliensis or Eugenia (2 of the oldest) 1 - Pheonix Canariensis or Frond Palm 1 - Pinus pinea or Italian stone pine 1 - Olea europaea or European olive 18 - Eucalyptus Globulus or blue gum North to South encircling house: Height: ave. 180’ East to West along Luneta 1 - Quercus agrifolia or native coastal oak Plot Plan ! The following (see below) is what the City of San Luis Obispo Municipal Code says about Heritage trees. It does NOT say the owner must sign an application. In fact, it is clear that the public MAY PROPOSE DESIGNATION of ANY healthy tree. The Arborist and Tree Committee will review it. The only place the owner explicitly comes in is when the Council makes the designation. But up to that time -- the investigative phase, the educational phase -- the process is indeed open to anyone pursuing a designation and the Tree Committee must consider this request. To: Cultural Heritage Committee From: Allan Cooper, San Luis Obispo Re: 71 Palomar Based on my reading of the following: http:// www.slocity.org/home/showdocument?id=4743 the Arborist and City Attorney have erred on the following points: 1. When the Arborist meets with the either the CHC or the ARC he can not unilaterally make a determination which of the 51 trees at Palomar are Heritage Trees. This determination can only be made by the Tree Committee and City Council. All that the Arborist is unilaterally empowered to do is recommend removal of any tree that is deemed sick and/or will present a danger to the public because of imminent structural failure. 2. The Palomar trees fall under the category of “Required cooperation – tree preservation in new developments, etc.”. In other words, because these trees are part of a new development, voluntary cooperation (presumably on the part of the owner) is not required. 3. The Arborist stated that there are only two trees on the property that qualify as Heritage Trees. This assessment is false for a number of reasons: • These trees have historical interest because the most likely were planted by the original owner who later happened to be an “orchardist” in Santa Clara, CA • These trees are remarkable for their size both in height and girth • These trees are most likely 100 years old. Their age could and should be veriﬁed by coring into the bole and counting the rings. • Several of these trees are unusual specimens 4. The Tree Committee (not the Arborist) has the responsibility to inform the ARC and the CHC of these ﬁve following points: condition/health, permanence of site location, visual accessibility, arboricultural interest and historical interest 5. The owner in the sample “Owner Agreement” may say he/she does not want their trees designated as a “Heritage Tree” and/or does not want their trees included on a self-guided Heritage Tree tour. However, this form does not forbid the City, in spite of the owner’s refusal, to see if these trees “qualify” as “Heritage Trees”. Without this determination, the ARC could not, as Michael Codron conﬁrmed, do the following: “The Architectural Review Commission has the authority to require preservation of trees on the project site as a condition of approval, if the appropriate ﬁndings can be made.”