Sausalito Historic Context Statement

Sausalito Citywide Historic Context Statement I. Introduction A. Summary Statement In 2012, the California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) awarded the City of Sausalito (City) a CLG grant to fund the preparation of a historic context statement (herein referred to as the Sausalito Citywide Historic Context Statement or “study”) as a preliminary step in identifying and evaluating Sau- salito’s historical resources. Though Sausalito has a longstanding historic preservation program dating back to the 1970s, most of the city has never been comprehensively surveyed. Furthermore, much of the prior survey work is almost half a century old and therefore in need of updating in accordance with contemporary preservation methodology. Recognizing its responsibilities as a Certified Local Govern- ment, or CLG, the City embarked on a multi-year campaign to update its Historic Preservation Program in 2010. Chief amongst its accomplishments include the publication of the Sausalito Historic Design Guidelines brochure in 2011, the completion of the Marinship Historic Context Statement and Cultural Resource Survey in 2011, and the adoption of the Sausalito Community Design, Historic and Cultural Preservation Element – an element of the Sausalito General Plan – in 2020. The completion of a historic context statement for Sausalito is the logical next step in realizing the city’s historic preservation goals. Designed specifically for Sausalito, a city that has never been comprehensively surveyed, the Sausalito Citywide Historic Context Statement will assist city staff and commissioners, citizens, and other stakeholders gain a better understanding of the historical themes and patterns that have shaped the city over time. It will also provide insight into Sausalito’s unique inventory of property types, as well as laying out the integrity thresholds and registration requirements that these properties must meet in order to qualify for local, state, and national registers. Furthermore, this study lays the groundwork for future historic preservation activities, including the completion of a comprehensive citywide survey and the designation of new city landmarks and historic districts. In the meantime, until Sausalito is surveyed, this study will provide many of the tools needed for city staff and commissioners to determine which properties are important to retain and preserve in order to safeguard Sausalito’s distinctive cultural, historical, and architectural heritage. Christopher VerPlanck, principal and founder of VerPlanck Historic Preservation Consulting, prepared the Sausalito Citywide Historic Context Statement. Caitlin Harvey of Left Coast Architectural History as- sisted Mr. VerPlanck with the initial survey work and public outreach. Mr. VerPlanck and Ms. Harvey both meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications for Architectural History and Histo- 1 Final Draft March 2021 Sausalito Citywide Historic Context Statement ry. We were aided in our efforts by the expertise of several local community members, including Sharon Seymour and Larry Clinton of the Sausalito Historical Society; Morgan Pierce and Vicki Nichols, longtime members of the Sausalito Historic Landmarks Board (now the Historic Preservation Commission); as well as the insights and advice of numerous Sausalitans who either contacted us by telephone or email or who attended the community meetings held in anticipation this study. B. Purpose and Use of this Document The Sausalito Citywide Historic Context Statement explores important themes in the development of Sausalito from its beginnings in the 1820s until 1975.1 In addition, this study identifies characteristic property types and their character-defining features, as well as outlining eligibility requirements for the National Register of Historic Places (National Register) and the California Register of Historical Resources (California Register). The study also provides information on integrity thresholds that a resource should retain in order to qualify for listing in these inventories. In the absence of a citywide survey, the study will help city staff and other decision-makers, property owners, and members of the general public un- derstand what types of properties are important to protect and preserve, in order to retain the distinctive architectural and cultural character of Sausalito – arguably the city’s primary economic asset. From a pragmatic standpoint, the study identifies several historic preservation incentive programs that stew- ards of historic properties can take advantage of, including the Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit program, the California State Historic Tax Credit program, the Mills Act Program, and the California State Historical Building Code. Although the Sausalito Historic Context Statement is not meant to include a comprehensive history of Sausalito, it does provide an extensive narrative history in order to identify and describe key events and patterns of events that have defined Sausalito from the early nineteenth century until 1975. These events and patterns of events are keyed to individual properties and classes of properties that best illus- trate these themes. As a study that concentrates on the physical fabric of Sausalito, the Sausalito Histor- ic Context Statement does not dwell on the contributions of important individuals, organizations, or cultural groups beyond their role in the development of certain property types. Furthermore, this document concentrates on permanent or semi-permanent stationary resources, including buildings, structures, public art, parks, and infrastructure. It does not deal extensively with temporary structures or 1 According to the California Office of Historic Preservation, historic context statements and cultural resource surveys should end the period of study 45 years before the present, the reasoning being that sufficient time must have passed in order to be able to evaluate the potential significance of events, architectural movements, and other historical phenomenon. 2 Final Draft March 2021 Sausalito Citywide Historic Context Statement moveable objects, such as boats, houseboats, trains, or other types of vehicles. C. Definition of Geographical Area The geographical area examined in the Sausalito Citywide Historic Context Statement is coterminous with the corporate boundaries of Sausalito, with the exception of the Marinship area, which was the subject of a separate survey and historic context statement completed in 2011. The study area boundaries are shown in Figure 1. The study area also does not include adjacent unincorporated lands or com- munities within Sausalito’s sphere of influence, such as Fort Baker, Marin City, or the houseboat community of Waldo Point Harbor. On the other hand, the study area includes all seven of Sausalito’s neighborhoods as traditionally defined, including Old Town/Hurricane Gulch, The Hill (including Downtown), New Town, Monte Mar Vista/Toyon Terraces, Spring Street Valley, Nevada Street Valley, and Wolfback Ridge. The character of Sausalito’s neighborhoods is quite varied, in large part due to the city’s rugged topography and diverse microclimates. Although originally laid out as a conventional gridiron pattern of streets and blocks superimposed indiscriminately over the steep hills and submerged tidal flats of the southeastern corner of the Marin Peninsula, the area’s challenging topography soon compelled stakeholders to redesign the street layout in much of the city, beginning with The Hill in the mid-nineteenth century. Later, during the middle of the twentieth centuries, most new subdivisions, including Monte Mar Vista/Toyon Terraces and the hillsides above Old Town, New Town, Spring Street Valley, and Neva- da Street Valley were laid out as curvilinear street networks following the natural contours of the ter- rain. The gridiron plan was retained in the level parts of the city, including in Old Town, New Town, and Spring Street Valley. The Wolfback Ridge neighborhood is a bit of an anomaly. Cut off from the rest of Sausalito on a ridge west of Highway 101, the gated community is accessed via privately-owned streets that also adhere to the natural contours of the land. The oldest properties in Sausalito tend to be located in Old Town, Downtown, New Town, Spring Street Valley, and the lower slopes of The Hill, though there are outlying nineteenth-century dwellings in other parts of the city. Immediate post-World War II-era residential development is concentrated in the Mon- te Mar Vista/Toyon Terraces and Wolfback Ridge neighborhoods. The Marinship area was developed after 1942 on filled land that was, until the 1960s, located outside Sausalito city limits. More recent residential development, including several condominium complexes and tracts of single-family dwellings dating from the 1960s and 1970s, predominate in Nevada Street Valley, which was also not annexed to 3 Final Draft March 2021 Sausalito Citywide Historic Context Statement Sausalito until the late 1960s. This area is served by auto-oriented “strip” commercial development along Bridgeway, an anomaly in a city that otherwise urbanized during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. 4 Final Draft March 2021 Sausalito Citywide Historic Context Statement Figure 1. Study area and Marinship (shown in blue). Source: Sausalito Community Development Department 5 Final Draft March 2021 Sausalito Citywide Historic Context Statement D. Methodology The Sausalito Citywide Historic Context Statement was prepared

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