Tract Housing in California, 1945-1973: a Context for National Register Evaluation
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Tract Housing in California, 1945-1973: A Context for National Register Evaluation Prepared by The California Department of Transportation Sacramento, California 2011 For individuals with sensory disabilities, this document is available in alternate formats upon request. Please call: (916) 653-0647 Voice, or use the CA Relay Service TTY number 1-800-735-2929. Or write: Chief, Cultural Studies Office Caltrans Division of Environmental Analysis, MS 27 P.O. Box 942874 Sacramento, CA 94274-0001 Introduction The California Department of Transportation criteria may be eligible for National Register (Caltrans) has prepared this context document listing: to assist in applying the National Register of A. Properties that are associated with events Historic Places eligibility criteria to tract that have made a significant contribution housing built after World War II. This to the broad patterns of our history document expands upon the National Park B. Properties that are associated with the Service Bulletin, Historic Residential Suburbs: lives of significant persons in our past Guidelines for Evaluation and Documentation for C. Properties that embody the distinctive the National Register of Historic Places.1 It also characteristics of a type, period, or method supplements Volume 2 (Cultural Resources) of of construction, or that represent the work Caltrans’ Standard Environmental Reference.2 of a master, or that possess high artistic Section 106 of the National Historic values, or that represent a significant and Preservation Act (NHPA) requires that federal distinguishable entity whose components agencies consider the effects of their may lack individual distinction undertakings on historic properties. (Historic properties are those which have been listed on D. Properties that have yielded, or may be the National Register of Historic Places or likely to yield, information important in determined eligible for listing.) Caltrans history or prehistory. (This criterion complies with Section 106 of the NHPA for applies primarily to archaeological projects that include federal funding or that properties.) require federal agency permits or approvals. In order to be eligible for National Register In addition, Caltrans acts as the federal agency listing, a property must possess integrity in for Section 106 compliance and other federal addition to meeting one or more of the four environmental laws in accordance with the criteria. This means that a property must retain authority delegated by the Federal Highway enough of its original design, materials, and Administration in 2007. other qualities to convey its historic character Caltrans complies with Section 106 of the and significance. NHPA through a Programmatic Agreement This document is also intended to assist in among the Federal Highway Administration, compliance with the California Environmental the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Quality Act (CEQA) and California Public and the California State Historic Preservation Resources Code section 5024. Public Resources Officer. Both the Programmatic Agreement and Code section 5024 established the California the regulations implementing Section 106 of the Register of Historical Resources, includes NHPA [36 CFR § 800] require identification and eligibility criteria [5024.1(c)] for the listing of evaluation of properties that could be affected resources, and describes state-agency by federal undertakings. Properties are responsibilities for the preservation of historical evaluated in accordance with the National resources in their ownership. The eligibility Register of Historic Places criteria, listed below. criteria for the California Register of Historical A property that meets one or more of these four Resources are the same as for the National Tract Housing in California, 1945-1973 i Register of Historic Places. For simplicity, postwar houses and housing tracts in where this document refers to the National California.5 While this context includes some Register criteria, it also means the California brief references to apartment buildings, it does Register criteria. not include a detailed discussion of multi-unit In general, a property must be at least 50 housing or any discussion of urban renewal years old to be eligible for National Register projects, farmworker housing, or other forms listing, in order to ensure that sufficient time of postwar housing. has passed to gain an adequate historical This context also focuses on the builders’ perspective for its evaluation. Properties less house rather than the high-style Modern than 50 years old may be eligible for National residence. The unique, architect-designed house Register listing if they possess exceptional of the postwar period is generally not going to significance. Because Caltrans projects often be difficult for Caltrans’ architectural historians have long lead times between the studies or consultants to research and evaluate. A carried out for Section 106 compliance and the considerable amount of documentation and start of construction, Caltrans’ policy is to comparative information is already available consider all properties that will become 50 for such properties. It is the common house of years old by the scheduled completion date of the period, like the common Queen Anne or the project. As of 2011, this means that Craftsman bungalow of earlier periods, that properties constructed up to the mid-1960s may will pose the most difficulty in determining need to be evaluated for National Register eligibility for National Register listing. In eligibility if they might be affected by Caltrans’ addition, the evaluation of entire tracts or projects. (A noteworthy difference between the portions of tracts as possible historic districts is national and state registers is that the California likely to be the greatest challenge in evaluating Register of Historical Resources does not have a properties for National Register eligibility. similar 50-year rule.) The year 1973 was chosen as the closing More than 40 million housing units were date for this study because it marks the end of built in the United States during the 30-year a nearly 30-year period of postwar economic period following the end of World War II, and expansion in the United States. The oil embargo at least 30 million of these were single-family and resulting gasoline shortages in the fall of houses.3 In California, approximately six 1973 clearly denote the end of an era, especially million housing units were constructed during in auto-centric California. Housing construction this period, with more than 3½ million of these nationwide surpassed two million new units being single-family houses.4 The survey and for the first time in 1971, and continued at more evaluation of postwar housing therefore has the than two million units per year in 1972 and potential to greatly increase the time and effort 1973. Construction then fell to just 1.3 million required for Section 106 compliance. To address units in 1974 and 1.2 million in 1975, and never the issue, this document provides context again reached the level sustained just prior to information on single-family houses and tracts the oil embargo.6 In California, Jerry Brown of such houses constructed from 1945 through was elected to the Governorship in 1974. Brown 1973, including information on the history of set a somewhat different tone for the state the period and the design characteristics of compared to his predecessors, emphasizing ii Tract Housing in California, 1945-1973 environmental conservation and speaking of researchers may identify properties that meet entering an “era of limits” following decades criterion A for association with other important of rapid population and economic growth. events in national, state, or local history. Because the purpose of this context is to Part II (Chapters 7 through 10) focuses on assist in the evaluation of postwar housing for the planning and design of houses and housing compliance with Section 106 and California’s tracts. It identifies the distinctive characteristics historic preservation laws, the emphasis is on of postwar housing at the scale of the tract or those aspects of a property that can be seen and subdivision as well as the individual house, documented through normal survey activities. describes the process of industrialization within These include the façade, side walls, overall the housing industry in the postwar period, and form, exterior materials, landscape features in provides information on some of the most the front and side yards, and the relationship important architects and builders in California. of the house to the street and to the larger This section is intended to aid in the evaluation community. Therefore, this context does not of individual properties and districts under attempt to describe in detail the evolution of National Register criterion C. floor plans, trends in interior design or interior Part III includes a single chapter on survey materials, or advances in building utilities. methods and evaluation. In addition to recommendations for streamlining the survey Overview of the Document and recordation of tract housing, this section Part I of this context (Chapters 1 through 6) discusses the application of the National provides an overview of several historical Register criteria and the assessment of integrity themes that may be relevant to the evaluation for both individual properties and possible of postwar houses and housing tracts. It is historic districts. intended primarily to aid