Historic Context & Survey Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
City of Huntington Beach Historic Context & Survey Report Prepared for: City of Huntington Beach Planning and Building Department 2000 Main Street Huntington Beach, CA 92648 Prepared by: Galvin Preservation Associates Inc. 231 California Street El Segundo, CA 90245 310.792.2690 * 310.792.2696 (fax) Updated 2014 This page intentionally left blank. i Executive Summary The City of Huntington Beach contracted Galvin Preservation Associates Inc. (GPA) in conjunction with Historic Resource Associates to conduct a citywide Historic Resources Survey to identify and evaluate potential historic resources in the city. The project team completed the studies on behalf of and under the guidance of the City of Huntington Beach’s Planning and Building Department with assistance from the Historic Resources Board of Huntington Beach. The historic context and the historical resource survey were developed in accordance with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Historic Preservation and National Register Bulletin 24, Guidelines for Local Survey: A Basis for Preservation Planning. The GPA project team consisted of several professionals that meet the Secretary of Interior’s Professional Qualifications for History and Architectural History. The survey and development of the draft historic context were conducted from September 2008 to October 2009. The final report was completed from November 2009 to May 2010, updated in November, 2012 and finalized in June, 2014. The purpose of the survey is to update and expand the City’s existing 1986 Historic Resources Survey Report and to update the 1996 Historic and Cultural Resources Element (HCRE) of the City’s General Plan. Since the adoption of the HCRE, there has been significant redevelopment in the downtown area where many old buildings are located. There have also been changes to the California Environmental Quality Act as it pertains to historic buildings. The combination of these changes has resulted in increasing conflict between redevelopment and the preservation of resources, and some of the buildings currently identified in the General Plan have since been demolished. The City of Huntington Beach Historic Resources survey included a reconnaissance level survey of all the buildings constructed prior to 1959 within the city limits, focusing on the historic core areas of the city as well as select buildings located outside the isolated core areas as identified on a GIS map provided by the Huntington Beach Planning and Building Department. The outlying areas were recommended by the Historic Resources Board and include Pirates Cove, Wintersburg, Liberty Park, Ocean View, Meadowlark, various farm house sites and the Bolsa Chica. The project included reviewing and updating the previously recorded 1986 survey; however, buildings that were previously identified or evaluated were not re-recorded or evaluated unless the building had undergone significant changes since the 1986 Historic Resources Survey. Updated continuation sheets were completed for buildings that were recorded in 1986 that have since undergone significant alterations. This Survey Report outlines the results (raw data and statistics) of the updated survey and provides recommendations to update the existing facts, figures, goals and policies in the HCRE of the City’s General Plan. The City’s key objective in undertaking this project is to identify historic buildings and possible candidates for historic districts as they pertain to the history and events that have contributed to the development of the City’s built environment and to align current development activity with the City’s policies and regulations that protect and preserve ii those resources for future generations. The recommendations section outlines the properties that the survey team recommends as historic district contributors as well as properties that would qualify as local landmarks within the city. There were a total of 2,403 buildings in the city that were constructed prior to 1959 according to GIS data received from the City. All 2,403 buildings were inventoried and notes were recorded on a spreadsheet and are included in an appendix to this report. In addition to the 2,403 properties provided by the City, GPA also identified additional buildings in the field that appeared to have been constructed prior to 1959 as well as a few properties constructed after 1959 that were recommended by the Historic Resources Board. These properties were added to the inventory list provided by the City. However due to the large number of properties in the city that were constructed prior to 1959, emphasis on recording buildings on individual inventory forms was limited to only those buildings with the highest potential for historical significance. Therefore, the project team triaged the large number of properties and prepared DPR 523 A (Primary Record) Forms for those buildings located within historic districts, select properties within the city’s historic core areas, and any individual building located outside the city core that had the potential for individual significance (i.e. properties that are more than 80 years old with high integrity, properties previously determined historically significant, properties known to be associated with significant individuals, properties less than 50 years old with exceptional significance, etc.). Additionally, the project team prepared a DPR 523B (Building Structure Object Record) for each building that has individual significance (for the National Register or California Register) or for buildings that have had a substantial change in their historical status since prior evaluation. There were several historic contexts that were defined after the preliminary historic research was completed. The historic contexts define how each property was evaluated for historic significance or will be evaluated in the future. The historic contexts are the broad patterns of historical development within the survey area that are represented by the built environment present. Each identified property was then evaluated within its historic context for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NR) or the California Register of Historical Resources (CR). The City of Huntington Beach does not currently have local register criteria; therefore the project team adopted the California Register criteria when evaluating properties for local significance. There were several different resource types that were identified within the area. These resources were broken down into four categories: 1) single-family residences; 2) multi-family residences; 3) commercial buildings; and 4) institutions such as churches, libraries and post offices. The buildings were designed in a wide variety of architectural styles that range in date from circa 1880 to the present. The previous 1986 survey identified three districts that appeared eligible for the National Register. However, since nearly 30 years have passed since the 1986 survey and many changes have occurred in these previously identified areas, the project team closely reviewed the previously identified districts to confirm the validity of the previous determinations and to note any modifications to the buildings or changes to the proposed district’s significance or iii boundaries (due to demolitions, alterations, changes in district boundaries, changes in overall integrity levels or significance levels). The project team then determined the current district boundaries for any intact districts previously identified or identified as part of this survey. During this process, contributing and non-contributing buildings located within the defined district boundaries were identified. The project team also closely studied the outlying areas of Pirates Cove, Wintersburg, Liberty Park, Ocean View, Meadowlark, and the Bolsa Chica to determine if any of these early settlement areas would constitute a historic district. After close study it was determined that none of these areas exhibited a sufficient concentration of extant historic buildings to qualify as historic districts; however there were some individual buildings identified as potentially significant within these areas. After reviewing the previously proposed districts from the 1986 survey, the project team determined the 9th Street, Wesley Park and the Main Street Historic Districts as defined by the 1986 district boundaries no longer maintain enough integrity to be considered historic districts according to national or state criteria. However, after studying the Wesley Park neighborhood, the project team did find a smaller concentration of buildings that would constitute a local historic district along Main Street and Crest Avenue. Although the Wesley Park district would not qualify as a historic district according to the 1986 district boundaries, GPA re-evaluated the neighborhood and has proposed new district boundaries that appear to meet the California Register Criteria. Additionally, since the concentration of buildings within this previously identified Wesley Park District is located along Main Street, GPA has re-named this district the Main Street and Crest Avenue Historic District. The project team also identified a second potential district eligible for local listing on 9th Street between Olive and Walnut Avenues. This newly proposed district is located just outside the previously proposed 9th Street District and is representative of the cottages constructed during Huntington Beach’s early history. In addition to the two historic district areas,