Land Use Planning Received June 30, 2017 HISTORICAL RESOURCE EVALUATION OF BANCROFT CENTER BERKELEY, ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA August 2015 Cover Photograph Bancroft Center, 2558-2580 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. North façade. View to the southwest. HISTORICAL RESOURCE EVALUATION OF BANCROFT CENTER BERKELEY, ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Prepared for: Mr. Blair Sweeney Landmark Properties 455 Epps Bridge Parkway, Building 100, Suite 201 Athens, Georgia 30606 Prepared by: Michael Hibma, M.A., RPH #603 Angelique Theriot, M.A. LSA Associates, Inc. 157 Park Place Point Richmond, California 94801 (510) 236-6810 www.lsa-assoc.com LSA Project #LMK1501 August 2015 LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. HISTORICAL RESOURCE EVALAUTION OF AUGUST 2015 BANCROFT CENTER BERKELEY, ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................. 1 2.0 REGULATORY CONTEXT ........................................................................................................... 4 2.1 CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT ............................................................ 4 2.2 CITY OF BERKELEY .............................................................................................................. 5 3.0 METHODS ....................................................................................................................................... 7 3.1 RECORDS SEARCH ................................................................................................................ 7 3.2 LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................................... 7 3.3 ARCHIVAL RESEARCH ......................................................................................................... 8 3.4 FIELD SURVEY ....................................................................................................................... 8 4.0 RESEARCH AND FIELD SURVEY RESULTS ............................................................................ 9 4.1 RECORDS SEARCH ................................................................................................................ 9 4.2 LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................ 10 4.2.1 Online Research ............................................................................................................. 10 4.2.2 Literature and Map Review ............................................................................................ 10 4.3 ARCHIVAL RESEARCH ....................................................................................................... 11 4.3.1 Building Permits ............................................................................................................. 12 Table 1: Building Permit Information ..................................................................................... 12 4.3.2 University of California in Berkeley Environmental Design Archives .......................... 12 4.4 FIELD SURVEY ..................................................................................................................... 13 5.0 ELIGIBILITY EVALUATION ...................................................................................................... 14 5.1 HISTORICAL CONTEXT ...................................................................................................... 14 5.1.1 Berkeley.......................................................................................................................... 14 5.1.2 Southside Neighborhood ................................................................................................ 15 5.1.2 Bancroft Center .............................................................................................................. 16 5.2 ARCHITECTURAL CONTEXT ............................................................................................. 16 5.2.1 John Hans Ostwald ......................................................................................................... 16 5.2.2 Modern ........................................................................................................................... 17 5.2.3 Brutalism ........................................................................................................................ 18 5.3 APPLICATION OF SIGNIFICANCE CRITERIA ................................................................. 19 5.3.1 California Register of Historical Resources Criteria ...................................................... 19 5.3.2 Landmark Preservation Ordinance Criteria .................................................................... 20 5.4 INTEGRITY ASSESSMENT .................................................................................................. 23 6.0 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................. 24 Table 2: Resource Status Summary ......................................................................................... 24 7.0 REFERENCES CONSULTED ...................................................................................................... 25 FIGURES Figure 1: Regional Location and Project Area ....................................................................................... 2 Figure 2: Project Area ............................................................................................................................ 3 TABLES Table 1: Building Permit Information .................................................................................................. 12 Table 2: Resource Status Summary ...................................................................................................... 24 i LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. HISTORICAL RESOURCE EVALAUTION OF AUGUST 2015 BANCROFT CENTER BERKELEY, ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA APPENDIX Appendix: California Department of Parks and Recreation 523 Series Form Record ii LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. HISTORICAL RESOURCE EVALAUTION OF AUGUST 2015 BANCROFT CENTER BERKELEY, ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents the results of eligibility historical resource evaluation of Bancroft Center, a single-story commercial building built in 1963 at 2558-2580 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, Alameda County (Figures 1 and 2). LSA Associates, Inc. (LSA), conducted background research through literature review and archival research, a field survey, and resource recordation to prepare this evaluation. The evaluation applies the significance criteria of the California Register of Historical Resources and the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance of the Berkeley Municipal Code. This report includes (1) a description of the regulatory context for cultural resources in the project area; (2) a summary of the methods used to prepare the analysis; (3) a description of Bancroft Center and its historical context; and (4) a California Register of Historical Resources eligibility evaluation. Although Bancroft Center is associated with the mid-20th century commercial development of Berkeley, background research indicates Bancroft Center was not a prominent or important example of this association. The building is also associated with Modern/Brutalist architecture and Berkeley- based architect John Hans Ostwald, but it no longer retains sufficient integrity of his original design. Bancroft Center is neither the last nor best remaining example of Ostwald’s work and is a typical example of mid-20th century commercial development, which is well represented and documented in Berkeley and Alameda County. Based on the results of background research and field survey, the Bancroft Center does not appear eligible for inclusion in the California Register of Historical Resources or for listing as a City of Berkeley Landmark, a Structure of Merit, or as a contributing element to a historic district. As such, it does not appear to be a historical resource for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (PRC Code §21084.1). 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