ATTACHMENT 2 LPC 11-05-15 Page 1 of 44 HISTORICAL RESOURCE EVALUATION 2556 TELEGRAPH AVENUE BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA TIM KELLEY CONSULTING, LLC HISTORICAL RESOURCES 2912 DIAMOND STREET #330 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131 415.337-5824 [email protected] ATTACHMENT 2 LPC 11-05-15 HISTORICAL RESOURCE EVALUATION 2556 TELEGRAPH AVENUE BERKELEY, CALIFORNIAPage 2 of 44 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Tim Kelley Consulting (TKC) was engaged to conduct an Historical Resource Evaluation (HRE) for 2556 Telegraph Avenue, a steel frame brick faced commercial building constructed circa 1946, with a 1962 addition, in Berkeley’s LeConte neighborhood. TKC conducted a field survey, background research of public records, and a literature and map review to evaluate the subject property according to the significance criteria for the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) and the City of Berkeley’s Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. Subsequent sections of this report present the detailed results of TKC’s research. Based on that research, TKC concludes that 2556 Telegraph is not eligible for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources, nor does it appear eligible for listing as a City Landmark, Structure of Merit, or contributor to an identified historic district. Accordingly, 2556 Telegraph does not appear to be a historical resource for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act. REV 2. MARCH 2015 TIM KELLEY CONSULTING -1- ATTACHMENT 2 LPC 11-05-15 HISTORICAL RESOURCE EVALUATION 2556 TELEGRAPH AVENUE BERKELEY, CALIFORNIAPage 3 of 44 II. METHODS A records search, literature review, archival research, consultation, field survey, and eligibility evaluation were conducted for this study. Each task is described below. A. Records Search At the request of TKC, staff at the Northwest Information Center (NWIC) conducted a cultural resources records search of the study area and a 500-foot radius. The NWIC is an affiliate of the State of California Office of Historic Preservation and the official state repository of cultural resource records and reports for Alameda County. The records search was done to identify previous cultural resources and associated documentation in and adjacent to the study area. The records search included a review of the following federal, state, and local inventories: • California Points of Historical Interest (California Office of Historic Preservation 1992); • California Historical Landmarks (California Office of Historic Preservation 1996); • Five Views: An Ethnic Historic Site Survey for California (California Office of Historic Preservation 1988); • Directory of Properties in the Historic Property Data File (California Office of Historic Preservation, April 15, 2012). The directory includes the listings of the National Register of Historic Places, National Historic Landmarks and the California Register of Historical Resources; • Berkeley Landmarks: An Illustrated Guide to Berkeley, California’s Architectural Heritage (Cerny 2001); • City of Berkeley Designated Landmarks (City of Berkeley 2004); • City of Berkeley Historic Resources (City of Berkeley 2009); The California State Historical Resources Inventory rates the subject property as 6Y: “determined ineligible for National Register by consensus through Section 106 process; not evaluated for CR or Local Listing.” That Section 106 evaluation was part of the historical survey elements of the AC Transit East Bay Bus Rapid Transit EIR, first conducted in 2005. The subject property was not listed specifically; it was (by consensus) deemed ineligible for the National Register. A copy of the SHPO Section 106 concurrence letter from that survey and the corresponding assignment of the 6Y rating is included in this report. REV. 2, MARCH 2015 TIM KELLEY CONSULTING 2 ATTACHMENT 2 LPC 11-05-15 HISTORICAL RESOURCE EVALUATION 2556 TELEGRAPH AVENUE BERKELEY, CALIFORNIAPage 4 of 44 Literature Review TKC reviewed the following publications, maps, and websites for historical information about the study area and its vicinity: Southside Plan (City of Berkeley 2011); A History of Berkeley, From the Ground Up (Cohen 2008) at http://historyofberkeley.org/index.html; Oakland West, Calif., 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle (U.S. Geological Survey 2012); Sanborn Fire Insurance Company Maps for Berkeley (1903, 1911, 1929, 1950, 1980); Transit Times, Vol. 6, No. 5, by AC Transit (September 1963); Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association at http://www.berkeleyheritage.com/; Online Archive of California at http://www.oac.cdlib.org; Oakland Museum of California Collections at http://collections.museumca.org/; and Calisphere at http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu. Archival Research In March and April of 2014, TKC conducted research in the archives room at the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA), the Berkeley Historical Society History Center, the Berkeley History Room in the Berkeley Public Library, the City of Berkeley Planning & Development Department, and the UC Berkeley Earth Sciences Library. The archival research examined local histories, maps, images, government records, and previous survey evaluation forms for historical information about the building at 2556 Telegraph Avenue. Information identified included former owners, past land use activity, and the architectural context of the neighborhood. Consultation On March 19, 2014, TKC sent a letter describing the study area with maps depicting the study area to the Berkeley Historical Society History Center and the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) requesting any information or concerns they may have regarding the building at 2556 University Avenue. Field Survey REV. 2, MARCH 2015 TIM KELLEY CONSULTING 3 ATTACHMENT 2 LPC 11-05-15 HISTORICAL RESOURCE EVALUATION 2556 TELEGRAPH AVENUE BERKELEY, CALIFORNIAPage 5 of 44 TKC conducted a field survey of the study area and a cursory visual review of the surrounding neighborhood on March 20, 2014. The exterior of the building at 2556 Telegraph Avenue was reviewed and photographed, as was the architectural context of the surrounding neighborhood. REV. 2, MARCH 2015 TIM KELLEY CONSULTING 4 ATTACHMENT 2 LPC 11-05-15 HISTORICAL RESOURCE EVALUATION 2556 TELEGRAPH AVENUE BERKELEY, CALIFORNIAPage 6 of 44 III. PROPERTY DESCRIPTION A. Site 2556 Telegraph Avenue is located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Telegraph and Blake Street. The parcel, APN 55-1837-1, is bounded by Telegraph Avenue to the east, Blake Street to the north, a service alley to the west, and the neighboring commercial building (2566 Telegraph) to the south. The lot is a parallelogram measuring 102 feet on its east and west sides and 100 feet on its north and south sides. The total area of 10,200 square feet is entirely occupied by a structure, with no setbacks from any of the lot lines. Figure 1: USGS 7.5 minute Oakland West Quadrangle Map (detail) REV. 2, MARCH 2015 TIM KELLEY CONSULTING 5 ATTACHMENT 2 LPC 11-05-15 HISTORICAL RESOURCE EVALUATION 2556 TELEGRAPH AVENUE BERKELEY, CALIFORNIAPage 7 of 44 Figure 2: Site Area Detail (from Google Earth) B. Structure The structure at 2556 Telegraph was constructed in two phases. The division between the two is clear from both interior and exterior observation and in Sanborn maps (see “Literature and Map Review” below for more detail). The main, earlier portion of the structure is an L-plan building with a roof consisting of three parallel shallow gables. It occupies all but the northwest quarter of the lot. This building dates from 1946 and is depicted in the 1950 Sanborn Map (figure 3). As indicated on that map, the structure is framed with steel columns and girders and topped with a bowstring steel truss roof with rectangular skylights. The 14-foot height depicted in the map is not uniform; as the parcel REV. 2, MARCH 2015 TIM KELLEY CONSULTING 6 ATTACHMENT 2 LPC 11-05-15 HISTORICAL RESOURCE EVALUATION 2556 TELEGRAPH AVENUE BERKELEY, CALIFORNIAPage 8 of 44 slopes down toward the south, the building gains height above street level. (The doorways that once connected this building to the one next door, depicted in the map, have been filled in.) The portion of this structure that occupies the northeast quarter of the lot (identified as a showroom in the 1950 Sanborn Map) is a single story with one entrance facing Figure 3: 1950 Sanborn Map Telegraph and another corner entrance deeply recessed within an arcade at the Telegraph/Blake intersection, where the building has a slightly rounded corner (see figure 4; this was the location of the auto showroom and likely featured large display windows). The roof of this portion of the structure is supported by a separate set of steel trusses from those supporting the roof of the main part of the building. Fenestration in the northeast portion consists of large, single-pane fixed windows (see esp. figure 5). This portion of the structure is clad in a mix of brick and some wood siding below the one-story height line, and wood shingles on the parapet above that line. REV. 2, MARCH 2015 TIM KELLEY CONSULTING 7 ATTACHMENT 2 LPC 11-05-15 HISTORICAL RESOURCE EVALUATION 2556 TELEGRAPH AVENUE BERKELEY, CALIFORNIAPage 9 of 44 Figure 4: Northern Elevation, showing corner portion of structure Figure 5: Eastern Elevation The part of the older structure that occupies the lot’s southerly half has a vehicular proportioned entrance and mixed fenestration facing Telegraph Avenue (see figure 6). Like the northeast corner portion, it is clad mostly in brick with some diagonal wood siding below the