THE EDUCATION COMMUNITY
303 West Commonwealth Avenue, Fullerton, California 92832-1775 (714) 738-6598 · Fax (714) 738-3110 · Website: www.cityoffullerton.com
CITY OF FULLERTON
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Community and Economic Development Department
Item No. 1
December 7, 2022
6:30 p.m.
Public Hearing
TO: Chairman Cox and
Members of the Landmarks/Planning Commission
APPLICATION
PRJ2022-00135 - ZON-2022-0070 - LRP-2022-0012
APPLICANT
Fullerton Heritage on behalf of Kevin Ray
LOCATION
444 West Malvern Avenue
SUMMARY AND APPLICATIONS REQUESTED
This application is a request to designate the property at 444 W est Malvern Avenue as a Historical (Local) Landmark (HL-108) with a corresponding request to amend The Fullerton Plan to add the proper ty t o Table 6 and Exhibit 3 of The Fullerton Plan, City of Fullerton Local Register of Historical Resources, and Map of Historical Resources, respectively.
CEQA DETERMINATION
Categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15331 – Historical Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation, which allows for the preservation and conservation of historical resources in a manner consistent with the Secretary of Interior's Standards for the treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings.
AUTHORIZATION/GUIDELINES
Fullerton Municipal Code (FMC) Section 15.48.050 authorizes the Landmarks Commission to designate a property as a Historical ( Local) Landmark, after due consideration and public hearing. The Landmarks Comm ission review shall consider the criteria specified in FMC Section 15.48.060, Criteria for Designation.
California Government Code Section 65353 establishes a procedure wherein the Planning Commission is authorized to consider a revision to the General Pl an at a noticed public hearing and forward their recommendation to the City Council for final action.
Planning Commission Staff Report
December 7, 2022
Item No. 1 Page 2 PRJ2022-00135
PUBLIC OUTREACH
On November 23, 2022, the City sent a Public Hearing Notice to owners and occupants of property within a 300 -foot radius of the project site. Notification was posted on the project site on that same date. The notice was also posted on the City’s website and at the Maintenance Services Department, Main Library, Museum Center, and City Hall on the Public Notice Boards.
In addition, notice was published in the Fullerton Tribune on November 24, 2022.
PROJECT BACKGROUND / HISTORY
Project Applicant: Fullerton Heritage
Property Owner: Kevin Ray
Property Location: 444 West Malvern Avenue
General Location: North side of Malvern Aven ue, 70 feet east of Richman Avenue
Parcel Number: 032-131-02
Existing Community
Development Type (General
Plan Land Use Designation):
Low Density Residential
Existing Zoning
Classification:
R-1-7.2P, Single Family Residential , Preservation –
(minimum lot size of 7,200 square feet)
Site Size: 4,813 square feet
Circulation: Malvern Av enue is a local street that conne cts with Richman Avenue, a local collector street.
Parking: Detached two-car garage accessed from the public alley bordering the southern side of the property.
Existing Conditions: The property i s developed with a two -story English cottage-styled single-family residence, constructed in
1928, and a detached accessory structure constructed in 1979 consisting of a garage and studio.
Surrounding Land Uses
and Zoning:
North, east, and west: Residential properties zoned R-1-
7.2P, Single-Family Residential, Preservation (mini mum lot size 7,200 square feet) and on the south by a public alley across which are residential properties zoned R-1-
7.2P.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The applicant, Fullerton Heritage on behalf of the property owner , is seeking designation of the property located at 444 W est Malvern as a Historical ( Local) Landmark with (HL-108) a corresponding General Plan Revision to add the property to the Local Register of Historical Resources (Table 6 of the Fullerton Plan) and to the Historical Resources – National and Local map (Exhibit 3 of The Fullerton Plan).
ANALYSIS
FMC Chapter 15.48 (Landmarks, Landmark Districts, Residential Preserv ation Zones, and Significant Properties) establishes the process for determining whether a site is worthy of Planning Commission Staff Report
December 7, 2022
Item No. 1 Page 3 PRJ2022-00135
designation as a Local Landmark. Such designati on confirms that the historic, cultural, architectural or aesthetic value of a property merits its p reservation, restoration and/or protection.
FMC 15.48.060, Criteria for a “ Historical Landmark” designation, identifies the following criteria for determining eligibility:
1. Character, interest, or value as part of the heritage of the City.
2. Location as a site of a historic event.
3. Identification with a person or persons or groups who significantly contributed to the cul ture and development of the City.
4. Exemplification of a particular architectural style or way of life important to the City.
5. Exemplification of the best remaining architectural types in an area.
6. Identification as the work of a person or persons whose work has influenced the heritage of the City, the State of California or the United States.
7. Embodiment of elements of outstanding attention to arc hitectural design, detail, materials or craftsmanship.
8. Relationship to other landmarks, where the preservation of one has a bearing on the preservation of another.
9. A unique location or singular physical characteristic representing an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood.
10. Integrity as a natural environment that strongly contributes to the well -being of the people of the City.
This property qualifies as a Local Landmark per criteria 3 and 7:
3. Identification with a person or persons or groups who significantly contributed to the culture and development of the City.
7. Embodiment of elements of outstanding attention to architectural design, detail, materials or craftsmanship.
Fullerton Heritage provided background and research concer ning this property (Attachment 2).
Highlights regarding the notable residents and the architectural details are summarized below.
Notable Figures: Earl Scott Dysinger and Charles Henry Schugt
The cottage- styled home is being nominated as a Fullerton Local Landmark for its historic association with two notable Fullerton residents: original owner Earl S cott Dysinger , the fir st Student President of Fullerton College, and second owner Chemist/businessman Charles Henry Schugt, co-owner and soft drink creat or for the La Vida Bottling Company, In c., Fullerton’s first and only soft drink manufacturing firm. The bottled drinks produced by the company were marketed and sold throughout Northern and Southern California, with each bottle proudly stating that it was produced in Fullerton, bringing recognition to the City.
One year after Fullerton was established by George and Edward Amerige in 1887, Ira Horatio Dysinger (1862-1920) and his wife, Mary Belle Scott (1863-1943), migrated from Royalton, New York with th eir growing family to Fullerton, making the Dysinger ’s one of the first pioneer families to settle into the new townsite. The Dysinger family extended and would e ventually Planning Commission Staff Report
December 7, 2022
Item No. 1 Page 4 PRJ2022-00135
become one of the mos t well-known and active families in Fullerton and Orange County d uring the first half of the twentieth century. Earl Scott Dysinger, the oldest son, arrived in Fullerton at the age of five. He was elected the first Class Pr esident of Fullerton College in 1913, the year the College was founded, and where he later organized a student body later to be known as the Associated Student Body. In 1928, Dysinger, his wife, and their two small children – who had been living with his mother at 319 East Chapman Avenue – moved into their newly constructed home on Malvern Avenue. However, i n 1937 the residence on Malvern Avenue was sold to businessman Charles H. Schugt.
Charles H. Schugt was born in Bonn Ger many on June 26, 1902 . He attended both the State University in Vienna and the Frederick Wilhelm University of Bonn, graduat ing with a B achelor of Science degree in chemistry in 1923 and was later employed by the Frederick Wilhelm Krupp Company in Essen Germany , as a chemist . Schugt f irst moved to California with his wife , Ingeborg Ciphers and two children, Dieter Schugt and Helga Schugt Woody, where he first settled in Los Angeles as an employee of the La Vida Mineral Water Company and developed a carbonated bottled drink that would later be named La Vida Lime ‘N Lemon.
When Schugt moved into his Malvern Avenue residence, his next -door neighbor was Richard (Dick) Jewett, co-owner of a highly success ful home building firm . Schugt and Jewett quic kly became friends and went into business together purchasing La Vida Bott ling Company , changing the name to LaVi da Bottling Company. Schugt quickly too k over as plant manager when a new LaVida Bottling Plant was constructed at 700 South Harbor Boulevard where a line of distinctive beverages were produced and at its peak in 1957 produce d 57,000 bottles every eight hours.
In 1956, LaVida added a production line for Dr Pepper, a soft drink growing in popularity that had been invented in Waco, Texas by a young pharmacist . B ased on competitio n from nationally advertised brands, Schugt eventually m ade the decision to open a new Dr Pepper franchise and abandon the LaVida mineral water and soft drinks. He changed the name of the company to the Dr Pepper Bottling Company of Fullerton and a new bottling plant was constructed at 1301 West Orangethorpe Avenue.
Architectural Design: English Country Cottage
Constructed in 1928, the residence represents an excellent example of the English cottage style that was popular in Fullerton and the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. Cottage like features of the home include a steep roof pitch with rolled edges, fish-scale asphalt shingles that roll under at the roof edges, clipped gables, stucco walls with brick trim around the ground floor windows and doors on the primary façade, a prominent chimney on the east side wall, and small front porch. Overall, the home has an inviting and charming quality enhanced by a grassy lawn, planters, and simple plantings.
Over time, a series of owners made changes to th e property; however, the property as a whole retains a high degree of historic integrity of locat ion, setting, desi gn materials, and the house continues to be in excellent condition. In 19 41, second owner Charles H. Schugt a dded a detached, one- room mas onry and wood frame “garden room” at the rear of the property, extending across the back of the lot and abutting the p ublic alley on the south side of the property. In 1978- 79, the third property owner constructed a studio and garage addition at the southwest corner of the property. Although non-contributing, b oth the garden room and the combination garage-studio complement the original architecture of the original house and are only visible from the public alley and home itself.
Planning Commission Staff Report
December 7, 2022
Item No. 1 Page 5 PRJ2022-00135
Among other renovations, the current property owners modified the rear facing roofline in 2019- 2020 to provide adequate headroom on the second floor and make better use of the existing floor area; h owever, the roofline modific ations are not v isible from M alvern Av enue and th e appearance from the street is not affected. Also, through this renovation many of the original architectural features of the home were restored, including the br ick trim around windows and doors.
Despite modifications to the interior and additions to the backyard, the residence retains a high degree of historic integrity and none of the changes affect the eligibility of the h ome for landmark status.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act the recommended action is categorically exempt from environmental review per Section 15331 o f the State CEQA Guidelines. This Class 31 exempt ion allows the preservation and conservation of historical resources in a manner consistent with the Secretary of Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings.
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Pursuant to the findings and facts, including General Plan c onsistency outlined therein, find that the project is categorically exempt from CEQA, and adopt Planning Commission Resolution No.
PC-2022-37, entitled:
A RESOLUTION OF THE LANDMARKS COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA, DESIGNATING THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 444 W EST MALVERN AVENUE (HISTORI C LANDMARK NO. HL -108) A
LOCAL LANDMARK AND RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL
APPROVE A GENERAL PLAN REVISION T O M AKE CORRESPONDING
AMENDMENTS TO THE FULLERTON PLAN HISTORIC PRESERVATION
ELEMENT, TABLE 6 – CITY OF FULLERTON LOCAL REGISTER OF
HISTORICAL RESOURCES AND EXHIBIT 3 – MAP OF HISTORICAL
RESOURCES – NATIONAL AND LOCAL
DATED: December 7, 2022
Prepared by: Reviewed by:
Edgardo Caldera
Senior Planner
Chris Schaefer, AICP
Planning Manager
Planning Commission Staff Report
December 7, 2022
Item No. 1 Page 6 PRJ2022-00135
Approved for Agenda by:
_______________________
Sunayana Thomas
Interim Community and Economic Development Director
Attachments to Report:
1. Draft Planning Commission Resolution No. PC-2022-37
2. Documentation in Support of Landmark Designation for 444 West Malvern Avenue