CITY OF POMONA
COUNCIL REPORT
October 16, 2023
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: James Makshanoff, City Manager
Submitted By: Anita Gutierrez, AICP, Development Services Director SUBJECT: APPEAL OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION’S DECISION FOR A DETERMINATION OF HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE (DHS-021943-2023) FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT 451 EAST CENTER STREET RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council adopt one of the following resolutions (Attachments 1 and 2):
RESOLUTION NO. 2023-187 – A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA, CALIFORNIA, DENYING THE APPEAL AND UPHOLDING THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION’S DETERMINATION THAT 451 EAST CENTER STREET IS HISTORIC RESOLUTION NO. 2023-188 – A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING THE APPEAL AND DETERMINING THAT 451 EAST CENTER STREET IS NOT HISTORIC EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Historic Preservation Commission determined the structure located at 451 East Center Street to have historic significance based on its architecture, meeting criterion 3 for historic designation, which states that the property “embodies distinctive characteristics of a style, type, period, or method of construction, or is a valuable example of the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship.” Staff’s review and recommendation to the Commission was that the structure did not meet the criteria for historical significance. The Council has the option to either uphold the Commission’s decision, determining the structure has historical significance or approving the appeal, reversing the Commission’s decision and determining the structure does not have historical significance.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No Fiscal Impact at this time.
DISCUSSION:
On July 27, 2023, the applicant, Doug Alvey, submitted a Determination of Historic Significance application to determine if the house located at 451 East Center Street holds any historic significance. Staff researched the property and completed an intensive-level survey for the property. Staff’s opinion is that the property is not historic and recommended that the Historic Preservation Commission determine that the property is not historic. The Commission disagreed with staff and determined that due to the structure’s architecture, the property met designation criterion No. 3, that the property “embodies distinctive characteristics of a style, type, period, or method of construction, or is a valuable example of the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship.” With the Commission’s determination, staff requested, and the Commission approved, initiating the designation of the property as a local historic landmark. On September 14, 2023, Doug Alvey submitted an appeal of the Commission’s determination.
Architecture
In reviewing Chapter 2 of the Pomona Guide to Historic Preservation, the structure was built in the Craftsman Bungalow style, which occurred starting in the late 1900s but was the dominant architectural style in Southern California in the 1910s. The property was not included in the 1993 Citywide Historic Resources Survey. The Historic Preservation Commission staff report (Attachment No. 2) contains a detailed architectural description of the property.
History
The history is limited on this property. While there are a number of people that resided in this house, other than their names and some of their occupations, there is not much detail on these residents. The residence at 451 East Center Avenue was built in 1910 and appears to have been used as a rental most of its life, based on the number of residents that have lived in the house. The Historic Preservation Commission staff report (Attachment No. 2) contains a detailed history of the property.
Designation Criteria
The Historic Preservation Commission determined that the property, based on its architecture, met designation criterion no. 3. Criterion 3 states:
“It embodies distinctive characteristics of a style, type, period, or method of construction, or is a valuable example of the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship”; Staff evaluated the property and determined that this property did not have any distinctive characteristics that would distinguish it from the thousands of other Craftsman Bungalow style houses in Pomona. In addition, the property did not have any features that would be considered high artistic values, and it is not the work of a master. The Commission disagreed with staff’s evaluation and determined that the property had distinctive characteristics of the Craftsman Bungalow style of architecture, including clapboard siding, exposed rafters, exposed beams, decorative roof vents, and decorative rafter tails on end rafters; and that it is a valuable example of early worker housing in Pomona.
ALTERNATIVES: The City Council has the following alternatives:
The City Council can deny the appeal and uphold the Historic Preservation Commission’s determination that 451 East Center Street is historic.
The City Council can approve the appeal and determine that 451 East Center Street is not historic.
Prepared by:
_____________________________
Geoffrey Starns, AICP, LEED AP BD+C,
Historic Preservation Supervisor
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment No. 1 – Resolution No. 2023-187, Denying the Appeal Attachment No. 2 – Resolution No. 2023-188, Approving the Appeal Attachment No. 3 – Historic Preservation Staff Report with Attachments Attachment No. 4 – Appeal Application
Appeal of Historic Commission’s Decision Regarding 451 East Center Street